Goose Creek Grasslands
Encyclopedia
Goose Creek Grasslands Nature Sanctuary, commonly referred to as Goose Creek, is a 70 acres (28.3 ha) nature sanctuary located in Lenawee County, Michigan
. It is maintained and preserved by the Michigan Nature Association
, which is a non-profit organization
dedicated to protecting Michigan's natural habitats, plants and animals.
that is found only in the glaciated Midwest. More than 200 plant species have been recorded here, including native orchids and pitcher plant
s, as well as blazing star, sunflower
s and Joe-Pye weed
.
Conservation efforts have been aimed at removing invasive plants, including the glossy buckthorn which, according to The Nature Conservancy
's 2002 report, the infestation is "severe" and threatens the vulnerable Poweshiek skipperling, a butterfly of the fen habitats.
Many species of birds have also been spotted at Goose Creek. It is not uncommon to see hawk
s, meadowlark
s, Red-winged Blackbird
s and Yellow Warbler
s all in one visit.
Lenawee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 98,890 people, 35,930 households, and 26,049 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile . There were 39,769 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
. It is maintained and preserved by the Michigan Nature Association
Michigan Nature Association
The Michigan Nature Association is an association in the U.S. state of Michigan which was established in 1952. It is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals...
, which is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to protecting Michigan's natural habitats, plants and animals.
About the sanctuary
Goose Creek is home to the prairie fen habitat, which is a unique wetlandWetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
that is found only in the glaciated Midwest. More than 200 plant species have been recorded here, including native orchids and pitcher plant
Pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
s, as well as blazing star, sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
s and Joe-Pye weed
Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium fistulosum , also called Joe-Pye weed, Trumpetweed, or Purple thoroughwort, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern North America, in southeast Canada and throughout the eastern and central United States.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5-3 m ...
.
Conservation efforts have been aimed at removing invasive plants, including the glossy buckthorn which, according to The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
's 2002 report, the infestation is "severe" and threatens the vulnerable Poweshiek skipperling, a butterfly of the fen habitats.
Many species of birds have also been spotted at Goose Creek. It is not uncommon to see hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s, meadowlark
Meadowlark
Meadowlarks are birds belonging to the genus Sturnella in the New World family Icteridae.This genus includes seven species of largely insectivorous grassland birds...
s, Red-winged Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged Blackbird is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and...
s and Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia is a New World warbler species or superspecies; the subspecies group around D. aestiva is increasingly treated as good species Dendroica aestiva again. The name for the entire cryptic species complex is Mangrove Warbler, and another group of subspecies is known as Golden Warbler...
s all in one visit.