Photo by Eric Epstein
- WDNR
State Rank: S2 Global Rank: G3 what are these ranks?
Overall, Great Lakes dune flora is an odd mix of geographically restricted habitat specialists and weedy generalists. Among the specialists are a number of plants and animals, some of which occur in no other habitat and in no other region of North America. Others occur wherever dunes occur in eastern North America, including marine environments along the Atlantic Ocean coast.
Among the relatively few plants able to successfully colonize active, unvegetated dunes are several drought resistant perennial grasses that produce tough, sand binding rhizomes. Especially important are marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata), the most prevalent dominant species in Great Lakes dune systems, sand reed (Calamovilfa longifolia), sand-dune wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus ssp. psammophilus) , crinkled hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa), and Canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis). Associated vascular plants include beach pea (Lathyrus japonicus), wormwood (Artemisia campestris), common evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and a long list of weedy native and exotic species (Curtis 1959).
The following Species of Greatest Conservation Need are listed according to their level of association with the Great Lakes Dune natural community type, based on the findings in Wisconsin's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.
Scores: 3 = high association, 2 = moderate association, and 1 = low association. See the key to association scores for complete definitions.
| Beetles | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle | Cicindela hirticollis rhodensis | 1 |
| Birds | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus | 3 |
| Butterflies and moths | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Phyllira Tiger Moth | Grammia phyllira | 3 |
| Grasshoppers and allies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Blue-legged Grasshopper | Melanoplus flavidus | 3 |
| Club-horned Grasshopper | Aeropedellus clavatus | 3 |
| Lake Huron Locust | Trimerotropis huroniana | 3 |
| Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper | Melanoplus scudderi | 3 |
| Seaside Grasshopper | Trimerotropis maritima | 3 |
| Stone's Locust | Melanoplus stonei | 3 |
| Bruner's Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus bruneri | 2 |
| Clear-winged Grasshopper | Camnula pellucida | 2 |
| Delicate Meadow Katydid | Orchelimum delicatum | 2 |
| Forest Locust | Melanoplus islandicus | 2 |
| A Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus foedus | 1 |
| Huckleberry Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus fasciatus | 1 |
| Speckled Rangeland Grasshopper | Arphia conspersa | 1 |
| Mammals | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin's Ground Squirrel | Poliocitellus franklinii | 3 |
| Prairie Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii | 1 |
Please see Section 2. Approach and Methods of the Wildlife Action Plan to learn how this information was developed.
The Natural Heritage Inventory has developed scores indicating the degree to which each of Wisconsin's rare plant species is associated with a particular natural community or ecological landscape. This information is similar to that found in the Wildlife Action Plan for animals. As this is a work in progress, we welcome your suggestions and feedback.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus | White Camas | 2 |
| Botrychium campestre | Prairie Dunewort | 3 |
| Cakile edentula var. lacustris | American Sea-rocket | 2 |
| Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna | Sand Reedgrass | 3 |
| Cirsium pitcheri | Pitcher's Thistle | 3 |
| Coreopsis lanceolata | Sand Coreopsis | 3 |
| Elymus lanceolatus ssp. psammophilus | Thickspike | 3 |
| Euphorbia polygonifolia | Seaside Spurge | 3 |
| Geocaulon lividum | Northern Comandra | 1 |
| Iris lacustris | Dwarf Lake Iris | 3 |
| Orobanche fasciculata | Clustered Broomrape | 3 |
| Salix cordata | Sand Dune Willow | 3 |
| Solidago simplex var. gillmanii | Dune Goldenrod | 3 |
| Tanacetum bipinnatum ssp. huronense | Lake Huron Tansy | 3 |
| Thalictrum venulosum | Veined Meadowrue | 2 |
The following Ecological Landscapes have the best opportunities to manage for Great Lakes Dune, based on the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin Handbook.
| Ecological Landscape | Opportunity |
|---|---|
| Central Lake Michigan Coastal | Major |
| Northern Lake Michigan Coastal | Major |
| Superior Coastal Plain | Major |
| Southern Lake Michigan Coastal | Important |
Major (3 on map)
A major opportunity for sustaining the natural community in the Ecological Landscape exists, either because many significant occurrences of the natural community have been recorded in the landscape or major restoration activities are likely to be successful maintaining the community's composition, structure, and ecological function over a longer period of time.
Important (2 on map)
Although the natural community does not occur extensively or commonly in the Ecological Landscape, one to several occurrences do occur and are important in sustaining the community in the state. In some cases, important opportunities may exist because the natural community may be restricted to just one or a few Ecological Landscapes within the state and there may be a lack of opportunities elsewhere.
Present (1 on map)
The natural community occurs in the Ecological Landscape, but better management opportunities appear to exist in other parts of the state.
Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.
Threats/issues and conservations actions for natural communities
The following are additional considerations for Great Lakes Dune in Ecological Landscapes with opportunities for protection, restoration, and/or management. For more information, see the Wildlife Action Plan.
Kohler-Andre State Park contains one of Wisconsin's best-developed dune systems. Great effort has been expended in recent years to protect the dunes from overuse, stabilize blowouts, and control or remove invasive or otherwise unwanted vegetation. Coastal dunes also occur on adjacent private lands, which may offer ecological opportunities for additional protection.
Public lands that feature examples of Great Lakes dune include Whitefish Dunes and Newport Beach State Park. Nearby, the "Shivering Sands" area, from Cave Point County Park to Rocky Point (south of the Sturgeon Bay ship canal), contains some high-quality dunes. Seagull Bar, on the West Shore of Green Bay, at the mouth of the Menominee River near Marinette, contains very small areas of low dune vegetation.
Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area and adjacent Carol Beach protect about 0.3 miles of dune ecosystem, including many rare plant species. However, in this landscape the Lake Michigan shoreline has been heavily developed, with extensive seawalls, large jetties, and long stretches of riprap, covering the former beaches and isolating the dunes from their primary source of sand. Long-term viability of the dunes here is doubtful, without major intervention and augmentation. More viable protection options for beach and dune habitats may occur just to the south of Wisconsin, at Illinois Beach State Park. Scattered small pockets of dune exist at a few other locations. These need additional evaluation to determine whether or not they are worthy of conservation action.
Lake Superior dunes are seldom more than a few meters high, but can be associated with special landforms (e.g., coastal barrier spits, baymouth bars, tombolos) that can sometimes extend for miles. Wisconsin Point, a coastal barrier spit at the mouth of Lake Superior on the western end of the lake, features several miles of low dunes, along a narrow zone between an unvegetated beach and a linear forest of pines. Developments on the barrier spit include an access road, seawall along an artificial channel that now separates the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and a Coast Guard facility. This site is justly famed for the large numbers and high diversity of migratory birds it attracts, including many rarities. Beach and low dune complexes are also prominent features at several embayments along the northern margin of the Bayfield Peninsula, and in association with sandspits on the Apostle Islands. The Bad River and Red Cliff Bands of Lake Superior Ojibwa are stewards of significant Great Lakes shorelines that include dune systems and related features. Long Island-Chequamegon Point, an extensive barrier spit that crosses several miles of Chequamegon Bay, contains the most intact and extensive area of beach and dune on western Lake Superior.
Click to view a larger version. Please considering donating your photos to the Natural Heritage Conservation Program for educational uses. Photo use
Dunes and swales dominant grasses are beachgrass, Ammophila breviligulata, and sand-reed, Calamovilfa longifolia.
Photo by Emmet Judziewicz.
Low dunes and beach connect Long Island with Chequamegon Point on Lake Superio. Beach grass dunes on left, broad, unvegetated sand beach on right.
Photo by Emmet Judziewicz.
Large, Great Lakes dunes stabilized by white cedar, pines and aspen. Whitefish Dunes State Natural Area, Door County.
Photo by Eric Epstein.
Great Lakes Dune community, Kohler-Andrae State Park, Sheboygan County.
Photo by Eric Epstein.
Low, broad expanse of Great Lakes dune near Port Wing dominated by American beech grass with scattered evening primrose.
Photo by Ryan O'Connor.
Note: photos are provided to illustrate various examples of natural community types. A single photograph cannot represent the range of variability inherent in a given community type. Some of these photos explicitly illustrate unusual and distinctive community variants. The community photo galleries are a work in progress that we will expand and improve in the future.