Track 9—Oak Savanna

Looking to your right (Southeast), you can see an oak savanna. While Tallgrasses dominated most of Iowa, these islands of trees provided important habitat for animals and plants. This is one of the rarest plant communities in the Midwest. When settlers arrived, these tress were often the first casualties of homesteading. The oak savanna is also a fire dependent ecosystem. In order to thrive, the undergrowth needs to be burned away regularly.

     Some of the wildflowers that draw visitors to the prairie need the partial shade of the tree canopy to survive, plants like purple milkweed and foxglove thrive in the understory. The trees are important to wildlife. One can find owls, woodpeckers, and even the endangered Indiana Bat inside hollows or among the branches.

     If you would like to stretch your legs, the Oak Savanna loop is 1/2 mile, with benches along the way, and offers a chance to observe the magic of the refuge.