Flora of Door County, Wisconsin explained

The flora of Door County, Wisconsin comprise a variety of plant species. Geobotanically, Door County belongs to the North American Atlantic Region.

Plant species lists

As of 2019, 1201 species and hybrids of vascular plants have been identified in the county,[1] including the yellow lady's-slipper Cypripedium parviflorum, the official county flower.[2] 255 unique taxa of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts[3] have been identified in Door County.

Islands

In 2001, species lists were compiled for the county's islands. Snake Island had 156 species, Cana Island had 111, Hat Island 22, Chambers Island 398, Adventure Island 58, Little Strawberry Island 44, Jack Island 28, Horseshoe Island 49, Sister Island 6, Spider Island 42, Plum Island 259, Detroit Island 25, Pilot Island 40, Washington Island 626, Hog Island 34, Rock Island 333, and Gravel and Fish islands were devoid of plant life.[4] In particular, Washington Island is one of only two places in Wisconsin where the fern Asplenium viride (green spleenwort) is found.[5]

Lakes

In 2006, 60 species of aquatic plants or macrophytic algae were found in Clark Lake and nearby upstream, including spotted pondweed, Potamogeton pulcher, which is endangered in Wisconsin.[6] [7] In 2017, 9 species of aquatic plants were found in the Forestville Millpond, also called the Forestville Dam or Forestville Flowage.[8]

Rare plants

Along with nearby Marinette and Delta (see Garden Peninsula) counties, Door County is home to endemic plants and disjunct populations,[9] such as those protected at Plum Island, Coffee Swamp, Cave Point County Park, the adjacent Whitefish Dunes State Park, and The Ridges Sanctuary. The Grand Traverse islands have some of Wisconsin's richest rare plant reserves.[10]

Invasive species

In 2019, 25 miles of roadsides were surveyed for invasive species,[11] and in 2020, 62 miles of streams were surveyed for invasive species.[12] A county-wide electronic map of Japanese knotweed, Phragmites, teasel, and wild parsnip infested locations is updated annually.[13] Locations of other problem species have also been documented.[14]

Plant communities unique to the area

The county is home to a variety of plant communities, including some unique to the area. Boreal rich fen is called "rich" because the dolomite makes the soil more fertile.[15] Calcicole plants growing in these fens depend on minerals which the dolomite contributes to the soil.[16] The southernmost boreal forests in the state are on the eastern side of the peninsula.[17] In white cedar variant forests, white cedar coexists with hardwoods and balsam fir in upland stands that ordinarily would not support cedar. This forest cover is likely due to the alkaline soil and mostly grows on the Niagara Escarpment along the Green Bay side of the peninsula or near the Lake Michigan shoreline. A combination of high humidity, high levels of calcium and magnesium carbonates from the dolomite, and weathered, nutrient poor soils are thought to limit microbial activity. As a result, a layer of humus builds up from organic matter falling to the ground.[18] The escarpment also features the dry cliff natural community[19] and is home to two rare species of whitlow grass.[20] [21] Other uncommon communities are alvar and the similar Great Lakes alkaline rockshore,[22] [23] also home to rare plants.[9]

Vegetation along the Green Bay and Lake Michigan shores

Yearly fluctuations in lake levels alternately kill off vegetation during periods of high water and promote succession during times of low water. Even during times of high water when low-lying plants are inundated, the populations may persist uphill by clonal expansion and spreading their seeds. Lake Michigan has more diverse shoreline vegetation than Lake Ontario, which has a more stable water level due to human intervention. Without the changing lake levels the shoreline would be dominated by woody plants or highly competitive and even invasive water-loving species such as cattails, reed canary grass, or purple loosestrife. Wet meadows like this one thrive when flooding does not occur often enough to allow emergent vegetation to prevail but is still too frequent to allow the establishment of trees and shrubs.[24]

Out of 268miles miles of county shoreline along Lake Michigan and Green Bay surveyed in 2012, 167.5miles was vegetated with of high density shrubs and trees. There was also 3.1miles of low density shrubs and trees, 29.3miles of moderate density shrubs and trees, 32.6miles of unmaintained herbaceous vegetation, 31.8miles of manicured lawns, and 3.7miles with no vegetation.[25]

Individual trees

Some trees have attracted attention:

Macrofungi species lists

As of 2019, 243 species of mushrooms and other macrofungi have been identified north of the canal,[36] with 326 species for the county as a whole, including those found in lichens.[37] Several of the more uncommon lichens found in the county are Cetraria arenaria, which grows on the ground,[38] and Anaptychia crinalis, which grows on tree bark.[39]

Hybrid yeast

In 2009, a unique hybrid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast was found on fallen cherries near Fish Creek. This strain of S. cerevisiae descended from both oak-tree and vineyard lineages.[40]

Spongy moth fungus

In 1910, Entomophaga maimaiga from Japan was released in Boston in order to infect spongy moths and control their population.[41] In 1996, it was discovered that E. maimaiga had naturally spread to southern Door County. This was the first time it had been detected in the state.[42]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. http://wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/collections/list.php?county=Door&db=all&page=1 Wisflora Species list
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20111002031334/http://www.greenfund.com/friends.html Green Fund: Friends and Donors
  3. Web site: Consortium of North American Bryophyte Herbaria. Mycology Collections Portal. (CNABH). 24 January 2019.
  4. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/p/pod/dod-idx/flora-and-vegetation-of-the-grand-traverse-islands-lake.pdf?c=mbot;idno=0497763.0040.401 Flora and vegetation of the Grand Traverse Islands (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin and Michigan
  5. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm91_054161.pdf Conservation Assessment for Green Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum) L
  6. Web site: 2006 Summary and Comparisons of Clark Lake - Door County Aquatic Macrophyte Community Surveys . Darrin Hoverson and Nancy Turyk . University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science and Education. November 2006. January 22, 2019.
  7. https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=POPU6 Potamogeton pulcher Tuck. spotted pondweed
  8. Web site: Table 7-2. Plant Species, p. 41 (page 46 of the pdf). Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department. Final Report for Comprehensive Lake Management Planning Grant Project #LPL162317 Forestville Millpond. June 2018. January 22, 2019.
  9. Web site: Wisconsin's Lake Michigan Islands Plant Survey-II. Emmet Judziewicz and David Kopitzke. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. September 1999. January 23, 2019.
  10. https://www.co.door.wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/739/Guide-to-Significant-Wildlife-Habitat-and-Natural-Areas-of-Door-County-WI-PDF A Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat and Natural Areas Of Door County, Wisconsin
  11. https://www.co.door.wi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05262020-624 County of Door 2019 Annual Reports
  12. https://www.co.door.wi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04202021-885 County of Door 2020 Annual Reports
  13. http://map.co.door.wi.us/map/ Web-Map of Door County, Wisconsin ... For All Seasons!
  14. https://arcg.is/1DSqXy Priority Invasive Species Lists in Wisconsin
  15. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CPHER065WI Boreal rich fen
  16. https://web.archive.org/web/20200221020700/https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/49217821/Coastal_BIA_Solec_1998.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DBiodiversity_Investment_Areas_Coastal_We.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20200221%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200221T014235Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=857026ede2c339e64c6d709d0959afd5a05edb56476c4cc01c2fdfb25531926b Biodiversity Investment Areas: Coastal Wetland Ecosystems
  17. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CTFOR040WI Boreal forest
  18. https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/52985/89085975563.pdf The Origins and Properties of Alkaline Raw Humus
  19. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CTGEO082WI Dry cliff
  20. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CTGEO082WI Hoary Whitlow-grass (Draba cana)
  21. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Plants.asp?mode=detail&SpecCode=PDBRA11070 Rock Whitlow-grass (Draba arabisans)
  22. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CTGEO087WI Alvar
  23. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CTGEO093WI Great Lakes alkaline rockshore
  24. p. 828 of Hydrogeomorphic Factors and Ecosystem Responses in Coastal Wetlands of the Great Lakes by Janet R. Keough, Todd A. Thompson, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, and Douglas A. Wilcox, December 1999, Environmental Science and Ecology Faculty Publications Vol. 51
  25. Book: http://greatlakescoast.org/pubs/DiscoveryReports/Michigan/Final/Appendix_F_Kewaunee_Door_Brown_County_WI.pdf . Appendix F, Kewaunee, Door, and Brown County . Discovery Report . STARR Partners . 19 (pdf page 27) . February 2013 . Federal Emergency Management Agency Region V.
  26. https://web.archive.org/web/20120309102844/http://www.forestguild.org/ecological_forestry/Door_County_Comprehensive_Forestry_Plan.pdf Door County Comprehensive Forest Plan
  27. https://doorcountycoastalbyway.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DCCB_master_plan_secure.pdf Door County Coastal Byway Interpretive Master Plan
  28. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/documents/1805Ch15-low.pdf Chapter 15, Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Ecological Landscape
  29. https://books.google.com/books?id=3sl5CDqrT9MC&dq=%22Wisconsin+Viking+%28%27Viking%27%22&pg=PA47 Growing Fruit in the Upper Midwest
  30. https://horticulture.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/06/horticulture_history_0614_web3.pdf History of the Department of Horticulture
  31. http://pubinfo.co.door.wi.us:8080/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20170120/00000078&pg_seq=10&search_doc=&query1_modifier=AND&query1=paper%20birch&query1_field=CONTENT Detroit island's birch survived the centuries
  32. https://books.google.com/books?id=QiXxAAAAMAAJ&q=Ephraim Wisconsin's Champion Trees: A Tree Hunter's Guide
  33. http://pubinfo.co.door.wi.us:8080/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20141103/00000294&pg_seq=1&search_doc=&query1_modifier=AND&query1=400-year%20pine%20on%20island&query1_field=CONTENT 400-Year Pine on Island; Towering Elm, Egg Harbor
  34. http://pubinfo.co.door.wi.us:8080/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=1e8fc801-90a4-4104-8e86-19a1ea0947dc/wsbd0000/20141103/00000755&pg_seq=1&search_doc=&query1_modifier=AND&query1=giant%20egg%20harbor%20elm%20can&query1_field=CONTENT Giant Egg Harbor Elm Can lay Claim to Championship
  35. https://doorcountypulse.com/champion-trees-of-door-county/ Champion Trees of Door County
  36. Web site: Biodiversity of Macrofungi in Northern Door County, WI. Charlotte Lukes. UWGB Cofrin Center for Biodiversity. January 22, 2019. January 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190123121450/http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/resources/mushrooms/Species%20List.asp. dead.
  37. Web site: Search for Door, Wisconsin. Mycology Collections Portal. Mycoportal. January 24, 2019.
  38. https://doorcountypulse.com/lichens-alluring-but-little-known-plants/ Lichens: Alluring but Little-Known Plants
  39. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Lichens.asp?mode=detail&SpecCode=NLTEST9040 Hanging Fringed Lichen (Anaptychia crinalis)
  40. 4824287. 2015. Clowers. K. J.. A unique ecological niche fosters hybridization of oak-tree and vineyard isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular Ecology. 24. 23. 5886–5898. Will. J. L.. Gasch. A. P.. 26518477. 10.1111/mec.13439. 2015MolEc..24.5886C .
  41. https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/Gypsy_Moth_Fungus_FHTET-97-11.pdf The Gypsy Moth Fungus Entomophaga maimaiga in North America
  42. Inoculative Releases and Natural Spread of the Fungal Pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae) into U.S. Populations of Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), by Ann E. Hajek, Andrea L. Diss-Torrance, Nathan W. Siegert, and Andrew M. Liebhold, Environmental Entomology, June 15, 2021, pages 5–6

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