Special Foray in NW Indiana

Introduction

April 28-30, 2023 OMLA broke new ground and had an out of state foray in NW Indiana,in Laporte and Porter Counties.

Highlights

• 108 bryophyte species collected and identified for Laporte and Porter Counties combined
• 72 bryophyte species for Laporte County, of which 33 are county records; lists below
• 78 bryophyte species for Porter County, of which 15 are county records; lists below
• 2 bryophyte state records: Hypnum fauriei (Ambler old growth forest area) and Polytrichum longisetum (Moraine (Chicago Woods) & Ambler (old growth portion)
• Besides state records, numerous other IN bryophyte relative rarities were collected (described in more detail in next to last table)
• 41 lichen species collected for Laporte County, 26 of which are county records; list below
• 1 lichen state record: Agonimia flabelliformis (Sebert)
• Beside state record, several other IN lichen relative rarities were collected (described in more detail in last table)
• None of the sites previously had bryophyte or lichen lists

 

Attendees included Derek Nimetz, regional ecologist for IDNR (Indiana Department of Natural Resources) Division of Natural Areas, Coastal Region. He manages several of the sites we visited, and did a great job of facilitating our foray. Along with participants from IN and IL interested in learning more about bryophytes and lichens, there were five OMLA attendees who collected and identified specimens (Barb Andreas, Tomas Curtis, Becky Smucker, Carole Schumacher, and Bill Schumacher).

Preparation for the foray was also assisted by Shirley Heinz land trust personnel who also help manage some of the preserves that were sampled.

This area has population pressure, due to proximity to Chicago. Yet numerous high-quality habitats have been protected in nature preserves and parks, with high vascular plant diversity. These two counties border lake Michigan, with the National and State Dunes Parks bordering it in the northern parts of the counties. South of that is the Valparaiso end moraine, with hilly and varied topography and many different soil substrates characterizing the area.

Unlike the majority of counties in Indiana, there has been some significant collection in this area, more so in Porter County. Most of the sampling, though, occurred in the dunes area beside Lake Michigan. Relatively little sampling had occurred elsewhere in the counties. One of the goals of the foray was to explore previously unexamined nature preserves located south of the dunes areas to see what the bryophyte and lichen communities looked like in those areas.

Five sites were visited. In Porter County: Moraine and John Coulter Nature Preserves. In Laporte County: Ambler and nearby Sebert Nature Preserve, and Little Calumet Headwaters Nature Preserve. Wintergreen Nature Preserve, right across from Sebert only had a few specimens from earlier scouting as time ran out to see it during the foray. The largest nature preserves were examined in several sections. Moraine had four sections examined – upland & ravines, a wetland area, a wooded kame, and Chicago Woods (a mature wooded area). Ambler had three sections examined – an old growth portion and two secondary wooded areas south and north of the old growth portion. Detailed descriptions of these sites can be found later in the “Site Descriptions” section. All but one of these sites were located outside the dunes area. These sites have varied habitats and substrates.

Discussion

The number of species collected, both for bryophytes and lichens, as well as the number of species with few prior records point to several things.

The sites looked at were high quality sites. The larger sites looked at, Moraine and Ambler Nature Preserves at 900+ and 500+ acres respectively, contained a diversity of habitats and substrates, as well as being old growth areas to harbor high quality bryophyte communities. The other nature preserves, although smaller, were also of high quality and complemented what was seen in the larger reserves.

Also, the relatively close proximity to Lake Michigan helped to provide for a cooler climate. This probably was a factor in finding a species like Hypnum fauriei – a state record. It is not a common species. It is usually found in cooler climates. It is found at lower altitudes in more northerly areas, and at higher elevations in the mountains to the south; see map below. It should be noted that there was also a record for this species just over the Illinois border close to the Chicago area and close to Lake Michigan, even though not previously seen in Indiana or in Ohio.

Polytrichastrum longisetum, the other state record bryophyte, tends to be found on acid soils, like those found in Ambler and Moraine Nature Preserves where it was found. It is scattered over parts of North America. Numerous records for it are in NE IL, SE WI and SW MI, so its occurrence in NW IN seems logical; see map below.

The herbarium record distribution for Agonimia flabelliformis is shown below. One can note it has records from the NE to the SE US and then a 2nd distribution found mainly in Missouri, including the Ozarks.

The collections and various records point to the need for wider collections. Even though both counties had a relatively high number of species, different habitats were being neglected outside the dunes areas.

Even with the number of species collected, there certainly is more room for future collection in these areas. The probability for more records within these areas is, probably fairly high.

Site descriptions

This area is dominated by outwash soils of a sandy texture and by end moraine. The latter soils tend to be very mixed up with soil textures of clay, loam and sandy all within close proximity. Topography is quite hilly and varied in these areas. Sandy outwash soils near the lake were whipped into dunes soon after glaciation.

Porter County

John Coulter Nature Preserve is an ~80-acre complex of sand prairie, oak savanna, and wetlands in northern Porter County, close to Indiana Dunes national and state parks.

Moraine Nature Preserve is an ~900-acre site in the Valparaiso end moraine, south of the dunes area. It contains a combination of rolling ridges, steep hills, muck pockets, pot holes, and a shallow pond. Mature beech-maple forest is found on some of the uplands and ravines. Buttonbush and black willow surround a number of pot holes and ponds.

Laporte County

Ambler Flatwoods Nature Preserve is an ~520-acre forest community known as boreal flatwoods, which is characterized by poorly drained soils on a relatively level landscape. Overstory trees include red maple, northern pin oak, black gum, tulip tree, and white pine. Many plant species occurring here are typically more northern in distribution, and some barely reach within Indiana’s northern border, being restricted in the state to these flatwoods. Several plants found here are rare to the state, usually found much further north. This includes Sphagnum on scattered hummocks.

Sebert and Wintergreen Nature Preserves are two relatively small (~40 and 20+ acres respectively) nature preserves beside each other, and close to Ambler Nature Preserve. Both are remnant northern boreal flatwoods natural communities. Wintergreen is wetter and often has standing water. Sebert has mesic forest and shrub swamp as well as a small sand dune area. Both preserves also have plants that are usually found much further north, similar to Ambler.

Little Calumet Headwaters Nature Preserve is a 100+ acre nature preserve on the headwaters of the Little Calumet River. The area contains seeps, spring runs, and upland forest.

In the species lists below, N designates a new county record; S designates a new state record.

LAPORTE COUNTY, IN
Lichens
Agonimia sp.
Agonimia flabelliformis N, S
Anisomeridium leucochlorum N
Anisomeridium polypori N
Arthonia helvola N
Arthonia susa N
Bacidina egenula N
Buellia erbuescens N
Candelaria concolor
Candelariella efflorescens
Canoparmelia texana N
Chaenothecopsis debilis N
Cladonia cylindrica N
Cladonia cf. chlorophaea complex
Cladonia macilenta
Cladonia subcariosa
Coenogonium pineti N
Crespoa crozalsiana
Dictyocatenulata alba N
Flavoparmelia caperata
Graphis scripta
Lecania croatica N
Lecanora hybocarpa N
Lecanora strobilina N
Lecanora thysanophora N
Lepraria caesiella
Lepraria finkii N
Myelochroa aurulenta N
Myelochroa galbina N
Ochrolechia arborea N
Parmelia sulcata
Parmotrema hypotropum N
Parmotrema reticulatum N
Peltigera didactyla N
Phaeophyscia pusilloides N
Phaeophyscia rubropulchra
Physcia stellaris
Physcia millegrana
Punctelia rudecta
Scoliciosporum pensylvanicum N
Xanthocarpia feracissima N

Liverworts
Calypogeia muelleriana N
Calypogeia neogaea
Conocephalum salebrosum
Frullania eboracensis N
Frullania inflata N
Lophocolea heterophylla
Nowellia curvifolia N
Pallavicinia lyellii
Porella pinnata N
Radula complanata N

Mosses
Anomodon attenuatus
Anomodon rostratus
Atrichum angustatum
Atrichum crispulumN
Aulacomnium pallustre
Barbula unguiculata N
Brachythecium acuminatum
Brachythecium laetum
Brachythecium rivulare
Brachythecium rutabulum N
Brachythecium campestre N
Bryoandersonia illecebra N
Callicladium haldanianum
Calliergon cordifolium
Calliergonella curvifolia
Calliergonella lindbergii N
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus N
Ceratodon purpureus N
Climacium americanum
Climacium kindbergii
Dicranella heteromalla
Dicranum polysetum
Dicranum scoparium N
Dicranum viride N
Entodon cladorrhizans
Entodon seductrix
Fissidens osmundioides
Helodium paludosum
Homomallium adnatum N
Hygroamblystegium varium
Hypnum fauriei N, S
Hypnum pallescens
Leptodictyum riparium
Leskea gracilescens
Leucobryum glaucum
Orthotrichum ohioense N
Oxyrrhynchium hians N
Plagiomnium cuspidatum
Plagiothecium cavifolium N
Plagiothecium denticulatum
Plagiothecium laetum N
Plagiothiecium latebricola N
Platydictya subtilis N
Platygyrium repens
Pleurozium schreberi N
Pohlia annotonia N
Pohlia nutans
Polytrichum commune
Polytrichum longisetum N, S
Polytrichum ohioense
Polytrichum piliferum N
Rauiella scita N
Rhynchostegium serrulatum N
Sphagnum compactum
Sphagnum cuspidatum
Sphagnum lescurii N
Sphagnum palustre
Sphagnum recurvum
Taxiphyllum deplanatum N
Tetraphis pellucida
Thuidium delicatulum
Tortella humilis N

PORTER COUNTY, IN
Liverworts
Frullania eboracensis
Frullania inflata N
Lophocolea heterophylla

Mosses
Amblystegium serpens
Anomodon attenuatus
Anomodon minor N
Arrhenopterum heterostichum
Atrichum altecristatum
Atrichum angustatum
Atrichum crispulum
Atrichum undulatum
Aulacomnium pallustre
Brachythecium acuminatum
Brachythecium falcatum N
Brachythecium laetum
Brachythecium rivulare
Brachythecium rutabulum
Brachythecium velutinum N
Brachythecium campestre
Bryhnia gramminicolor
Bryhnia novae-anglie
Bryoandersonia illecebra
Bryum argenteum
Bryum creberrimum
Bryum flaccidum
Bryum pseudotriquetrum
Callicladium haldanianum
Calliergonella curvifolia
Calliergonella lindbergii
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus
Campyliadelphus stellatus
Campylophyllum hispidulum
Ceratodon purpureus
Dicranella heteromalla
Ditrichum pallidum
Drepanocladus polygamus
Entodon brevisetus N
Entodon seductrix
Eurhynchiastrum pulchellum
Fissidens bryoides N
Fissidens bushii
Fissidens taxifolius N
Haplocladium virginianum
Helodium paludosum
Homomallium adnatum
Hygroamblystegium varium
Hygroamblystegium varium var. humile
Hypnum pallescens
Leptodictyum riparium
Leskea gracilescens
Leucobryum glaucum
Orthotrichum ohioense N
Orthotrichum pumilum N
Orthotrichum stellatum N
Oxyrrhynchium hians N
Physcomitrium pyriforme
Plagiomnim ellipticum
Plagiomnium cuspidatum
Plagiothecium denticulatum
Plagiothecium laetum N
Platygyrium repens
Pleurozium schreberi
Pogonatum pensilvanicum N
Polytrichum commune
Polytrichum longisetum N
Polytrichum ohioense
Polytrichum pallidisetum
Rhizomnium punctatum
Rhynchostegium serrulatum
Schistidium apocarpum
Sciuro-hypnum populeum N
Sphagnum fallax
Sphagnum recurvum
Taxiphyllum deplanatum
Taxiphyllum taxirameum
Thuidium delicatulum
Tortella humilis
Tortella tortuosa 

Left to Right: Becky Smucker, Bill McKnight, Tomás Curtis, Ken Klick, Derek Nimetz, Bill Schumacher
Not shown: Barb Andreas, Andrew Gibson, Alison Harrington, Laura Henderson, Nathanael Pilla, Carole Schumacher 

-Bill Schumacher