Poem

Natural selection around the dune area
Action at the blustery shoreline 
The trough that glimmers with bright sun
Unique worldwide
Recreation and important to protect for future generations
Animals like the Wolf Sand Spider, Tiger Beetle, White-Tailed Deer, and the Eastern Box Turtle
Lots of plants including Beach Pea and Harebells
Foredunes with golden sand that crunches beneath your feet
Eastern Hemlocks on the Forested Dune swaying in the wind
American Goldfinch, Red-Tailed Hawk, Ring- Billed Gull, and Pileated Woodpecker
Thousands of years and succesion to form an environment
U-shaped dunes bountiful with sand
Rhizomes from the Marram Grass on the beach
Evoking a peaceful environment

Importance of Dunes

Reasons Dunes Are Important

1.  Dunes are unique worldwide.

2.  Dunes contain special plants like Marram Grass and is home to animals including sea birds.

3.  The dunes provide migration corridors for migrating birds.

4.  Recreation

5.  Protection

Two Ways Humans Are Trying to Protect Them

1. There are signs indicating where people are not allowed to walk on the dunes

2. People are trying to hold back on building houses on the dunes

Plants of the Area



 Plants

 

Beach Pea/Beach

 

Beech Tree/ Forested Dune





  


 




 

Goldenrod-Trough

 





 







Pitcher's Thistle/Trough





Hemlock/Forested Dune





Sea Rocket/Beach


  





   









Sand Cherry/Foredune





Wormwood/Trough



Animals

 



Tiger Beetle found in the Beach area of Rosy Mound.



The Tiger Beetle enjoys the bright sun and adapts to its environment by burrowing into the sand for shelter when clouds or rain appear.  Its camouflage color and pattern allow it to survive on the beach and wait for its prey while unseen in its burrow.



Sand Wolf Spider found in the Foredune area of Rosy Mound

The Sand Wolf Spider adapts to its environment by burrowing into sand to escape high temperatures on the sand's surface.  The sandy brown color helps it blend into its surroundings when leaving its burrow home.

 

Red Fox found in the Trough area of Rosy Mound

The Red Fox adapts to the Trough area by being nocturnal and hunting its prey at night.  It also adapts through its small size of being approximately 14 inches long and having a diverse diet of small toads, insects, berries and birds.

Pileated Woodpecker found in the Forested Dune Area of Rosy Mound

The Pileated Woodpecker found in the Forested Dunes adapts to its environment by feeding off insects in dead trees along.  The forested dune provides shelter for the pileated woodpecker year round.













Marram Grass

Characteristics that make Marram Grass well suited for surviving on the beach/foredune:

1.  Already contain rich nutrients in them

2.  Needs direct sunlight

3.  Does not need much water

4.  Fibrous roots for burial in shifting sand

5.  Rhizomes allow the dune to get higher

6.  Tolerates extreme temperatures

7.  Thrives in a windblown environment

A discussion of Marram Grass and its role.....

Marram grass, a pioneer plant, is critical to the stability of the dunes because its fine roots trap (hold) the sand together and the rhizomes allow the dune to get higher as sand piles up around the plant.  Once it has stabilized the soil, it creates an environment no longer suitable for its own species.

Role Of The Great Lakes

Three Ingredients That Are Needed To Form A Sand Dune....

1.  Source of sand

2.  Prevailing winds

3.  Vegetation to trap the moving sand

Components of Lake Michigan sand

1.  Bedrock which eventually broke down with erosion.
2. 87-97% Quartz
3. 1-3% Magnetite
4. 10-11% Feldspar


How The Dunes Are Affected By The Great Lakes

The dunes are affected by the Great Lakes in different ways. Firstly, if the levels of water from the lake change so much, the dunes could erode little by little. Secondly, the winds from the lake push the sand grains making a mound, but over time, forming a sand dune. Thus, the Great Lakes are responsible for the formation of the dunes.

Succession: Definition and Examples



- This is a picture of the beach at Rosy Mound.



SUCCESSION

Definition:

Succession is the change in a community of organisms into a new community of organisms that takes place in one location over time.





Where It Occurs In My Everyday World....
An example of succession in my everyday world is when a natural disaster (such as a forest fire) wipes out an environment, but slowly and over time, the environment is being renewed with pioneer plants (such as Marram Grass), trees, and animals. But, if ANOTHER natural disaster occurs, then those organisms would die off, and possibly an entirely different environment could be growing there.

How Succession is Demonstrated at Rosy Mound.....

- From the beach, and to the foredune...

High wind velocity causes succesion on the beach and the foredune (however it is not as powerful at the foredune). This is because the wind can be so powerful that it wipes out many organsims that are not able to adapt to this area. Therefore, new plants and animals that come to the area for the first time, and find out they CAN adapt to the beach and the foredune, reproduce more and more until eventually, the beach and foredune are filled with those organisms. The Sea Rocket is able to adapt to the dune by withstanding tough conditions and sinks its roots to the water and stores water in its leaves.The Tiger Beetle is able to adapt to its environment by burrowing into the sand for shelter when clouds or rain appear and its camouflage can help it by hiding from predators,or ready to snack on prey. 



- From the foredune, and to the trough.....
 Water is lacking here, causing succession. The organisms living here (such as Juniper trees, Northern Red Oak and various grasses) don't need too much water and love the sun, which is why they are able to adapt here. However, if the water level rises and somehow floods out the dune, water-loving organisms would push out the organisms originally living there. The Sand Wolf Spider is able to adapt here because it burrows into the sand to keep itself cool from the sand's high temperatures and uses camouflage to blend into its surroundings.



- This a picture of the trough at Rosy Mound.

 - From the trough, and to the forested dune area.....
Lack of light because of the tall, sun-loving trees, makes succesion. This is because the smaller trees and plants that depend on the sunlight, are dying off because the taller trees are making too much shade for these organisms. Now, the trough and forested dune areas have organisms who depend on shade, and cooler temperatures. However, if some great natural disaster occurs, and all of the tall trees are dead, the sun-loving trees and plants would begin to grow again. The Red Fox adapts to its environment by living off of the diverse organisms that live in the trough like berries and birds, and because of its small size to keep hidden. The Eastern Hemlock can adapt as well because of its ability to develop on steep slopes and is protected by intense wind and erosion. 

Rosy Mound Park