A Preliminary Terrestrial Ecological Assessment of the Miner's Rock

A Preliminary Terrestrial Ecological Assessment of the Miner’s Rock Unit of Lake Leatherwood Park

City of Eureka Springs, Carroll County, Arkansas

March 4, 2018

Report Number: H18NHC02ARUS

Theo Witsell, M.S., Botanist/Ecologist CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...... 4 Background and History ...... 4 Disclaimer ...... 5 Methods ...... 5 Results ...... 6 General Site Description ...... 6 Geology and Hydrology ...... 7 Karst Features ...... 8 Ecological Signficance ...... 8 Natural Communities (Habitats) ...... 9 Plant Diversity ...... 18 Ecological Stresses ...... 19 Additional Inventory Recommendations ...... 22 Summary of Management Recommendations ...... 24 References ...... 25 Acknowledgments ...... 27 About the Author and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission ...... 27 APPENDIX A: AERIAL PHOTOS AND GENERAL MAPS OF THE STUDY AREA ...... 29 Location Map with Level III Ecoregions ...... 30 Location Map with Level IV Ecoregions ...... 31 Aerial Photo of Lake Leatherwood Park ...... 32 Topographic Map of Lake Leatherwood Park ...... 33 Aerial Photo of the Study Area ...... 34 Topographic Map of the Study Area ...... 35 Geology Map ...... 36 Phase I Trail Map on Aerial Photo ...... 37 Phase I Trail Map on Topographic Map ...... 38 Habitat Map ...... 39 Habitat Map with Phase I Trails ...... 40 APPENDIX B: PHOTOGRAPHS OF SELECT SPECIES AND HABITATS IN THE STUDY AREA ...... 41 APPENDIX C: ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS IN THE STUDY AREA ...... 51 APPENDIX D: SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN FOUND IN THE STUDY AREA ...... 57 APPENDIX E: CONSERVATION STATUS CODE/RANK LEGEND ...... 63

1 APPENDIX F: LIST OF PLANT SPECIES FOUND IN THE STUDY AREA (ORGANIZED BY SCIENTIFIC NAME) ...... 66 APPENDIX G: LIST OF PLANT SPECIES IN THE STUDY AREA (ORGANIZED BY MAJOR GROUP & FAMILY) ...... 75

2 INDEX OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: Location Map with Level III Ecoregions ...... 30 FIGURE 2: Location Map with Level IV Ecoregions ...... 31 FIGURE 3: Lake Leatherwood Park – Aerial Photo ...... 32 FIGURE 4: Lake Leatherwood Park – Topographic Map ...... 33 FIGURE 5: Study Area Detail – Aerial Photo ...... 34 FIGURE 6: Study Area Detail – Topographic Map ...... 35 FIGURE 7: Geology Map ...... 36 FIGURE 8: Study Area with Phase I Trails – Aerial Photo ...... 37 FIGURE 9: Study Area with Phase I Trails – Topographic Map ...... 38 FIGURE 10: Habitat Map of the Study Area ...... 39 FIGURE 11: Habitat Map of the Study Area with Phase I Trails ...... 40 FIGURE 12: Dolomite and Limestone Glade and Woodland (Photographs) ...... 42 FIGURE 13: Dolomite and Limestone Glade and Woodland (Photographs) ...... 43 FIGURE 14: Bluffs, Ledges, and Rock Outcrops (Photographs) ...... 44 FIGURE 15: Bluffs, Ledges, and Rock Outcrops (Photographs) ...... 45 FIGURE 16: Bluffs, Ledges, and Rock Outcrops (Photographs) ...... 46 FIGURE 17: Chert Woodlands and Mesic Forests (Photographs) ...... 47 FIGURE 18: Karst Features (Photographs) ...... 48 FIGURE 19: Riparian Areas/Woodland Conditions (Photographs) ...... 49 FIGURE 20: Non-native Invasive Species (Photographs)...... 50 FIGURE 21: Map of Ecologically Significant Areas and Habitats in the Study Area ...... 53 FIGURE 22: Map of Species of Conservation Concern and Phase I Trails ...... 59

3 A Preliminary Terrestrial Ecological Assessment of the Miner’s Rock Unit of Lake Leatherwood Park City of Eureka Springs, Carroll County, Arkansas

By Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

Executive Summary

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), under contract with the City of Eureka Springs, conducted a preliminary ecological assessment of the Miner’s Rock area of Lake Leatherwood Park in November 2017. Field work was concentrated in the vicinity of proposed mountain bike trail routes and areas likely to support species or natural communities of state conservation concern. This report summarizes findings based on a single inventory trip to the study area (three days total) by staff of the ANHC.

This inventory documented 13 habitats or plant communities and 312 plant species present in the study area. Four areas or habitats were identified as being especially ecologically significant and populations of five species of state conservation concern (sensitive species) were documented, at least two of which are considered to be of global concern. This report presents a general ecological overview of the site, a map and brief descriptions of the natural communities present, maps and brief descriptions of ecologically significant areas, maps of known occurrences of species of conservation concern, and an annotated list of plant species documented from the study area (including those non-native invasive plant species considered to be a threat to the integrity of natural communities in the study area).

Background and History

Lake Leatherwood Park (Figs. 1 - 11) is owned by the City of Eureka Springs and managed by the Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission. It includes 1,610 acres and is located approximately 5 miles north-northwest of downtown Eureka Springs. In 2017, prior to the construction of a series of new mountain bike trails (Phase I trails) (Figs. 8, 9, & 11), the City contracted with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) to conduct a rapid ecological assessment of the Miner’s Rock Unit, an area of the park proposed for trails, in order to identify any significant ecological communities and/or sensitive areas and species. The ANHC is a key resource in providing data to identify such areas and provide technical assistance regarding their management needs.

A single trip (three days total) was made to the site by ANHC staff in November 2017 to conduct field inventory for this assessment. Dates of this field trip were as follows:

20 November 2017 – Theo Witsell (ANHC Botanist/Ecologist) with Steven Foster (Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission)

4 21 November 2017 – Theo Witsell (ANHC Botanist/Ecologist)

22 November 2017 – Theo Witsell (ANHC Botanist/Ecologist)

Data gathered during these site visits provided the basis for this ecological assessment.

Disclaimer

This was a rapid assessment conducted during a single three day period in late fall and not all areas of the tract were visited. As such, this inventory should not be considered comprehensive. Some plant species, for example, are visible and/or identifiable only during certain times of the year (e.g. spring) and were not detectable during the site visit. Also, while the inventory of the flora and plant communities was thorough in the areas visited and during the time of year visited, no detailed or methodical survey of the fauna was performed.

Methods

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software (ArcGIS 10 and Google Earth) was used to analyze a variety of aerial imagery (from 1994 to 2017) as well as topographic, soils, and geology data to determine where various natural communities or habitats were likely to occur in the area. Representative sites of potential communities in the vicinity of the Phase I trails (Figs. 8, 9, & 11) were visited in the field. Concepts of what natural communities and habitats were present evolved as field work progressed and efforts were made to explore the full range of ecological and geological variation present in priority areas of the site.

The only trail route flagged on the ground at the time of the survey was a portion of the dark blue route that passed through a complex of dolomite and limestone glades and near a limestone bluff. This area included the largest and most open (and thus likely the most significant) glades in the study area and was identified prior to the field visit as likely to be the most ecologically sensitive part of the study area. The proposed trail route through this area was chosen so as to minimize impacts to rare communities (glades and bluffs) in the area. Representative sections of the other routes were also walked, though these were not flagged on the ground at the time of the site visit and their location was judged from maps printed from a GIS over color-infrared aerial imagery and topographic maps. Special attention was paid to areas where these proposed trails were mapped near potentially sensitive areas (glades and bluffs).

Records were kept on all vascular (higher) plant species encountered and the habitat(s) in which they grew. These data are summarized in Appendices F and G. GPS coordinates were taken to record the locations of populations of species of conservation concern and detailed data (date, population size and condition, habitat, associated species, etc.) were collected for each occurrence. These data are summarized in Appendix D. Several plant specimens were collected to confirm difficult identifications and/or document interesting or unusual species. These will be deposited at the herbarium of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), the University of Arkansas Herbarium (UARK), and/or

5 other state and regional herbaria to serve as a permanent record. Non-vascular (lower) plants such as bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and algae were not inventoried, nor were fungi and lichens.

Plant data were also provided by Eric Hunt, a photographer and skilled amateur botanist, who visited the study area on 3 June 2014 and took some GPS-tagged photographs of plant species.

Results

General Site Description

The Miner’s Rock Unit of Lake Leatherwood Park (Figs. 2 - 11), hereafter referred to as the study area, contains approximately 335 acres and is located north of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in the Ozark Plateau. Specifically, it is situated at the boundary between the Dissected Springfield Plateau and White River Hills Level IV Ecoregions (Fig. 2). The flat surfaces of the Springfield and Salem Plateau Ecoregions, which historically supported extensive tallgrass prairie and oak savanna, lie to the west (at a distance of approximately 10 miles) and the east (at a distance of approximately 5 miles) respectively. The study area lies north of Highway 62, west of West Leatherwood Creek, and south of Mulladay Hollow. Approximate centrum coordinates for the study area are 36.42954, -93.77081.

The terrain in and around the unit is dissected, with moderate to steep slopes of various aspects west of the valley of West Leatherwood Creek (Figs. 4 & 6). Small ephemeral streams flow east to southeast situated between a series of dolomite, limestone, and chert hills.

The unit includes approximately 425 feet of topographic relief, with elevations ranging from roughly 1,445 feet at the highest points on the ridges to 1,020 feet where West Leatherwood Creek flows into the upper end of Lake Leatherwood. All slopes and aspects are present to some degree but south-, north-, northeast-, and southwest-facing slopes are most common due to the orientation of the main ridges.

The study area is almost entirely forested with much of it appearing to have been selectively logged in the past but otherwise kept in native forest cover. However, there are several small glades (with heavy cedar encroachment), one small open field, and at least three areas of relatively young, successional forest along the larger streams in the study area. These successional forest areas show as open fields on the USGS topographic map, indicating that they were open (cleared) fields historically, and show extensive signs of past human use including non-native plant species. In contrast however, there are a number of areas where stands of large, mature, trees remain, often associated with steep and/or rocky sites.

6 Geology and Hydrology

Geology

The geology underlying the study area (Fig. 7), from highest elevation to lowest, is comprised of the Mississippian-aged Boone Formation, underlain by a thin layer of the Devonian-aged Chattanooga Shale, which is underlain by the early Ordovician Powell and Cotter dolomites (Arkansas Geological Survey 2018, McFarland 2004). A narrow band of much younger Quaternary-aged alluvium is deposited along West Leatherwood Creek.

The Boone Formation consists of alternating beds of limestone (both coarse and fine-grained) and chert, creating calcareous and acidic soils respectively, each with their own characteristic plant communities. Within the study area, the ridges and upper slopes (above about 1,320 feet) are acidic, with soils derived from the Boone chert. From approximately 1,300 to 1,320 feet is a low, calcareous bluff (not continuous in the study area) formed by the St. Joe Limestone Member (of the Boone Formation), which marks the base of the Boone (Figs. 14 & 15). In several places in the study area, a distinctive band of pink limestone (Fig. 14a), characteristic of the St. Joe, is exposed near the base of this bluff (McFarland 2004).

Within the Boone Formation in the study area, there are several irregular outcroppings of sandstone, the largest of which is “Miner’s Rock” (Fig. 14d). These are examples of “paleokarst” features formed where overlying sands filled ancient sinkholes and crevices and hardened into sandstone. These sandstones were later exposed as the overlying landscape eroded away (Angela Chandler, Arkansas Geological Survey, pers. comm.).

Below the St. Joe Limestone bluff is a thin (approximately 20 foot thick) band of the Chattanooga Shale (which does not outcrop in the study area). Below the Chattanooga Shale are thick dolomites of the Powell and Cotter formations. These formations produce calcareous soils, which are dominant under about 1,200 feet in elevation throughout the study area and under about 1,280 feet in elevation on steeper slopes near the southern end of the study area. Areas between these elevations on more gentle slopes are acidic, presumably from residuum that has moved downslope from the overlying chert and covered the underlying dolomite.

Hydrology

The entire study area is within the watershed of West Leatherwood Creek, which flows into Lake Leatherwood. Streams on the property are characteristic of small streams in the region (Fig. 19a & b) and move a substantial gravel bedload. All are ephemeral or losing (flowing underground in the dry season) and none were flowing during the November 2017 site visit. However, West Leatherwood Creek (Fig. 19c) is large enough to have formed a noticeable terrace.

At least two springs (Fig. 18c) occur at the base of the Boone Formation at its contact with the Chattanooga Shale just west of the unit along a section of the Miner’s Rock hiking trail on private land to the west of the park.

7 Karst Features

Because so much of the underlying geology is dolomite and limestone, karst features are prominent in the park. Several sinkholes (Fig. 18a) were observed in the study area as well as at least one significant cave (Fig. 18b) and the two springs just west of the study area mentioned above (Fig. 18c). Also, despite being a relative large stream, West Leatherwood Creek is losing (flowing underground) upstream from Lake Leatherwood, indicating sub-surface flow.

Ecological Significance

Lake Leatherwood Park is ecologically and biologically diverse, with elements of both open grasslands and lush forests. It supports at least 13 distinct natural communities or terrestrial habitats (Figs. 10 & 11): 1) Dolomite Glade and Woodland, 2) Limestone Glade and Woodland, 3) Dolomite Bluff and Ledge, 4) Limestone Bluff and Ledge, 5) Acidic Chert Woodland, 6) Mesic Hardwood Forest, 7) Riparian Forest, 8) Stream Bank and Channel, 9) Lake Shore, 10) Spring and Seep, 11) Old Field/Successional Forest, 12) Field, and 13) Disturbed Area.

Each of these is briefly described below in the section on natural communities. Dolomite and limestone glades and woodlands in the Ozark Plateaus are globally rare and declining natural communities with a relatively narrow geographic range. These communities are highly diverse and include globally rare endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Karst features like caves, springs, and seeps in the study area also represent rare and declining habitats known to support a number of species of conservation concern.

The native plant communities over most of the property are in a moderately degraded condition but are, for the most part, restorable. Many areas support mature forests or woodlands dominated by large trees but the herbaceous (non-woody, or ground cover) layers in many areas of the park are sparse and species-poor, a consequence of past open range livestock grazing and long-term suppression of natural fires which maintained the health of most upland natural communities in the region prior to Euro- American settlement. Some areas, especially those in riparian corridors and those that were more intensively used by modern humans, are encroached by non-native invasive species. Woodland and glade communities in particular are denser with woody vegetation than they were historically, a departure from their natural (more open) condition that has led to reduced biodiversity.

At least five plant species of state conservation concern occur in the study area in a variety of habitats, with at least two also considered of global conservation concern. No federally listed species (species listed as Threatened or Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act) were found during the present study. See Appendix D for a complete list of plant species of conservation concern found in the study area.

Lake Leatherwood Park is also close to Eureka Springs, is readily accessible (with planned improvements), is ecologically and biologically diverse, and thus could provide excellent environmental education opportunities for the public.

8 Natural Communities (Habitats)

The following natural communities or terrestrial habitats were identified in the study area:

1. Dolomite Glade and Woodland 2. Limestone Glade and Woodland 3. Dolomite Bluff and Ledge 4. Limestone Bluff and Ledge 5. Acidic Chert Woodland 6. Mesic Hardwood Forest 7. Riparian Forest 8. Stream Bank and Channel 9. Lake Shore 10. Spring and Seep 11. Old Field/Successional Forest 12. Field 13. Disturbed Area

The following are general descriptions of the natural communities present in the study area. Additional information on ecologically significant areas appears in Appendix C.

1) Dolomite Glades and Woodlands

Glades (Fig. 12) are naturally open grasslands in forested landscapes where bedrock is exposed or comes close to the surface of the ground. In their natural state, glades are characterized by treeless or very sparsely wooded openings dominated by a variety of drought-tolerant grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. Glade soils are thin and while they may be wet in the winter and spring (due to bedrock limiting infiltration of water) they are exceedingly dry in the summer and early fall. Glades support a rich diversity of drought-adapted plants and animals including a number of rare species that are restricted to open glade habitat (Fig 12c). Glades are classified based on the type of geology on which they occur. Dolomite glades such as those found in Lake Leatherwood Park (Figs. 12 & 13) have a high pH and support a number of plant species that are not found in glades formed on acidic rocks like sandstone, chert, or granite. Glades are widely recognized as habitats of conservation concern and there are many resources available regarding their ecology, restoration, and management. Dolomite Glades in the Ozark Plateaus are a community of global conservation concern, support many rare plant and animal species, and have declined rangewide due to fire suppression, conversion to pasture, development, mining, and inundation by lakes (Foti & Witsell 2013, Nelson 2005).

In their natural condition, the open structure of glades is maintained in part by periodic fire. In the absence of fire, glades will generally become dense with woody vegetation. In the Ozarks, one of the most common invading trees is the native eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana), common just called “cedar”. Cedar does well on thin glade soils and can completely fill in glade openings over time, shading the ground and eliminating characteristic glade flora and fauna. Glades generally transition into

9 surrounding deeper-soiled savanna and open woodland communities, which have enough soil to support trees, though these trees are often spaced widely enough to allow sunlight to reach the ground and support a diverse community of herbaceous (non-woody) plants. The canopy in these woodlands is often dominated by post oak (Quercus stellata), chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), Shumard’s oak (Quercus shumardii), white ash (Fraxinus americana), and blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata).

Historically, and under natural fire regimes, this community was a variable mosaic of treeless glades surrounded by savannas and woodlands with an open structure. Very few plant species capable of surviving in these dry upland habitats are shade tolerant or capable of competing in dense mats of leaf litter, which has led to the low species diversity found in most examples today (Figs. 12d & e; Fig. 13c; Figs. 19e & f).

Several dolomite glades occur in the study area, all on south- or southwest-facing slopes below the limestone bluffline at approximately 1300 feet elevation. All are small and cedar encroached, with the most significant one retaining a few pockets of open grassland. Cedar-enroached dolomite woodland (Figs. 12d & e; 13c) is more extensive, occurring below approximately 1300 feet elevation, primarily on south- and east-facing slopes. Several powerline rights-of-way cut through this habitat and provide some of the only remaining open areas where glade and open woodland flora is thriving (Figs. 13a & b).

Species of Concern: Dolomite glades and woodlands in the study area support at least four species of state conservation concern: Trelease’s larkspur (Delphinium treleasei), Church’s wild rye (Elymus churchii), Mackenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii), and dotted gayfeather or bottlebrush blazing-star (Liatris punctata var. mucronata). Additional species of concern may be present that are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: Dolomite glades and woodlands in the study area are nearly all degraded and choked with cedar trees. However, these can be removed and both the glades and surrounding woodlands can be restored with prescribed fire and selective thinning of the midstory where needed. In a mid-story thinning (often called a timber stand improvement [TSI] or wildlife stand improvement [WSI] treatment) smaller diameter trees and shrubs are cut, girdled, or injected with an herbicide. This should be followed by regular prescribed burns (every 2-3 years) to remove accumulated leaf litter and control woody vegetation. If these methods don’t achieve the desired results, thinning of the canopy trees is an option.

2) Limestone Glades and Woodlands

Limestone glades and woodlands are similar to dolomite glades and woodlands (described above) but a number of plant species found on dolomite are rarely if ever found on limestone. This is believed to be the result of chemical differences in the soils (limestone lacks the magnesium present in dolomite). However, both have a high pH and common matrix species are similar in the two communities.

Three small limestone glades occur in the study area, immediately above a southwest-facing limestone bluff near the southern edge of the study area, above Highway 62 (Figs. 10 & 11).

10 Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were found in limestone glades in the study area, however many such species in glades are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: Limestone glades and woodlands in the study area are nearly all degraded and choked with cedar trees. However, these can be removed and both the glades and surrounding woodlands can be restored with prescribed fire and selective thinning of the midstory where needed. In a mid-story thinning (often called a timber stand improvement [TSI] or wildlife stand improvement [WSI] treatment) smaller diameter trees and shrubs are cut, girdled, or injected with an herbicide. This should be followed by regular prescribed burns (every 2-3 years) to remove accumulated leaf litter and control woody vegetation. If these methods don’t achieve the desired results, thinning of the canopy trees is an option.

3) Dolomite Bluffs and Ledges

Bluffs (Figs. 14 - 16) are common in the study area and when taken to include the band of steep, rocky slopes at their tops and the band of loose, rocky talus at their bases, represent an ecologically important and biologically diverse habitat in the study area. These bluffs support many if not most of the species in adjacent communities (both the drier communities above the bluffs and the more mesic ones often found below them) but also include specialized species not found in other habitats.

Bluffs are classified according to their rock type and acidic and calcareous bluffs support different flora. Bluffs also vary with aspect and degree of exposure. In general south- and west-facing bluffs are drier and more exposed while north- and east-facing bluffs are more mesic and shaded. Some bluffs are permanently or at least seasonally moist or wet with groundwater seepage. Furthermore, bluffs generally support several different microhabitats. There are flat bluff tops and ledges, vertical cliff faces, steep slopes, areas of loose scree or talus (usually at the bases of sheer cliffs), cracks and pits, and even the occasional overhanging bluff shelter or ‘rockhouse’. These various conditions and microhabitats are important factors in the presence or absence of many species (Nelson 2005; Yatskievych 1999).

Bluffs are also ecologically significant because they serve as important refugia as species migrate over time in response to climate change (Foti & Witsell 2013). In this sense, dry, exposed bluffs can be thought of as having ‘caught’ various western ‘desert species’ during past hot and dry periods and given them the needed habitat to persist to the present day. Powdery cloak fern (Argyrochosma dealbata) (Fig. 15 b & c) is an example of such a “western disjunct” in the study area. Similarly, moist, protected bluffs have ‘caught’ northern temperate species during cold periods like past glaciations and given them habitat into the present. Other species in the study area, such as the Church’s wild rye (Elymus churchii) (Fig. 16a - c) and MacKenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii) (Fig. 16d), are endemic to a narrow region and grow only in specialized habitats, often associated with bluffs.

Characteristic perennial ferns, grasses, and forbs found in the study area primarily on bluffs include a number of ferns (Fig. 15) that are rock outcrop or bluff specialists and are found only in appropriate microhabitats with the proper pH, moisture, and exposure. These include black-stem spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens), walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum), bladder fern (Cystopteris sp.), blunt-lobed

11 cliff fern (Woodisa obtusa), purple-stem cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea), smooth cliff-brake (Pellaea glabella), and powdery cloak fern (Argyrochosma dealbata), a species of state conservation concern.

Pits, cracks, and overhanging bluff shelters or “rockhouses” (Figs. 14 & 15) in bluffs provide important habitat elements for a variety of animal species. For example several pack rat middens were observed under overhanging bluffs and outcrops in the study area.

Species of Concern: Powdery cloak fern (Argyrochosma dealbata), Church’s wild rye (Elymus churchii), and MacKenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii) are species of conservation concern found in bluff habitat in the study area. Additional species of concern may be present that are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: 1) Control invasive species so that natives can replace natives in areas of canopy loss and native species can thrive in the herbaceous layer. 2) Manage prescribed fire in such a way that it is not forced to burn intensely in mesic habitats (it can instead be ‘backed down’ into ravines and steep slopes from above) and avoid burning these areas in the spring after mesic forest herbaceous plants have begun growth. 3) Avoid damage to significant bluffs during trail construction and other infrastructure development.

4) Limestone Bluffs and Ledges

Limestone bluffs are similar to dolomite bluffs (described above) but a number of plant species found on dolomite are rarely if ever found on limestone. This is believed to be the result of chemical differences in the soils (limestone lacks the magnesium present in dolomite). However, both have a high pH and common matrix species are similar in the two communities.

The largest bluffs in the study area occur on the St. Joe Limestone Member of the Boone Formation and are found in a linear (though not continuous) band between approximately 1280 to 1320 feet in elevation (Figs. 10, 11, & 14)

12 5) Acidic Chert Woodlands and Forests

Acidic chert woodland (Fig. 17a - c) is common in the study area. These dry to dry-mesic woodlands occur on well-drained uplands with chert substrate. In the study area, these are mostly in the Boone Formation, above the limestone bluffline located at approximately 1300 feet in elevation, but in pockets below this elevation as well. They are typically dominated by black oak (Quercus velutina), white oak (Quercus alba), and mockernut hickory (Carya alba) but often contain post oak (Quercus stellata) and blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) on drier sites. Common understory species in chert woodlands typically include flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Carolina buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), farkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), and winged elm (Ulmus alata). Ground cover is characteristic of acidic woodlands and often includes low-bush blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), dittany (Cunila origanoides), hawkweed (Hieracium grononvii), Muhlenberg’s sedge (Carex muehlenbergii var. enervis), and several species of rosette grasses (Dichanthelium spp.), goldenrods (Solidago spp.), asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), bush-clovers (Lespedeza spp.) and tick-trefoils (Desmodium spp.).

Scattered plants of Ozark chinquapin (Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis) occur in chert woodlands in the study area. This species was once a common canopy tree in woodlands on acidic soils across the Ozarks but has been decimated by the Chestnut Blight, an introduced fungal pathogen that arrived in the local area in the late 1950s. Infected trees are killed to the ground and though they may continue to resprout from the roots, they are generally reduced to shrub stature and rarely get large enough to produce fruit. Chinquapin wood is exceptionally rot resistant and trunks of large dead trees, often called “chinquapin skeletons” dating to the late 1950s can still be found across the region.

Species of Concern: No species of state conservation concern were found in this habitat in the study area.

Management Recommendations: Restoration of more open stand structure and removal of dense leaf litter from the ground would greatly improve the condition of this habitat on in the study area. This can be accomplished by a mid-story thinning (often called a timber stand improvement [TSI] or wildlife stand improvement [WSI] treatment) where smaller diameter trees and shrubs are cut, girdled, or injected with an herbicide. This should be followed by regular prescribed burns (every 2-3 years) to remove accumulated leaf litter and control woody vegetation. If these methods don’t achieve the desired results, thinning of the canopy trees is an option.

6) Mesic Hardwood Forests

Mesic, or moderately moist, forests (Fig. 17d – f)are found in more moist, protected sites where fires would not have burned too frequently or intensely historically (Foti & Witsell 2013). In the Ozarks mesic forests are associated primarily with lower north- and east-facing slopes, areas below bluffs or along streams, and areas at high elevation (generally over 2000 feet). However, they may occur on all aspects in narrow valleys and along steep, rocky drainages.

13 Mesic forests usually have a closed canopy of deciduous, drought-intolerant hardwood trees and species found in the understory are adapted to shaded conditions during the growing season. Many forbs (broadleaf wildflowers) found in mesic forests are spring ephemerals that do most of their growing, and often their flowering, in the early spring before the hardwood trees leaf out and shade the forest floor. Many of these species disappear by summer while others may persist in the shaded understory.

The mesic forest canopy in the Ozarks is typically dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra), and often includes shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), mockernut hickory (Carya alba), red maple (Acer rubrum), basswood (Tilia americana), black walnut (Juglans nigra), and other hardwood species. Common shrubs include spicebush (Lindera benzoin), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), hazelnut (Corylus americana), and wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). A rich herbaceous layer includes a variety of shade-adapted ferns, forbs, grasses, and sedges.

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented from riparian forests in the study area. However, many such species in this habitat are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: 1) Control invasive species so that natives can replace natives in areas of canopy loss and native species can thrive in the herbaceous layer. 2) Manage prescribed fire in such a way that it is not forced to burn intensely in mesic forest habitat (it can instead be ‘backed down’ into ravines and steep slopes from above) and avoid burning these areas in the spring after mesic forest herbaceous plants have begun growth.

7) Riparian Forests

Riparian forests (Fig. 19 a-c) occur along streams, where increased moisture and flatter topography often support a more mesic community than that of surrounding uplands. These are often closed canopy forests with a shade tolerant understory. Riparian forests differ from upland mesic hardwood forests in part by the presence of a number of wetland species dependent on the hydrology of the stream. Riparian forest along the upper reaches of streams may differ little from surrounding upland forest in terms of tree canopy, though the herbaceous layer and even the shrub layer may be noticeably different, responding to increased moisture levels.

Typical riparian forest in the region is characterized by a canopy that includes sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), American elm (Ulmus americana), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), red maple (Acer rubrum), box elder (Acer negundo), white oak (Quercus alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), basswood (Tilia americana), black walnut (Juglans nigra), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black cherry (Prunus serotina), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), and other hardwood species. Common woody species in the understory may include spicebush (Lindera benzoin), deciduous holly (Ilex decidua), musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), and hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).

Shade-tolerant grasses and sedges are common in riparian forests and often include river-oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), American beakgrain (Diarrhena americana), beakgrain (D. obovata), hairy

14 wild rye (Elymus villosus), Virginia wild rye (Elymus virginicus var. virginicus), bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum), woodland muhly (Muhlenbergia sylvatica), and many species of sedges (Carex spp.). Common ferns and forbs include Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum), frostweed (Verbesina virginica), wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii), blue violet (Viola sororia), and many other species.

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented from mesic forests in the study area. However, many such species in mesic forests are only detectable during the spring.

Management Recommendations: 1) Monitor for and control invasive species. 2) Stabilize eroding stream banks along West Leatherwood Creek.

8) Stream Banks and Channels

Habitat along the stream banks and channel (Fig. 19c), if the stream is wide enough, is often more open and can support a variety of sun-loving species dependent on high moisture levels.

This habitat occurs in the study area primarily along West Leatherwood Creek. It includes sections of the creek with a gravel and cobble substrate as well as sections of the creek with a solid bedrock bottom.

No detailed plant species list was compiled for this habitat during the current study, but it will be inventoried during future visits as part of an ecological assessment of the entire park.

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented from stream banks and channels in the study area. However, many such species in this habitat are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: 1) Monitor for and control invasive species. 2) Stabilize eroding stream banks along West Leatherwood Creek.

9) Lake Shore

Shorelines (Fig. 19d) along Lake Leatherwood support a diverse assemblage of wetland vegetation. These species are sorted into a series of linear bands, or zones, based on water depth and duration of flooding. The bands are narrow in areas with a more steeply sloping shoreline and much broader in areas with a more gently sloping shore. On the upper end of the lake, the shoreline is so gently sloped that extensive open marsh habitat exists in places, at least in times of low water.

Vegetation zones in this habitat range from (driest to wettest): 1) wetland trees, 2) wetland shrubs, 3) wetland perennial forbs and grasses, 4) wetland annual forbs and grasses (during periods of low water), 5) true aquatic species.

15 No detailed plant species list was compiled for this habitat during the current study, but it will be inventoried during future visits as part of an ecological assessment of the entire park.

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were found in lakeshore habitat within the study area but a small population of white-top sedge (Rhynchospora colorata) is known from the west shore of Lake Leatherwood just north of the study area near the swimming beach. This and additional species of concern may be present in this habitat within the study area that are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: Monitor for and control invasive species.

10) Springs and Seeps

Seeps and springs (Fig. 18c) are groundwater-fed wetlands that generally occur where a fractured or porous rock layer like limestone, dolomite, or sandstone overlies an impermeable layer like shale. Water moves through the porous layer and emerges at or near the contact between the two geologic units. The cool, constant flow of groundwater sometimes supports species that rarely, if ever, occur in wetlands without groundwater influence.

Seeps are wetlands where groundwater emerges over a diffuse area, literally seeping up through the soil or, in some cases, out of a rock face. Springs are point sources of groundwater and often feed a spring- fed stream or rivulet called a spring run. Seeps and springs can be perennial (flowing all year) or intermittent (flowing seasonally during the wet season). Both types are present in or adjacent to the study area but only those that appear to be perennial, or nearly so, are mapped. In karst areas, such as Lake Leatherwood Park, seeps and springs may support animal species, especially invertebrates, restricted to wet caves and groundwater-fed wetlands. Many of these are of conservation concern.

Species of Concern: No inventory of the animals present in the karst features was conducted during this study but caves and springs in the region are known to support a number of animal species of conservation concern. At least one species of concern, an isopod (Caecidotea stiladactyla, G3G4S3) is known from the southern-most of the two springs west of the study area. This, and many other groundwater dwelling species are considered “stygobionts”, or groundwater-obligates. They live underground in total darkness within the groundwater and are sometimes found in cave streams and drip pools. They are also occasionally found in seeps or springs where they have been flushed out from within the ground. These species exhibit obvious “troglomorphy”, specialized adaptations to life underground including a lack of pigment and reduced eyes (Graening, Fenolio, & Slay 2011).

Management Recommendations: 1) Protect the recharge areas of springs and caves from pollution and excessive sedimentation. 2) Consider protective barriers (cave gates) on caves if animals of concern are present and public access becomes an issue.

16 11) Old Field/Successional Forest

This community occurs in old fields that have been abandoned and allowed to go through succession back to forest. The forests in these areas, however, are very different from surrounding natural forests and can be recognized in the field because they are dominated by weedy, early successional tree species and often have trees that are all or nearly all the same size and age. Those fields that were abandoned long ago, before non-native invasive species were widespread in the landscape, are generally dominated by native species. More recently abandoned fields are often dominated or co-dominated by non-native invasive species (marked with an * below).

Typical canopy species in this habitat in the region include eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), red mulberry (Morus rubra), and tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima*). Sugar maple (Acer saccharum var. saccharum) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) are common in some areas. A dense shrub and woody vine layer is typically weedy and is usually dominated by coral- berry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) and often Amur or bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii*). Other common species include Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica*), grape vines (Vitis spp.), and blackberries (Rubus spp.).

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented from old field/successional forests in the study area.

Management Recommendations: 1) Control non-native invasive species. Management of these areas is a lower priority than management of areas with intact native natural communities. However, these old field/successional forests may serve as seed sources for non-native invasives to spread to nearby restored areas, so they shouldn’t be ignored. Selective control of non-native invasives in these areas will allow natives to survive and become dominant in the canopy and shrub layers. 2) These successional forests also provide good interpretive opportunities to discuss succession and invasive species.

12) Field

Only one maintained field occurs in the study area. It is located at the northeast corner of the area, adjacent to the upper end of Lake Leatherwood. This is not really a natural community in the strict sense, but a habitat that is largely man-made, dominated by non-native species and dependent on periodic mowing to prevent succession to woodland or forest. Like most pastures and fields in the area, this site was historically “improved” by the planting of various non-native grasses and legumes.

No plant species list was compiled for this habitat during the current study, but it will be inventoried during future visits as part of an ecological assessment of the entire park.

Old fields that have undergone succession to forest are described above under “old field/successional forest”).

17 Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented from field habitat in the study area.

Management Recommendations: This area will no doubt be maintained as an open, mowed field. It should be monitored for non-native invasive plant species and they should be controlled determined to pose a threat.

13) Disturbed Areas

Though they occupy a small fraction of the total area, a variety of disturbed habitats occur at scattered sites within the study area. Examples include roadsides, trails, and the more disturbed areas of utility rights-of-way. These areas all provide habitat for weedy species, native and introduced, that benefit from various kinds of disturbance. Such disturbance may be associated with any activity which removes existing vegetation or physically disturbs or exposes the soil and can occur at a variety of spatial scales. Many plant species in this habitat are herbaceous annuals, though some herbaceous perennials and woody species specialize in colonizing disturbed habitat. Disturbed areas that aren’t intensively maintained, especially roadsides and utility rights-of-way, often retain vegetation typical of the natural communities that they border.

Species of Concern: No species of conservation concern were documented in disturbed habitats in the study area.

Management Recommendations: Disturbed areas, including trails, are corridors for the spread of many non-native invasive species. They should be monitored for invasive species, which should be controlled as needed. To support good wildlife habitat rich in nectar-producing wildflowers, the utility rights-of- way should be maintained without the broadcast spraying of foliar herbicides. These areas have a lot of value as surrogates for open woodland habitat and support some interesting and locally uncommon sun-loving plant species. Unfortunately the typical right-of-way management is often to spray the area with an herbicide that kills all broadleaf plants. This has the effect of wiping out many desirable native species while encouraging a wide range of non-native weedy annual species and invasive grasses. Alternatives to broadcast spraying include cutting invading woody plants and treating the stumps directly with herbicide, injecting them, or use a “basal bark treatment” where herbicide is mixed with an oil-based penetrant and applied to the exterior of the lower stem, or to only spray targeted woody plants using a backpack sprayer.

Plant Diversity

Although incompletely inventoried during the present study, the study area is clearly botanically diverse, with 312 vascular plant species documented during a single visit in November 2017 (not an ideal time of year to survey), and surveying only a portion of the entire property. A detailed annotated plant list is provided in Appendices F and G. Of these, at least five are listed by the ANHC as species of state conservation concern in Arkansas. Furthermore, at least three of these are considered to be of global conservation concern, with conservation status ranks of G3 (globally vulnerable) or higher. Detailed

18 information on these species of conservation concern is provided in Appendix D. Non-vascular plants such as bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and algae were not inventoried, nor were fungi and lichens.

A total of 34 species (10.9% of the total) documented are considered not native to Arkansas. Of the non-native species present, at least 18 are invasive or have the potential to become invasive in natural communities in the study area. These species are annotated in Appendices F and G and should receive priority for control.

The study area is botanically diverse for its size and landscape context. It supports elements of a more northern and eastern flora in its mesic bluffs and ravines and elements of an endemic and more western flora in its glades, dry bluffs, and woodlands. Of particular interest are a number of conservative heliophytes or “prairie species” found in the area, a testament to the historically more open condition of glades and woodlands on the site and in the region at large.

Ecological Stresses

Three major ecological stresses on the terrestrial natural communities in the study area were identified during field work for this assessment. These are:

1) Fire Suppression & Cedar Encroachment 2) Non-native Invasive Plant Species 3) Human-caused Disturbances

Two additional ecological stresses, though apparently not major factors within the study area at present, are included here because they may become an issue in the future:

4) Deer Herbivory 5) Feral Hog Damage

These stresses are often interrelated and have worked together to produce the current condition of the natural communities in the study area.

Fire Suppression & Cedar Encroachment

Whether ignited by lightning or by Native Americans, landscape scale fire is widely understood to be an ecological process that played a major role in shaping nearly all upland habitats in Arkansas (Chapman et al. 2006; Engbring et al. 2008; Foti & Glenn 1992; Guyette & Spetich 2003; Guyette et al. 2006; Miller 1972; Nowacki & Abrams 2008; Petersen & Drewa 2006; Rudolph et al. 2006). Fires regularly burned across much of the Ozark landscape before Euro-American settlement and both the structure and species composition of natural communities were shaped in large part by the frequency and intensity of these fires in a given spot. The main effects of fire on habitats in the region were 1) to periodically remove leaves and other dead plant material from the ground and 2) to maintain open conditions by arresting the growth of woody vegetation. The degree of habitat openness in the pre-settlement

19 landscape varied with geographic location, landform, slope, aspect, local climate, and other factors. Conditions ranged from open prairie and savanna in flat to gently rolling landscapes (where fires were more frequent and intense) to lush closed canopy hardwood forests in protected hollows and more rugged terrain (where fires were less frequent and intense). However, much of the upland landscape in the Ozarks was probably somewhere in between treeless prairie and closed forest – a mosaic of savannas and open and semi-open woodlands where periodic fires kept underbrush sparse, allowed some light to reach the ground, and sustained diverse carpets of sun-loving grasses and wildflowers (Foti & Witsell 2013; Miller 1972; Nelson 2005). Glades in particular have been negatively affected by the lack of fire in the modern landscape and have become heavily encroached by the native eastern red- cedar, which is well-adapted to the thin, often-calcareous soils (Foti & Witsell 2013; Miller 1972; Nelson 2005).

When geologist, geographer, and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft traveled through the glade country of the White River Hills Ecoregion during the winter of 1818-1819, he described the open nature of the landscape in his journal, which was later published as Rude Pursuits and Rugged Peaks: Schoolcraft’s Ozark Journal 1818-1819 (University of Arkansas Press, 1996). The following excerpts describe the dolomite glades and thin-soiled grasslands of the ecoregion prior to the widespread encroachment of eastern red-cedar:

“The country passed over yesterday, after leaving the valley of the White River, presented a character of unvaried sterility, consisting of a succession of limestone ridges, skirted with a feeble growth of oaks, with no depth of soil, often bare rocks upon the surface, and covered with coarse wild grass; and sometimes we crossed patches of considerable extent, without trees or brush of any kind, and resembling the Illinois prairies in appearance, but lacking their fertility and extent. Frequently these prairies occupied the tops of conical hills, or extended ridges, while the intervening valleys were covered with oaks…”

“…we halted our horse near the summit of a bald mountain, while we went up to survey one of those beautiful and extensive prospects which the traveler so frequently enjoys in passing over this singularly wild and barren region.”

“We stood a moment to contemplate the sublime and beautiful scene before us, which was such an assembly of rocks and water—of hill and valley—of verdant woods and naked peaks—of native fertility and barren magnificence…”

“The quality of the lands passed over to-day has, in general, been sterile, with little timber. A few strips of good bottom lands have intervened”

“Face of the country very rough, lands sterile, timber oak, and very scanty…”

“…no protection against the wind or weather was afforded by the underbrush, the country being of that open nature which is in a great degree destitute of bushes or shrubbery.”

20 As fires were suppressed and the landscape was fragmented following settlement, these open habitats, along with the species that depended on them, declined across the region. Consequently, many species that were more common historically are rare today and many upland oak-hickory forests in the region have sterile understory vegetation with little diversity. Prescribed fire, the intentional ignition and management of “controlled burns”, is widely used today (where appropriate) to manage for healthy and diverse woodlands, prairies, glades, and other plant communities.

Non-native Invasive Plant Species

The study area, like most settled areas in the region, is home to a variety of non-native invasive plants (Fig. 20), a consequence of its location near an urban area and past disturbance to at least some of its natural communities. Intense use of parts of the study area by humans, both presently and historically have likely contributed to the colonization and spread of certain invasive plant species. The unchecked growth of these species, combined with other factors, can displace native species and alter the structure and species composition of natural communities.

Appendices F and G present information on which plants in the study area are considered non-native and which of these are considered invasive. These are species that are negatively impacting native habitats, or that have the potential to negatively impact native habitats in the future. This list also includes information about the life form (forb, grass, woody vine, shrub, tree, etc.) of each species, as well and the habitat(s) they occupy in the study area.

Human-Caused Disturbances

Parts of the study area have had a history of human alteration and natural communities in some areas have been highly altered by these activities. Examples include fragmentation of forests and woodlands by roads and rights-of-way, past logging and/or clearing forests for fields, spraying of herbicides in utility rights-of-way, etc. More subtle disturbances also have lasting effects, such as the spread of certain non- native species along roads, trails, and stream corridors.

Deer Herbivory

Deer do not appear to be heavily impacting vegetation at present in the study area but this could easily change and become a problem if there is more residential development in the area around Lake Leatherwood Park. A similar study conducted in 2013 and early 2014 at Lake Atalanta Park in Rogers, where no hunting is allowed, found that deer are having a substantial negative impact on the native flora there. Large deer herds can cause populations of many plant species to decline over time or even become extirpated locally as deer consume most or all the plants of certain species. Deer may also encourage certain unpalatable invasive species by avoiding them while eating the native species that formerly occupied the same habitat. The study area should be monitored in the future for signs of deer impact and regulated hunting should be considered as a management tool if needed to protect the overall biological diversity of the site.

21 Feral Hog Damage

Feral hogs, a non-native invasive species, are increasing throughout the region with negative impacts to a wide variety of native plant communities. Glades in particularly are being damaged as the hogs’ rooting activity turns over thin glade soils, destroys glade plants, and spreads non-native plant species. While they do not appear to be heavily impacting vegetation at present in the study area, past site visits to the largest and most significant glades in Lake Leatherwood Park (east of the lake) have documented heavy feral hog impacts. Habitats, especially glades, in the study area should be monitored in the future for feral hog damage and control efforts conducted as needed. Additional Inventory Recommendations

Additional inventory of the study area is recommended as other habitats and species of conservation concern are likely (a number, followed by an † on the list below, are already known from other areas of the park). Habitats in need of additional survey for species of conservation concern include glades, woodlands, bluffs, seeps and springs, mesic forests, riparian areas, lakeshore, and the more extensive rock outcrops. Based on habitats present in the study area and data on similar sites in the vicinity (including other areas of the park), the following species of conservation concern are possible if not likely in the study area:

PLANTS

Scientific Name Common Name GRANK SRANK HABITAT(S) Agalinis auriculata ear-leaf false foxglove G3 S1 glades Agalinis skinneriana Skinner's false foxglove G3G4 SH glades Allium canadense var. lavendulare † tall pink glade onion G5TNR S1 glades, ledges, bluffs Allium cernuum nodding wild onion G5 SH woodlands Amorpha canescens lead-plant G5 S1 glades, ledges, bluffs Arabis hirsuta var. adpressipilis hairy rockcress G5T4Q S1? glades, ledges, bluffs Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. mexicana white sagebrush G5T5? S1S2 glades Asclepias incarnata subsp. incarnata swamp milkweed G5T5 S2 lakeshore Asclepias stenophylla narrow-leaf milkweed G4G5 SH glades Brickellia grandiflora tassel-flower G5 S2 dolomite woodlands, ledges, bluffs Callirhoe bushii Bush’s poppy-mallow G3 S3 dolomite woodlands Carex gracilescens slender wood sedge G5? S2 mesic forests, dolomite ledges Carex hirtifolia hairy sedge G5 S3 mesic & riparian forests Carex sparganioides bur-reed sedge G5 S3 mesic & riparian forests Carex timida † timid sedge G2G4 S2S3 dolomite woodlands, ledges Caulophyllum thalictroides blue cohosh G5 S2 mesic forests Diaperia prolifera var. prolifera big-head rabbit-tobacco G5TNR S1S3 glades Dirca decipiens † Ozark leatherwood G1G2 S1? bluffs, ledges, dolomite woodlands Echinacea paradoxa var. paradoxa yellow coneflower G3T3 S2 glades Elymus riparius river-bank wild rye G5 S1S2 open stream banks Erythronium mesochoreum † prairie trout-lily G4G5 S1S2 dolomite woodlands, ledges, glades

22 Euphorbia missurica Missouri spurge G5 S2 glades Gentiana alba pale gentian G4 S1 woodlands, glades Gentiana puberulenta downy gentian G4G5 S2 glades Helianthus occidentalis subsp. naked-stem sunflower G5T5 S1S2 glades occidentalis Humulus lupulus var. pubescens wild hop G5T4? S1S2 riparian forests Juncus filipendulus ringseed rush G5 S1 glades Liatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii northern blazing-star G5?T3T5 S2? dolomite woodlands, ledges, glades Malvastrum hispidum yellow false mallow G3G5 S2 glades Mentzelia oligosperma stick-leaf G4 S1 limestone glades & bluffs Minuartia michauxii rock sandwort G5 S1 glades & bluffs Nemastylis nuttallii Nuttall’s pleat-leaf G4 S2 glades Pediomelum esculentum † large Indian-breadroot G5 S2 glades Penstemon cobaea showy beardtongue G4 S3 glades Perideridia americana American squaw-root G4 S2 dolomite woodlands, ledges, glades Phlox bifida sand phlox G5? S3 dolomite woodlands, ledges, glades Phyllanthus polygonoides † knotweed leaf-flower G5 S1 glades Physalis missouriensis Missouri ground-cherry G5? SH glades, bluffs Physalis pumila prairie ground-cherry G5 S1 glades Prenanthes alba white rattlesnake-root G5 S1S2 dolomite woodlands, acidic woodlands, ledges Prenanthes aspera prairie rattlesnake-root G4? S2S3 dolomite woodlands, glades Rhynchospora colorata † white-top sedge G5 S1 lakeshore Silene regia royal catchfly G3 S2 dolomite woodlands, glades Solidago gattingeri Gattinger’s goldenrod G3?Q S1 glades Solidago ptarmicoides white flat-top goldenrod G5 S1S2 woodlands, glades Spiranthes magnicamporum great plains ladies’-tresses G3G4 S1S2 glades Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei † Pringle's aster G5T5 S1 glades Symphyotrichum sericeum silvery aster G5 S2 glades Tradescantia ozarkana Ozark spiderwort G3 S3 mesic & riparian forests, ledges Trichophorum planifolium bashful bulrush G4G5 S1 acidic woodlands Tridens muticus var. elongatus slim tridens G5T4? SH glades Trillium ozarkanum Ozark trillium G3 S3 acidic woodlands Ulmus thomasii rock elm G5 S2 woodlands, bluffs Valerianella ozarkana Ozark cornsalad G3 S3 woodlands, glades Veratrum woodii † Wood's false hellebore G5 S3 mesic forests

ANIMALS

Scientific Name Common Name GRANK SRANK HABITAT(S) Caecidotea stiladactyla † an isopod G3G4 S3 springs Crotaphytus collaris † Eastern Collared Lizard G5 S2 glades Myotis septentrionalis northern long-eared bat G1G2 S1S2 woodlands, forests Sonora semiannulata Western Groundsnake G5 S1 glades Thryomanes bewickii † Bewick's Wren G5 S1B,S1S2N woodlands, glades

23 Summary of Management Recommendations

In our highly fragmented landscape, with its long list of non-native invasive species, ecological management of protected areas is essential if we want to preserve native biodiversity. McCarty (2005) sums up the importance of ecological management as follows:

Whether to rectify results of past land use, or sustain or emulate important ecological processes that no longer occur, management is a must in most modern natural communities. This management goes beyond understanding what natural communities are to seeking out how they work and what it takes to keep them properly functioning, even when everything around them is altered. Without management, natural communities will be pushed down entirely different pathways and many will not persist.

Management recommendations are made for each community or habitat in the plant community description section, but a summary is provided here. The most important ecological management goals for the study area should be 1) to restore more open conditions to the glades and woodlands and 2) to combat non-native invasive species. The three most effective and important management actions that can be taken to meet these goals are to 1) remove cedars from glades and woodlands, 2) implement a prescribed burn program and return fire to the area at regular intervals, and 3) establish an aggressive invasive species management program. In addition, ecologically significant areas and habitats should be considered during infrastructure planning and avoided or disturbed as little as possible.

1) Opening Glades and Woodlands – Land managers in Arkansas attempting to restore open glades and woodlands with prescribed fire are often disappointed with the results from fire alone. The cedar-choked glades and overly dense woodlands we see on the landscape today took many decades to develop and it often is not possible to get to the desired condition with fire alone, at least not in a safe manner. One strategy that has yielded good results is to mechanically remove (cut) cedars as well as some of the shrubs and smaller diameter trees in order to let more light reach the ground. Cedar trees do not resprout from stumps and are thus straightforward to remove. Hardwood trees and shrubs, however, will resprout from the stumps and have to either be burned frequently enough to keep the bushy resprouts under control or have the stumps treated with herbicide to prevent resprouting. Another strategy is to girdle trees or inject target trees with herbicide and leave them standing (provided they are not near a trail or fire line). These mid-story thinnings are often called “timber stand improvement” (TSI) or “wildlife stand improvement” (WSI) treatments.

2) Prescribed Fire – Prescribed fire should be implemented in most of the upland communities, especially the glades and woodlands. The existing road system and proposed trail system would serve as a good network of fire lines for an experienced burn crew. If additional fire lines need to be installed on property boundaries, this should be done by a hand crew with chainsaws and leaf blowers rather than a bulldozer in order to minimize soil disturbance and the spread of invasive species.

24 Mesic forests typically do not burn intensely (or in many cases at all) under moderate conditions, which is in part why they occur where they do. While they do not necessarily need to be excluded from burn units, fire should be managed in such a way that it is not forced to burn in mesic forest habitat (it can instead be ‘backed down’ into ravines and steep slopes from above). It may also be wise to avoid burning these areas in the spring after mesic forest herbaceous plants have begun growth.

3) Invasive Species Control – Non-native invasive plants, especially shrubs and trees, are moderately impacting some of the natural communities in the study area. Appendices F and G notes species that are causing (or are likely to cause) the most damage to natural communities. Sites and/or species should be prioritized in some way so as to get the most impact for the money and effort. Areas of light infestation and/or areas around rare species or habitats might be treated first.

4) Protecting Ecologically Significant Areas and Habitats – Appendix C identifies several ecologically significant areas and habitats. These should be considered during infrastructure planning and avoided or disturbed as little as possible. References

Arkansas Geological Survey. 2018. Geologic worksheet map of the Beaver quadrangle, Carroll County, Arkansas: Arkansas Geological Survey Scanned Worksheet of Quadrangle Map, Provided to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC). 2018. Database of elements of conservation concern in Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas. Accessed 1 February 2018.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Taxonomic Data Center. (http://www.bonap.net/tdc). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2014. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

Chapman, R.A., E. Heitzman, and M.G. Shelton. 2006. Long-term changes in forest structure and species composition of an upland oak forest in Arkansas. Forest Ecology and Management 236: 85-92

Engbring, B.L., E. Heitzman, and M.A. Spetich. 2008. Ridgetop fire history of an oak-pine forest in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Southeastern Naturalist 7(1): 46-60.

Foti, T.L. and S.M. Glenn. 1992. The Ouachita Mountain landscape at the time of settlement. In: Hedrick, L. and D. Henderson, eds. Proceedings of the conference, Restoration of old growth forests in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Ouachita National Forest, Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development: 49-65.

Foti, T.L. and C.T. Witsell. 2013. Effects of physical factors on the distribution of native flora and vegetation in the natural divisions of Arkansas. In: Gentry, J.L., G.P. Johnson, B.T. Baker, C.T.

25 Witsell, and J.D. Ogle, eds. 2013. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Herbarium. Fayetteville, AR.

Gentry, J.L., G.P. Johnson, B.T. Baker, C.T. Witsell, and J.D. Ogle, eds. 2013. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Herbarium. Fayetteville, AR.

Graening, G.O., D.B. Fenolio, and M.E. Slay. 2011. Cave Life of Oklahoma and Arkansas: Exploration and Conservation of Subterranean Biodiversity. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman, Oklahoma.

Guyette, R.P. and M.A. Spetich. 2003. Fire history of oak-pine forests in the Lower Boston Mountains, Arkansas, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 180: 463-474.

Guyette, R.P., M.A. Spetich, and M.C. Stambaugh. 2006. Historic fire regime dynamics and forcing factors in the Boston Mountains, Arkansas, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 234: 293-304.

McCarty, K. 205. Ecological Management. In: Nelson, P.W. 2005. The Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri. Missouri Deptartment of Natural Resources.

McFarland, J.D. 2004. Stratigraphic Summary of Arkansas. Arkansas Geological Commission Information Circular 36. Arkansas Geological Commission. Little Rock, Arkansas.

Miller, H.M. 1972. A Vegetal Reconstruction of Early Historic Northwest Arkansas. MS Thesis. University of Arkansas.

Nelson, P.W. 2005. The Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri. Missouri Deptartment of Natural Resources.

Nowacki, G.J. and M.D. Abrams. 2008. The Demise of Fire and “Mesophication” of Forests in the Eastern United States. BioScience 58(2): 123-138.

Petersen, S.M. and P.B. Drewa. 2006. Did lightning-initiated growing season fires characterize oak- dominated ecosystems in southern Ohio? Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133(2): 217- 224

Rudolph, D.C., C.A. Ely, R.R. Schaefer, J.H. Williamson. And R.E. Thill. 2006. Monarch (Danaus plexippus L. Nymphalidae) migration, nectar resources and fire regimes in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. Journal of the Lepidopterist’s Society 60(3): 165-170.

Yatskievych, G. 1999. Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri. Vol. 1, revised ed. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.

Yatskievych, G. 2006. Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri. Vol. 2. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Yatskievych, G. 2013. Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri. Vol. 3. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

26 Acknowledgments

Steven Foster (Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission) provided important natural and historical background about the study area and accompanied me in the field. Justin Huss and Adam Biossat provided valuable information and shapefiles. Eric Hunt provided photographs and information on plant species he documented in the study area in the past. Angela Chandler (Arkansas Geological Survey) provided a 1:24,000 scale geologic map of the area, advised on the interpretation of the area’s geology, and provided useful information on paleokarst features.

About the Author and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

Theo Witsell is the senior botanist and ecologist for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and a Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. He has also worked as a contract botanist for a number of agencies and organizations including the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, the United States Department of Defense, The Nature Conservancy, NatureServe, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (University of Texas at Austin), and the Gates Rogers Foundation. He serves as a regional reviewer for the Flora of North America Project and is co-editor of the recently published Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. He is currently working on a number of projects including floristic studies of Arkansas grasslands, a field guide to the woody plants of Arkansas, and the description of several undescribed plant species. A native Arkansan, he has a master’s degree in botany from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His research interests include the ecology and conservation of rare plants and their habitats, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and anything to do with the shale barrens of the Ouachita Mountains. He is also an avid native plant gardener.

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) focuses on science-based conservation to protect the state’s biological diversity. As the central repository for data on rare plants, animals, and natural communities in Arkansas, we work to provide up-to-date information for sound and timely conservation decisions. Our System of Natural Areas provides long-term protection to some of the state’s most ecologically significant lands. Through outreach and education programs we strive to deepen the ecological literacy of Arkansans. These efforts, combined with an array of conservation partnerships, are all aimed at ensuring that Arkansas’s biological diversity and natural heritage are not lost.

The ANHC also houses the Arkansas Natural Heritage Program, a team of scientists and data managers that gather, interpret, and share information on the state’s biological diversity. The Heritage Program's biodiversity data are useful to a wide range of groups and are commonly used for:

Biodiversity Assessment: The Arkansas Heritage Program's standardized methodology provides a consistent process for evaluating the relative imperilment of native species and natural communities. The result is a dynamic process that updates the conservation status and ranks of rare elements of biodiversity as new data become available.

Land Management Planning: ANHC uses Arkansas Heritage Program data as the primary tool in the location and identification of ecologically significant lands most in need of protection. Data are also provided to government agencies and other land management organizations specific to their respective holdings. With this data in hand, rare species and natural communities can be factored into land management plans.

Environmental Review/Information Sharing: Data from the Arkansas Heritage Program are used by ANHC staff in the review of specific project-related impacts through the state environmental review process. Examples include commercial and residential developments, transportation projects, utility construction, landfills, mining, and flood control projects. Data are also provided to private developers and public land use planners to notify them of the location of rare species or biologically sensitive areas early in the planning process.

APPENDIX A:

AERIAL PHOTOS AND GENERAL MAPS OF THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK

29 Location of Lake Leatherwood Park with Level III Ecoregions

FIGURE 1. Location (red dot) of Lake Leatherwood Park, Carroll County, Arkansas, on map of EPA Level III Ecoregions. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

30 Location of Lake Leatherwood Park with Level IV Ecoregions

FIGURE 2. Location of Lake Leatherwood Park and the Study Area, Carroll County, Arkansas, on map of EPA Level IV Ecoregions. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

31 Lake Leatherwood Park with Study Area – Aerial Photo

FIGURE 3. Map of Lake Leatherwood Park with Study Area on 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Evergreen trees show as bright pink (shortleaf pine) and dark red (cedar). Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

32 Lake Leatherwood Park with Study Area – Topographic Map

FIGURE 4. Map of Lake Leatherwood Park with Study Area on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

33 Study Area Detail – Aerial Photo

FIGURE 5. Map of Study Area on 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Evergreen trees show as bright pink (shortleaf pine) and dark red (cedar). Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

34 Study Area Detail – Topographic Map

FIGURE 6. Map of Study Area on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

35 Lake Leatherwood Park Vicinity – Geology Map

FIGURE 7. Geology map of the area around Lake Leatherwood, including the Study Area. Courtesy of the Arkansas Geological Survey, 2018.

LEGEND

Mbn = Boone Formation (Mississippian)

Dc = Chattanooga Shale (Devonian)

Op = Powell Dolomite (Ordovician)

Oc = Cotter Dolomite (Ordovician)

36 Study Area with Phase I Trails – Aerial Photo

FIGURE 8. Phase I trails on 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

37 Study Area with Phase I Trails – Topographic Map

FIGURE 9. Phase I trails on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

38 Habitat Map of Study Area

FIGURE 10. Map of Habitats (Plant Communities) in the Study Area on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle and 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

39 Habitat Map of Study Area with Phase I Trails

FIGURE 11. Map of Phase I Trails and Habitats (Plant Communities) in the Study Area on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle and 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

APPENDIX B:

PHOTOGRAPHS OF SELECT SPECIES AND HABITATS IN THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK

All photos taken by Theo Witsell in November 2017 from the Study Area.

41 A B

C D

E F

FIGURE 12. A. and B. This dolomite glade, the largest and most open in the study area, supports some of the highest plant species richness in the Miner’s Rock unit. Rich in prairie-derived grassland species that need full sun, glades are critical habitat for many rare plant and animal species. This opening supports a population of dotted gayfeather or bottlebrush blazing-star (Liatris punctata var. mucronata), a species of state conservation concern found in Arkansas only in dolomite glades in a small region of the Ozarks. C. The presence of prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia sp.) is a testament to the dry conditions in glades and the southwestern influence on glade flora. D. and E. Dolomite glade and woodland encroached by heavy growth of cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and other woody plants, leading to heavy shading and loss of flora. F. This area, where a powerline right- of-way crosses a series of limestone ledges, provides habitat for a diversity of grassland plant species.

42 A

B C

FIGURE 13. A. Prairie grasses including big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) dominate this powerline right-of-way where it passes through a cedar-choked dolomite glade and woodland complex. Note the “cedar wall” at the right edge of the clearing. B. Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) seed heads in this same right-of-way. This declining grassland wildflower is of great importance to pollinators and other wildlife and depends on open glade and woodland habitat. C. Cedar-choked condition of this same community immediately adjacent to the right-of-way in A and B. Note the lack of ground flora.

43 A B

C D

FIGURE 14. Bluffs, Ledges, and Rock Outcrops. A. A series of limestone bluffs occur between about 1280 and 1320 feet in elevation across the study area. These bluffs are outcroppings of the St. Joe Limestone Member of the Boone Formation. The pink band near the bottom of this outcrop marks the base of the Boone, which is underlain here by the Chattanooga Shale. B. A very large and likely ancient cedar growing from a cleft in a limestone bluff near the south end of the study area. In many areas of the Ozarks cedar was probably historically confined to such fire-protected microsites and spread throughout the landscape following open range grazing and widespread fire suppression following Euro-American settlement. C. Typical south-facing (dry) limestone bluff in the study area. D. Unusual in the Boone Formation, there are several outcroppings of sandstone in the study area, the largest of which is “Miner’s Rock”. These are examples of “paleokarst” features formed where overlying sands filled ancient sinkholes and crevices, hardened into sandstone, and were exposed as the overlying landscape eroded away.

44 A B

C D

E F

FIGURE 15. A. Bluffs and ledges are important habitats for a number of fern species that specialize in rock outcrop habitat, where they grow from pits and cracks in the vertical bedrock, often with little if any soil. B. and C. The rarest of these found in the study area is the powdery cloak fern (Argyrochosma dealbata), a species of state conservation concern. This is a primarily southwestern species with outlying populations in the Ozark Plateau where it grows from pits or cracks in sheer or overhanging dry dolomite or limestone bluffs. It is identified by its characteristic blue-green fronds with reddish-brown to black stalks and a white, powder-like substance that coats the underside of the pinnae (leaflets). This powder is not found on any other species of fern in Arkansas. D. Black-stem spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens), E. walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum), and F. blunt- lobe cliff fern (Woodsia obtusa) are three other ferns that grow on limestone and dolomite bluffs and ledges in the study area.

45 A B

C D

FIGURE 16. Bluffs in the study area also support two globally rare grasses: Church’s wild rye (Elymus churchii) (A., B., and C.) is known only from the Interior Highlands (Ozark Plateaus, Arkansas Valley, and Ouachita Mountains) in portions of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It was first described in 2006 and is tracked by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission as a species of state conservation concern. Church’s wild rye is superficially similar to bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix), which is common in the study area. It differs primarily in its ascending florets (vs. spreading in E. hystrix), curved awns (vs. straight in E. hystrix), more nodding stems, and tolerance of more exposed, drier habitats. D. Mackenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii), also of state conservation concern and also known only from the Interior Highlands, is most common in the White River Hills Ecoregion, where it grows in ledgey woodlands, glades, and bluffs on dolomite and limestone. It is otherwise known only from the top of Rich Mountain (Arkansas’s second highest peak) in the Ouachita Mountains. It has the narrowest seed head of any species of wild rye found in the state. It is scattered on bluffs and locally common in dolomite woodlands in the study area.

46 A B

C D

E F

FIGURE 17. A. and B. Above the limestone blufflines, ridges and upper slopes in the study area are underlain by acidic chert of the Boone Formation. These areas support acidic forests and woodlands dominated by shortleaf pine, black oak, post oak, and white oak. C. Elliott’s bluestem, or bird-of-paradise grass, (Andropogon gyrans var. gyrans) is the least common of the upland bluestem grasses in the Ozarks. It thrives in the acidic, nutrient-poor soils of open dry chert woodlands. Locally common in an open powerline right-of-way, it was absent from the closed canopy pine-oak forest on either side of it, a testament to the densification of dry woodlands in the region in the last 150 years. D. Mesic hardwood forests occur on north-facing slopes below the bluffline in the study area and include such species as E. northern maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) and F. the fall blooming American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

47 A

B C

FIGURE 18. Karst Features. A. Several sinkholes occur in the study area and this one, in the Boone Formation, has a cave opening in the bottom. B. Cave opening in the bottom of sinkhole in photo A. This cave was not explored in the present study but appears to be of significant size and warrants a fauna inventory in the future. C. At least two springs occur to the west of the study area on a tract being considered for acquisition. These springs occur at the base of the Boone Formation, emerging at or near the contact between the St. Joe Limestone Member and the underlying Chattanooga Shale.

48 A B

C D

E F

FIGURE 19. A. and B. Riparian areas along smaller streams in the study area support mesic forests, especially below ledges or low bluffs. These areas are likely to support diverse assemblages of spring ephemeral wildflowers and should be surveyed during that season. C. West Leatherwood Creek, the largest stream in the study area, is a losing stream, likely flowing in the subsurface except during times of high flow. D. Open marsh community along the shoreline at the upper end of Lake Leatherwood, where West Leatherwood Creek enters the lake. E. and F. Mature, closed canopy upland woodlands in the study area show very sparse ground flora and dense mats of accumulated leaf litter characteristic of decades of fire suppression.

49 A B

C D

E F

FIGURE 20. Non-native Invasive Species. A. Dense stand of sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) invading an area of native dolomite glade and woodland vegetation in a powerline right-of-way in the study area. B. Amur or bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) in riparian forest along West Leatherwood Creek. C. Winter-creeper (Euonymus fortunei) growing on dolomite ledges along West Leatherwood Creek. D., E., and F. Parrot’s-feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), native to the Amazon Basin of South America, is a major aquatic invasive in North America. It has infested the upper end of Lake Leatherwood.

APPENDIX C:

ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS IN THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK

51 Ecologically Significant Areas and Habitats

While none of the natural communities in the study area are considered to be of exemplary quality (as compared to other examples of each type known in the state), four especially ecologically significant areas or habitats were identified in the study area:

1. Dolomite and Limestone Glades 2. Dolomite and Limestone Bluffs 3. Dolomite Woodlands 4. Karst Features

An ecologically significant area or habitat is defined here as an area with relatively intact or high quality natural communities or a habitat that contributes significantly to the overall biological diversity of the site. These areas or habitats may include populations of species of conservation concern, provide habitat for groups of species not found elsewhere on the site, or may simply support relatively intact plant communities with high native species diversity and low levels of non-native invasive species. These may be thought of as those areas of the site that are the least altered in terms of their natural condition, and/or the most biologically diverse. These areas and habitats would likely be high priorities to restore and maintain in good condition.

The designation of these areas or habitats as ecologically significant is not meant to indicate that other areas of the site are not ecologically significant or worthy of protection or management to enhance their natural values. In particular, there may be other areas that support populations of plant species of conservation concern but that are not identified here as ecologically significant areas due to their small size, altered condition, landscape context, or for other reasons.

This appendix maps and gives brief descriptions of each of these areas or habitats.

52 Map of Ecologically Significant Areas and Habitats in the Study Area

FIGURE 21. Ecologically significant areas and habitats in the Study Area on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle and 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018.

53 SIGNIFICANT HABITAT 1: Dolomite and Limestone Glades

Several dolomite glades (Figs. 10, 11, 12, & 21) occur in the study area, all on south- or southwest-facing slopes below the limestone bluffline that is located at approximately 1300 feet elevation. All are small and cedar encroached, with the largest and most significant one retaining a few pockets of open grassland.

Three small limestone glades occur in the study area, immediately above a southwest-facing limestone bluff near the southern edge of the site, above Highway 62. (Figs. 10, 11, & 21).

Species of Concern: Dolomite glades and woodlands in the study area support at least two species of state conservation concern: Mackenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii) and dotted gayfeather or bottlebrush blazing-star (Liatris punctata var. mucronata). Additional species of concern may be present that are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: Dolomite glades in the study area are degraded and choked with cedar trees (Figs. 12 & 13) to the point that many have lost their distinctive herbaceous flora. However, these cedars can be removed and the glades can be restored with prescribed fire and selective thinning of remaining hardwood trees and shrubs if needed. In a mid-story thinning (often called a timber stand improvement [TSI] or wildlife stand improvement [WSI] treatment) smaller diameter trees and shrubs are cut, girdled, or injected with an herbicide. This should be followed by regular prescribed burns (every 2-3 years) to remove accumulated leaf litter and control woody vegetation. Cut cedars can be removed (ideal), piled and burned, or cut and dropped and consumed over time during prescribed burns. In areas near the lakeshore, they can also be secured to cinder blocks and sunk for fish habitat enhancement.

SIGNIFICANT HABITAT 2: Dolomite and Limestone Bluffs

Both dolomite and limestone bluffs are found in the study area. The largest bluffs in the study area occur on the St. Joe Limestone Member of the Boone Formation and are found in a linear (though not continuous) band between approximately 1280 to 1320 feet in elevation. (Fig. 14, 15, & 16). A smaller area of dolomite bluffs occurs in a hollow along an ephemeral creek at about 1100 feet elevation, and many lower, dolomite and limestone ledges (not mapped) occur scattered throughout the study area below about 1300 feet elevation.

54 ravines and steep slopes from above) and avoid burning these areas in the spring after mesic forest herbaceous plants have begun growth. 3) Avoid damage to significant bluffs during trail construction and other infrastructure development.

SIGNIFICANT HABITAT 3: Dolomite Woodlands

Cedar-enroached dolomite woodlands (Figs. 12 & 13) are extensive below approximately 1300 feet in elevation, primarily on south- and east-facing slopes. This community is dominated today by dense thickets of cedar under an older canopy of chinquapin oak, post oak, and blue ash. It is highly restorable as is evidenced by the presence of a rich herbaceous woodland flora in powerline rights-of-way through this habitat in the study area.

Species of Concern: Dolomite woodlands in the study area support at least three species of state conservation concern: Trelease’s larkspur (Delphinium treleasei), Church’s wild rye (Elymus churchii), and Mackenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii). Additional species of concern are known from this habitat in other areas of the park and may also be present in this habitat in the study area. Several of these are only detectable during the spring and summer.

Management Recommendations: Dolomite woodlands in the study area are degraded and choked with cedar trees. However, these cedars can be removed and the woodlands can be restored with prescribed fire and selective thinning of the midstory where needed. In a mid-story thinning (often called a timber stand improvement [TSI] or wildlife stand improvement [WSI] treatment) smaller diameter trees and shrubs are cut, girdled, or injected with an herbicide. This should be followed by regular prescribed burns (every 2-3 years) to remove accumulated leaf litter and control woody vegetation. If these methods don’t achieve the desired results, thinning of the canopy trees is an option.

SIGNIFICANT HABITAT 4: Karst Features

Several karst features (Fig. 18) occur on and adjacent to the study area. These include several sinkholes and at least one cave in the study area and at least two springs along the Miner’s Rock Trail on a privately owned tract just west of the study area.

Sinkhole with cave: 36.42968, -93.76919 South Spring: 36.42988, -93.77656 North Spring: 36.43096, -93.77647

55 Management Recommendations: 1) Protect the recharge areas of springs and caves from pollution and excessive sedimentation. 2) Consider protective barriers (cave gates) on caves if animals of concern are present and public access becomes an issue.

APPENDIX D:

SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN FOUND IN THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK

57 The following species occurring in the study area have been identified by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission as being of conservation concern in Arkansas. Each species is presented with general information on its range and habitat followed by specific information on populations found in the study area. Each species is also given along with its global (G) and state (S) conservation status ranks. A legend explaining these rank codes is provided in appendix E.

PLANTS

1) Powdery Cloak Fern (Argyrochosma dealbata) – G4G5S2

2) Trelease’s Larkspur (Delphinium treleasei) – G3S3

3) Church’s Wild Rye (Elymus churchii) – G2G3S2?

4) MacKenzie’s Blue Wild Rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii) – G5TNRS2

5) Bottlebrush Blazing-star (Liatris punctata var. mucronata) - – G5T5S2

58 Map of Species of Conservation Concern and Phase I Trails

FIGURE 22. Species of Conservation Concern and Phase I trails on USGS topographic map from Beaver 7.5’ quadrangle and 2006 color-infrared aerial photo. Map by Theo Witsell, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 2018. NOTE: While it may appear on this map that the trails are in direct conflict with some of the point representations for rare species occurrences, this is an artifact of the map scale. It appears on the ground that the proposed trail routes will not actually impact the plants being represented.

59 Powdery Cloak Fern (Argyrochosma dealbata) – G4G5S2

Powdery cloak fern (Fig. 15b & c) is a distinctive, drought-adapted fern found on dry calcareous bluffs in eastern Kansas, the western part of the Ozarks, and the Edwards Plateau of Texas. In Arkansas it is typically found on dolomite and limestone bluffs along the White River and its tributaries (ANHC 2018, Gentry et al. 2013, Kartesz 2014, Yatskievych 1999).

It is easily recognized by its characteristic blue-green fronds with reddish-brown to black stalks and by a white, powder-like substance coating the underside of pinnae (leaflets). This species is remarkable in that it grows from cracks and pits in dry, often overhanging bluffs with essentially no soil.

Within the study area it was observed in six distinct areas on two south facing limestone bluffs (Fig. 22). Coordinates are:

36.43056, -93.77407 – 5 clumps growing from cracks and pits on south face of large, free standing rock (broken away from main bluff), just above recess with pack rat midden. Growing with purple-stem cliff- brake (Pellaea atropurpurea).

36.43025, -93.77332 – 18 clumps growing from cracks and pits on south face of large, free standing rock (broken away from main bluff). Growing with rough goldenrod (Solidago radula). Note: none observed on main bluff between these points.

36.42490, -93.77477 – 2 clumps in cracks in bluff. Growing with purple-stem cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea).

36.42488, -93.77447 – 4 clumps in cracks in bluff. Growing with purple-stem cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea).

36.42466, -93.77426 – 12 clumps in cracks in bluff. Growing with purple-stem cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea), black-stem spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens), cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and rough goldenrod (Solidago radula).

36.42444, -93.77383 – 8 clumps in cracks in bluff. Growing with purple-stem cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea), black-stem spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens), cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and rough goldenrod (Solidago radula).

Prior to its discovery in the study area, it was known from Lake Leatherwood Park from dolomite ledges in a large glade and woodland complex east of Lake Leatherwood (ANHC 2018). It likely occurs at other sites in and around the park (both within and outside the study area) as well.

Trelease’s Larkspur (Delphinium treleasei) – G3S3

Trelease’s larkspur is a tall, striking blue wildflower known only from a small region of the Ozark Plateau, where it is endemic to dolomite glade and woodland habitat (ANHC 2018, Gentry et al. 2013, Kartesz 2014, Yatskieych 2013). It is locally common in the larger dolomite glades in the park, east of Lake Leatherwood. While it was not observed during the November site visit (it goes dormant in the

60 summer), it was photographed in the study area by Eric Hunt in 2014. Specifically, he found it in the larger powerline right-of-way just above the roadcut on the west side of the park entrance road (Fig. 22). The powerline cuts through a dolomite woodland complex at this locality. This population will likely expand if adjacent woodlands and glades are cleared of cedar and restored.

In addition to the location in the study area, it is known from Lake Leatherwood Park from much larger dolomite glades east of Lake Leatherwood, where it is locally common (ANHC 2018).

Church’s Wild Rye (Elymus churchii) – G2G3S2?

Church’s wild rye (Fig. 16a - c) is a rare grass known only from the Interior Highlands (Ozark Plateau, Arkansas Valley, and Ouachita Mountains) in portions of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It was first described in 2006 and is tracked by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission as a species of state conservation concern. Typical habitat includes bluffs, margins of glades, and rocky, open woodlands on a variety of geologic substrates (ANHC 2018, Gentry et al. 2013, Kartesz 2014).

Church’s wild rye is superficially similar to bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix), which is common in the study area. It differs primarily in its ascending florets (vs. spreading in E. hystrix), curved awns (vs. straight in E. hystrix), more nodding stems, and more exposed, drier habitat.

Specific localities recorded in the study area (Fig. 22) include:

36.42566, -93.76873 – two patches along old woods road in cedar-encroached dolomite woodland. Upper patch (at coordinates) with 30-40 clumps in a 20 ft. by 8 ft. area; a second patch approx. 30 ft. down road with 15-20 clumps. Growing with coral-berry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), river-oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), American beakgrain (Diarrhena americana), hispid buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidus), wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii) , Canadian black-snakeroot (Sanicula canadensis, and cream avens (Geum virginianum) under a canopy of cedar (Juniperus virginiana), white oak (Quercus alba), and white ash (Fraxinus americana).

50+ clumps scattered along north-facing limestone bluff under and between two powerlines. Densest area of population extends from 36. 42739, -93.77324 to 36.42795 to -93.77391. Growing with rough goldenrod (Solidago radula), high-bush blackberry (Rubus subg. Rubus sect. Arguti), black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis), black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum), tall thoroughwort (Eupatorium altissimum), wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborea), widow’s-cross (Sedum pulchellum), grape (Vitis sp.), marbleseed (Onosmodium bejariense subsp. subsetosum), frostweed (Verbesina virginica), river-oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), and MacKenzie’s blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii).

36.42844, -93.77414 – 15 clumps at edge of large powerline right-of-way, just west of junction with smaller powerline.

Additional patches occur in a band along the bluff above the Miner’s Rock Trail on private land east of the study area. Coordinates were not taken for all of these patches, but the following were recorded: 36.42995, -93.77652 (2 plants); 36.43026, -93.77629 (several).

61 Prior to its discovery in the study area, Church’s wild rye was known from Lake Leatherwood Park from ledges in dolomite woodlands east of Lake Leatherwood (ANHC 2018). It likely occurs at other sites in and around the park (both within and outside the study area) as well.

MacKenzie’s Blue Wild Rye (Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii) – G5TNRS2

Mackenzie’s blue wild rye (Fig. 16d) is a rare grass known only from the Ozark Plateaus and Ouachita Mountains. It is most common in the White River Hills Ecoregion of the Ozarks, where it grows in ledgey woodlands, glades, and bluffs on dolomite and limestone. It is otherwise known only from the top of Rich Mountain (Arkansas’s second highest peak) in the Ouachita Mountains. It has the narrowest seed head of any species of wild rye found in the state.

Mackenzie’s blue wild rye is scattered on bluffs and locally common in dolomite woodlands in the study area (Fig. 22). This population will likely expand if adjacent woodlands and glades are cleared of cedar and restored. Prior to its discovery in the study area, it was known from Lake Leatherwood Park from ledges in dolomite glades and woodlands east of Lake Leatherwood (ANHC 2018, Gentry et al. 2013, Kartesz 2014, Yatskievych 1999).

Dotted Gayfeather, Bottlebrush Blazing-star (Liatris punctata var. mucronata) – G5T5S2

Dotted gayfeather or bottlebrush blazing-star (Fig 12a & b) is a showy grassland wildflower found in eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri (Kartesz 2014, Yatskievych 2006). In Arkansas it is found only in dolomite glades in a small region of the Ozarks centered on the White River Hills Ecoregion (ANHC 2018, Gentry et al. 2013).

A single population of 50-75 plants was observed in the largest and most open dolomite glade in the study area (Fig. 22). This population has two main patches. Centrum coordinates for the two patches are 36.42409, -93.77459 and 36.42432, -93.77446. Prior to its discovery in the study area, it was known from Lake Leatherwood Park from much larger dolomite glades east of Lake Leatherwood (ANHC 2018).

APPENDIX E:

CONSERVATION STATUS CODE/RANK LEGEND

63 DEFINITION OF RANKS

GLOBAL RANKS

G1 = Critically Imperiled Globally. At a very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors.

G2 = Imperiled Globally. At high risk of extinction due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors.

G3 = Vulnerable Globally. At moderate risk of extinction due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors.

G4 = Apparently Secure Globally. Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.

G5 = Secure Globally. Common, widespread and abundant.

GH = Of Historical Occurrence, Possibly Extinct Globally. Missing; known from only historical occurrences, but still some hope of rediscovery.

GU = Unrankable. Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.

GX = Presumed Extinct Globally. Not located despite intensive searches and virtually no likelihood of rediscovery.

GNR = Unranked. The global rank not yet assessed.

GNA = Not Applicable. A conservation status rank is not applicable.

T-Ranks = T subranks are given to global ranks when a subspecies, variety, or race is considered at the state level. The subrank consists of a “T” plus a number or letter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, H, U, X) with the same ranking rules as a full species.

STATE RANKS

S1 = Critically Imperiled in the State. At a very high risk of extirpation due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors.

S2 = Imperiled in the State. At high risk of extirpation due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors.

S3 = Vulnerable in the State. At moderate risk of extirpation due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors.

S4 = Apparently Secure in the State. Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.

S5 = Secure in the State. Common, widespread and abundant.

SH = Of Historical Occurrence, with Some Possibility of Rediscovery. Its presence may not have been verified in the past 20-40 years. A species may be assigned this rank without the 20-40 year delay if the only known occurrences were destroyed or if it had been extensively and unsuccessfully sought.

SU = Unrankable. Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.

SX = Presumed Extirpated from the State. Not located despite intensive searches and virtually no likelihood of rediscovery.

SNR = Unranked. The state rank not yet assessed.

SNA = Not Applicable. A conservation status rank is not applicable.

GENERAL RANKING NOTES

Q = A “Q” in the global rank indicates the element’s taxonomic classification as a species is a matter of conjecture among scientists.

Ranges = Ranges are used to indicate a range of uncertainty about the status of the element.

? = A question mark is used to denote an inexact numeric rank.

APPENDIX F:

WORKING LIST OF PLANT SPECIES FOUND IN THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK (ORGANIZED ALPHABETICALLY BY SCIENTIFIC NAME)

NOTE: This list is based almost entirely on a single inventory trip in November 2017 and should not be considered comprehensive. It will be added to in 2018.

66 Annotated Checklist of Vascular Plant Taxa Documented at Lake Leatherwood Park - Miner's Rock Area

Nomenclature, with a few exceptions, according to Gentry et al., eds. 2013. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas.

Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Acalypha virginica Virginia copperleaf Forb E,G,H,I,L 1 Acer negundo box elder Tree G,H,I,K 1 Acer saccharum sugar maple Tree C,D,F,G 1 Adiantum pedatum northern maidenhair fern Fern or Fern Ally F 1 Ageratina altissima white snakeroot Forb F,G 1 Agrimonia rostellata agrimony Forb F,G 1 Allium stellatum glade onion Forb A,B,C,D 1 Ambrosia artemisiifolia common ragweed Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Andropogon gerardi big bluestem Graminoid A,B,C,D,E 1 Andropogon gyrans var. gyrans Elliott’s bluestem Graminoid E 1 Witsell 17-0574 ANHC Andropogon virginicus broomsedge Graminoid H,I,K,L 1 Anemone virginiana thimbleweed Forb A,C,E,G 1 Antennaria parlinii pussytoes Forb E 1 Argyrochosma dealbata powdery cloak fern Fern or Fern Ally A,B 1 Witsell 17-0575 ANHC Aristida purpurascens arrow-feather three-awn Graminoid A,E,L 1 Arnoglossum plantagineum Indian-plantain Forb A 1 Artemisia annua sweet wormwood Forb I 1 Witsell 17-0579 ANHC Asarum canadense var. reflexum wild ginger Forb F,G 1 Asclepias verticillata whorled milkweed Forb A 1 Asplenium platyneuron ebony spleenwort Fern or Fern Ally E,F,G,K 1 Asplenium resiliens black-stem spleenwort Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Witsell 17-0581 ANHC Asplenium rhizophyllum walking fern Fern or Fern Ally D,C 1 Baptisia australis var. minor blue wild indigo Forb A 1 Barbarea vulgaris yellow-rocket Forb H,L 1 Berchemia scandens rattan-vine Woody Vine A,B,C,D,E,F, 1 G,K Bidens cernua nodding bur-marigold Forb I 1 Bidens frondosa beggar-ticks Forb I 1 Blephilia ciliata downy wood mint Forb C,D,F,G 1 Boechera canadensis Canadian rockcress Forb C,D,E,H 1 Boechera laevigata smooth rockcress Forb C,G,H 1 Boehmeria cylindrica false nettle Forb H,I 1 Botrychium biternatum southern grape fern Fern or Fern Ally I,K 1 Bouteloua curtipendula side-oats grama Graminoid A,B 1 Brachyelytrum erectum bearded shorthusk Graminoid C,E,F,G 1 Brickellia eupatorioides false boneset Forb A 1 Bromus pubescens hairy woodland brome Graminoid A,E,F,G 1 Bromus racemosus bald brome Graminoid L 1 Callirhoe digitata winecup Forb A 1 Campanula americana tall bellflower Forb F,G,H 1 Cardamine pensylvanica Pennsylvania bittercress Forb I,L 1 Carduus nutans musk thistle Forb L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 1 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Carex albicans sedge Graminoid A,E 1 Carex cf. gracilescens slender wood sedge Graminoid C,D,F 1 Carex cf. timida timid sedge Graminoid A,C 1 Carex crawei Crawe’s sedge Graminoid A,B 1 Carex eburnea sedge Graminoid A,B,C,D 1 Carex glaucodea blue sedge Graminoid A,E,G,K,L 1 Carya alba mockernut hickory Tree E,F 1 Carya cordiformis bitternut hickory Tree C,F,G 1 Carya glabra pignut hickory Tree E,F 1 Carya ovata shagbark hickory Tree A,B,F,G 1 Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis Ozark chinquapin Tree E 1 Celtis occidentalis hackberry Tree F,G,H 1 Celtis tenuifolia dwarf hackberry Tree A,B,C,D 1 Cercis canadensis eastern redbud Tree A,B,C,D,F,G, 1 K Chaerophyllum tainturieri wild chervil Forb K,L 1 Chasmanthium latifolium river-oats Graminoid C,F,G 1 Cirsium altissimum tall thistle Forb A,G,L 1 Clematis catesbyana Catesby's virgin’s-bower Woody Vine A,B,F,G,H 1 Clematis versicolor pale leather-flower Herbaceous Vine C,D 1 Clinopodium arkansanum Arkansas calamint Forb A,B 1 Clitoria mariana butterfly-pea Herbaceous Vine E 1 Cocculus carolinus Carolina snailseed Woody Vine G,H,I,L 1 Comandra umbellata subsp. umbellata bastard-toadflax Forb B,C,E 1 Conium maculatum poison-hemlock Forb H,K,L 1 Conoclinium coelestinum mist-flower Forb I 1 Coreopsis lanceolata lance-leaf tickseed Forb A,B 1 Cornus dogwood I 1 Cornus florida flowering dogwood Tree E 1 Corydalis corydalis Forb C,D,F,G 1 Corylus americana hazelnut Shrub E,F,G 1 Croton monanthogynus prairie-tea Forb A,B,C,D,H,L 1 Cunila origanoides dittany Forb E 1 Cynoglossum virginianum wild comfrey Forb F,G 1 Cystopteris bladder fern Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Dalea candida white prairie-clover Forb A,E 1 Danthonia spicata poverty oat grass Graminoid E 1 Daucus carota Queen Anne’s-lace Forb H,L 1 Delphinium carolinianum larkspur Forb A 2 Eric Hunt photo Delphinium treleasei Trelease’s larkspur Forb A 2 Eric Hunt photo Desmodium nudiflorum naked-flower tick-trefoil Forb E,F 1 Desmodium rotundifolium dollar-leaf Forb E 2 Eric Hunt photo Diarrhena americana American beakgrain Graminoid A,C,F,G 1 Diarrhena obovata beakgrain Graminoid C,G 1 Dichanthelium ashei rosette grass Graminoid E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 2 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Dichanthelium boscii Bosc’s rosette grass Graminoid E 1 Dichanthelium dichotomum forked rosette grass Graminoid E 1 Dichanthelium lanuginosum rosette grass Graminoid A,B,E,L 1 Dichanthelium laxiflorum open-flower rosette grass Graminoid E,G 1 Echinacea simulata glade coneflower Forb A 1 Echinochloa muricata American barnyard grass Graminoid I 1 Elaeagnus umbellata autumn-olive Shrub G,H,L 1 Eleocharis quadrangulata square-stem spike-rush Graminoid I 1 Elephantopus carolinianus Carolina elephant’s-foot Forb E,G 1 Elymus elymus Graminoid D 1 Witsell 17-0582 ANHC Elymus churchii Church’s wild rye Graminoid A,C,D 1 Elymus glabriflorus southeastern wild rye Graminoid A,B,C,D,E,H,I 1 ,L Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii Mackenzie's blue wild rye Graminoid A,B,C,D 1 Elymus hystrix bottle-brush grass Graminoid C,F,G,H 1 Elymus villosus hairy wild rye Graminoid F,G,H 1 Elymus virginicus var. virginicus Virginia wild rye Graminoid G,H 1 Enemion biternatum false rue-anemone Forb F,G 1 Witsell 17-0578 ANHC Eragrostis hirsuta big-top love grass Graminoid A,F 1 Erechtites hieraciifolius fireweed Forb H,I,L 1 Erigeron strigosus daisy fleabane Forb A,L 1 Eryngium yuccifolium rattlesnake-master Forb A 1 Euonymus atropurpureus var. atropurpureus wahoo Shrub C,F,G 1 Euonymus fortunei winter-creeper Woody Vine C,G,L 1 Eupatorium altissimum tall thoroughwort Forb A,B,C,D 1 Euphorbia dentata toothed spurge Forb A,B,H,L 1 Euphorbia nutans nodding spurge Forb A,H,L 1 Frangula caroliniana Carolina buckthorn Tree A,C,D,E,F,G 1 Fraxinus americana white ash Tree A,B,C,D,E,F, 1 G Fraxinus quadrangulata blue ash Tree A,B,C,D 1 Galium arkansanum var. arkansanum Arkansas bedstraw Forb E 1 Galium circaezans wild licorice Forb E,F,G 1 Galium concinnum shining bedstraw Forb C,F,G 1 Galium triflorum sweet-scent bedstraw Forb F,G 1 Geranium carolinianum Carolina crane’s-bill Forb L 1 Geum canadense white avens Forb G,H,K,L 1 Geum virginianum cream avens Forb A,C,D,G 1 Glandularia canadensis rose vervain Forb A,B,C,D 1 Gleditsia triacanthos honey locust Tree G,H,K,L 1 Grindelia lanceolata gum-plant Forb A,B,H 1 Hackelia virginiana beggar’s-lice Forb C,D,F,G 1 Hamamelis virginiana American witch-hazel Shrub E 1 Witsell 17-0576 ANHC Helenium autumnale sneezeweed Forb G,H,I 1 Helianthus hirsutus hairy woodland sunflower Forb A,B,C,D,E,G 1 Helianthus maximiliani Maximilian’s sunflower Forb A 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 3 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Heliopsis helianthoides ox-eye Forb A 1 Heliotropium tenellum heliotrope Forb A 1 Hieracium gronovii hawkweed Forb E 1 Houstonia nigricans diamond-flower Forb A,B,C,D 1 Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea mountain houstonia Forb F,G 1 Hydrangea arborescens wild hydrangea Shrub C,D,F 1 Hydrophyllum virginianum Virginia waterleaf Forb F,G 1 Hypericum hypericoides subsp. multicaule St. Andrew’s-cross Shrub E 1 Hypericum prolificum shrubby St. John’s-wort Shrub E,G,H 1 Hypericum sphaerocarpum round-fruit St. John’s-wort Forb A 1 Ilex decidua deciduous holly Tree A,F,G,I,K 1 Ionactis linariifolia stiff-leaf aster Forb E 1 Juglans nigra black walnut Tree F,G,H,K 1 Juniperus virginiana eastern red-cedar Tree A,B,C,D,E,G, 1 K,L Kickxia elatine cancerwort Forb H 1 Witsell 17-0577 ANHC Lactuca canadensis wild lettuce Forb A,E 1 Lamium purpureum purple dead-nettle Forb L 1 Leersia oryzoides rice cut grass Graminoid I 1 Lemna duckweed Forb I 1 Lepidium virginicum Virginia pepper-grass Forb L 1 Lespedeza cuneata sericea lespedeza Forb E,H,I,L 1 Lespedeza hirta hairy bush-clover Forb E 1 Lespedeza virginica slender bush-clover Forb A,E 1 Leucanthemum vulgare ox-eye daisy Forb L 1 Liatris aspera rough blazing-star Forb A 1 Liatris hirsuta hairy blazing-star Forb A 1 Liatris punctata var. mucronata dotted gayfeather Forb A 1 Ligustrum sinense Chinese privet Shrub G,H,I,K,L 1 Lindera benzoin spicebush Shrub C,D,F,G 1 Lithospermum canescens hoary puccoon Forb A,C 1 Lobelia siphilitica great blue lobelia Forb H,J 1 Lobelia spicata pale-spike lobelia Forb A,C 1 Lonicera flava yellow honeysuckle Woody Vine C 1 Lonicera japonica Japanese honeysuckle Woody Vine C,D,G,H,I,K,L 1 Lonicera maackii Amur honeysuckle Shrub G,L 1 Ludwigia palustris water-purslane Forb I 1 Maclura pomifera Osage-orange Tree G,H,K 1 Melilotus albus white sweet-clover Forb H,I,L 1 Menispermum canadense moonseed Woody Vine F,G 1 Mentha ×piperita peppermint Forb I 1 Microstegium vimineum Japanese stilt grass Graminoid F,G,H,I,L 1 Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii sensitive-brier Herbaceous Vine A 2 Eric Hunt photo Miscanthus sinensis Chinese silver grass Graminoid L 1 Witsell 17-0580 ANHC Monarda bradburiana Bradbury’s beebalm Forb E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 4 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Monarda fistulosa var. mollis beebalm Forb A,E 1 Monarda russeliana Russell’s beebalm Forb E 2 Eric Hunt photo Morus rubra red mulberry Tree F,G 1 Muhlenbergia schreberi nimblewill Graminoid G,H,I,L 1 Muhlenbergia sobolifera rock muhly Graminoid C,D,E,F 1 Myriophyllum aquaticum parrot’s-feather Forb I 1 Nyssa sylvatica black-gum Tree E 1 Onosmodium bejariense var. subsetosum marbleseed Forb A 1 Opuntia cf. macrorhiza western prickly-pear Shrub A,B,C,D 1 Ostrya virginiana hop-hornbeam Tree E,F,G 1 Oxalis dillenii yellow wood-sorrel Forb A,L 1 Packera obovata round-leaf ragwort Forb A,E,F,G 1 Panicum anceps subsp. anceps beaked panic grass Graminoid E,I,K,L 1 Panicum philadelphicum witch grass Graminoid A,B,C,D,E,H, 1 L Panicum virgatum switch grass Graminoid A 1 Parietaria pensylvanica pellitory Forb C,D,L 1 Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia-creeper Woody Vine E,F,G 1 Pellaea atropurpurea purple-stem cliff-brake Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Pellaea glabella smooth cliff-brake Fern or Fern Ally D 1 Penstemon pallidus beardtongue Forb A,B,D,C 1 Penstemon tubiflorus beardtongue Forb A,E 1 Perilla frutescens beefsteak-plant Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Persicaria hydropiperoides swamp smartweed Forb I 1 Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii wild blue phlox Forb F,G 1 Phlox pilosa downy phlox Forb A,D,G 1 Physalis heterophylla clammy ground-cherry Forb A,E 1 Physalis pubescens downy ground-cherry Forb H,L 1 Physalis virginiana Virginia ground-cherry Forb A,B,E 1 Physostegia virginiana subsp. praemorsa obedient-plant Forb A 1 Phytolacca americana poke Forb H,I,K,L 1 Pinus echinata short-leaf pine Tree E 1 Plantago rugelii black-seed plantain Forb H,L 1 Platanus occidentalis sycamore Tree G,H,I,L 1 Polygala senega Seneca snakeroot Forb A,C 1 Polymnia canadensis white leafcup Forb C,D,F 1 Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern Fern or Fern Ally E,F,G 1 Prunella vulgaris subsp. lanceolata heal-all Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Prunus serotina black cherry Tree A,C,E,F,G,K 1 Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium rabbit-tobacco Forb A,E,L 1 Quercus alba white oak Tree E,F,G 1 Quercus marilandica blackjack oak Tree E 1 Quercus muehlenbergii chinquapin oak Tree A,B,C,D,G 1 Quercus rubra northern red oak Tree A,D,E,F,G 1 Quercus shumardii Shumard’s oak Tree A,B,C,D,G 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 5 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Quercus stellata post oak Tree A,B,C,D,E 1 Quercus velutina black oak Tree E 1 Ranunculus abortivus small-flower crowfoot Forb G,H,I,L 1 Ranunculus fascicularis early buttercup Forb A,E 1 Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidus hispid buttercup Forb F,G 1 Ranunculus recurvatus hooked buttercup Forb G,J 1 Ranunculus sardous hairy buttercup Forb I 1 Ratibida pinnata gray-head coneflower Forb A,C 1 Rhus aromatica fragrant sumac Shrub A,B,E 1 Ribes missouriense Missouri gooseberry Shrub C,D,F,G 1 Rosa multiflora multiflora rose Shrub G,H,I,K,L 1 Rosa setigera climbing rose Shrub I 1 Rubus occidentalis black raspberry Shrub C,D 1 Rubus subg. Rubus sect. Arguti high-bush blackberries Shrub C,D,E,H,I,K,L 1 Rubus subg. Rubus sect. Flagellares dewberries Woody Vine A,C,D,E,H,I,L 1 Rudbeckia laciniata wild goldenglow Forb G 1 Rudbeckia missouriensis Missouri coneflower Forb A,B 1 Rudbeckia triloba var. triloba brown-eyed Susan Forb F,G,L 1 Rumex crispus curly dock Forb H,K,L 1 Saccharum alopecuroides silver plume grass Graminoid A,F,L 1 Witsell 17-0572 ANHC Salix nigra black willow Tree I 1 Salvia lyrata lyre-leaf sage Forb G,J,L 1 Sambucus canadensis elderberry Shrub G,H,I,J 1 Samolus parviflorus water-pimpernel Forb J,L 1 Sanicula canadensis Canadian black-snakeroot Forb E,F,G,K 1 Sanicula odorata clustered black-snakeroot Forb F,G 1 Saponaria officinalis bouncing-bet Forb H 1 Sassafras albidum sassafras Tree D,E,K 1 Schedonorus arundinaceus tall fescue Graminoid H,I,K,L 1 Schizachyrium scoparium little bluestem Graminoid A,B,C,D,E 1 Scleria oligantha nut-rush Graminoid A,E 1 Scrophularia marilandica carpenter’s-square Forb G 1 Scutellaria elliptica hairy skullcap Forb G 1 Scutellaria ovata heart-leaf skullcap Forb E 1 Securigera varia crown-vetch Forb H,L 1 Sedum pulchellum widow’s-cross Forb B,D 1 Senna marilandica wild senna Forb A,G 1 Setaria faberi Chinese foxtail Graminoid L 1 Setaria viridis green bristle grass Graminoid L 1 Sideroxylon lanuginosum gum bumelia Tree A,B,C,D,E 1 Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum cup-plant Forb G 1 Sisyrinchium blue-eyed-grass Forb A 1 Smilax bona-nox saw greenbrier Woody Vine A,B,C,D,E 1 Smilax hispida bristly greenbrier Woody Vine F,G 1 Solanum ptychanthum black nightshade Forb D,L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 6 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Solidago altissima tall goldenrod Forb I,K,L 1 Solidago arguta goldenrod Forb A,F,G 1 Solidago nemoralis oldfield goldenrod Forb A,B,E 1 Solidago radula rough goldenrod Forb A,B,C,D 1 Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia elm-leaf goldenrod Forb A,C,E 1 Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass Graminoid A 1 Sorghum halepense Johnson grass Graminoid I,K,L 1 Spiranthes ladies’-tresses Forb A 1 Sporobolus clandestinus hidden dropseed Graminoid A,C 1 Sporobolus compositus var. compositus tall dropseed Graminoid A 1 Sporobolus vaginiflorus var. ozarkanus Ozark dropseed Graminoid A,C 1 Staphylea trifolia bladdernut Shrub F,G 1 Stellaria media common chickweed Forb D,G,H,L 1 Symphoricarpos orbiculatus coral-berry Shrub A,E,F,G,K 1 Symphyotrichum lanceolatum tall white aster Forb G 1 Symphyotrichum oblongifolium aromatic aster Forb A,B,C 1 Symphyotrichum patens late purple aster Forb A,E 1 Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum white heath aster Forb L 1 Symphyotrichum urophyllum white arrow-leaf aster Forb C,D 1 Taraxacum officinale common dandelion Forb L 1 Tephrosia virginiana goat’s-rue Forb E 1 Teucrium canadense American germander Forb I 1 Thaspium chapmanii meadow-parsnip Forb A,G 1 Torilis arvensis field hedge-parsley Forb L 1 Tradescantia spiderwort Forb C,D,E 1 Tragia ramosa noseburn Forb A 1 Witsell 17-0573 ANHC Trichostema brachiatum false pennyroyal Forb C 1 Tridens flavus var. chapmanii Chapman’s tridens Graminoid A 1 Tridens flavus var. flavus purple-top tridens Graminoid A,E,H,I,K,L 1 Triodanis perfoliata subsp. biflora small Venus’-looking-glass Forb A 1 Triosteum perfoliatum horse-gentian Forb A 1 Tripsacum dactyloides eastern gama grass Graminoid A 1 Typha cat-tail Forb I 1 Ulmus alata winged elm Tree A,B,C,D,E,L 1 Ulmus americana American elm Tree G,I,K 1 Ulmus rubra slippery elm Tree F,G 1 Vaccinium pallidum low-bush blueberry Shrub E 1 Verbascum thapsus woolly mullein Forb L 1 Verbena urticifolia white vervain Forb G,H 1 Verbesina alternifolia yellow ironweed Forb G,I 1 Verbesina helianthoides crownbeard Forb A,E 1 Verbesina virginica frostweed Forb A,C,D,F,G,H 1 Vernonia arkansana Arkansas ironweed Forb H 1 Viburnum rufidulum rusty blackhaw Tree A,C,D,E,G 1 Vicia vetch Herbaceous Vine L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 7 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientific Name* Common NameGrowth Form Habitat(s)Source Voucher Herbarium Viola pedata bird’s-foot violet Forb A,B,E 1 Viola sororia blue violet Forb F,G 1 Vitis vitis Woody Vine C,D,E,F,G 1 Woodsia obtusa blunt-lobe cliff fern Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Zizia aptera heart-leaf golden Alexanders Forb A 1

Total Taxa: 312

Growth Form: Growth Form Description:

Forb herbaceous flowering annual or perennial, non-graminoid and non-fern plant [herbaceous vines are treated separately] Graminoid herbaceous annual or perennial grass or grass-like plant [here defined including only true grasses (excluding bamboo members), sedges, and rushes] Fern or Fern Ally vascular, non-flowering plant that reproduces by spores rather than seeds via a life cycle consisting of separate and distinct gametophyte and sporophyte alternation of generations Herbaceous Vine herbaceous annual or perennial twining/climbing/trailing plant with relatively long stems [although evergreen perennial trailing plants, partridge-berry & periwinkles (Vinca spp.) are included here due to their resemblance to herbaceous plants] Woody Vine perennial, woody or semi-woody twining/climbing/trailing plant with relatively long stems [may not appear especially 'woody' but does not die back to ground in winter…e.g., dewberries (Rubus spp.), some greenbriers (Smilax spp.)] Shrub perennial, often multi-stemmed woody or semi-woody plant usually less than 5 meters (16 feet) in height at maturity [including bamboo members of the grass family (which may be taller), yuccas, blackberries (Rubus spp.), prickly-pears, dwarf palmetto] Tree perennial, often single- or relatively few-stemmed woody plant typically greater than 5 meters (16 feet) in height at maturity [including seedlings, saplings, and stunted individuals of such taxa] Non-vascular non-vascular plant

Habitats: A = Dolomite Glade and Woodland B = Limestone Glade and Woodland C = Dolomite Bluffs and Ledges D = Limestone Bluffs and Ledges E = Acidic Chert Woodland and Forest F = Mesic Hardwood Forest G = Riparian Forest H = Stream Banks and Channel I = Lake Shore J = Springs and Seeps K = Old Fields L = Disturbed Areas (Trails, Utility Rights-of-Way, Roadsides, Parking Areas, etc.)

Sources:

1 = Theo Witsell (with Steven Foster for part of trip), 20-22 November 2017 site visit. 2 = Eric Hunt, photographs taken 23 May 2014.

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 8 of 8 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive

APPENDIX G:

WORKING LIST OF PLANT SPECIES FOUND IN THE MINER’S ROCK UNIT OF LAKE LEATHERWOOD PARK (ORGANIZED BY MAJOR PLANT GROUP AND FAMILY)

NOTE: This list is based almost entirely on a single inventory trip in November 2017 and should not be considered comprehensive. It will be added to in 2018.

Annotated Checklist of Vascular Plant Taxa Documented at Lake Leatherwood Park - Miner's Rock Area

Nomenclature, with a few exceptions, according to Gentry et al., eds. 2013. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas.

Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

PTERIDOPHYTES

ASPLENIACEAE Spleenwort Fern Family

Asplenium platyneuron ebony spleenwort Fern or Fern Ally E,F,G,K 1 Asplenium resiliens black-stem spleenwort Fern or Fern AllyC,D 1 Witsell 17-0581 ANHC Asplenium rhizophyllum walking fern Fern or Fern Ally D,C 1

DRYOPTERIDACEAE Wood Fern Family

Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern Fern or Fern Ally E,F,G 1

OPHIOGLOSSACEAE Adder’s-tongue Fern Family

Botrychium biternatum southern grape fern Fern or Fern Ally I,K 1

PTERIDACEAE Brake Fern Family

Adiantum pedatum northern maidenhair fern Fern or Fern Ally F 1 Argyrochosma dealbata powdery cloak fern Fern or Fern AllyA,B 1 Witsell 17-0575 ANHC Pellaea atropurpurea purple-stem cliff-brake Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Pellaea glabella smooth cliff-brake Fern or Fern Ally D 1

WOODSIACEAE Lady Fern Family

Cystopteris bladder fern Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1 Woodsia obtusa blunt-lobe cliff fern Fern or Fern Ally C,D 1

GYMNOSPERMS

CUPRESSACEAE Cypress Family

Juniperus virginiana eastern red-cedar Tree A,B,C,D,E,G, 1 K,L

PINACEAE Pine Family

Pinus echinata short-leaf pine Tree E 1

ANGIOSPERM DICOTS

ADOXACEAE Arrow-wood Family

Sambucus canadensis elderberry Shrub G,H,I,J 1 Viburnum rufidulum rusty blackhaw Tree A,C,D,E,G 1

ANACARDIACEAE Sumac Family

Rhus aromatica fragrant sumac Shrub A,B,E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 1 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

APIACEAE Parsley Family

Chaerophyllum tainturieri wild chervil Forb K,L 1 Conium maculatum poison-hemlock Forb H,K,L 1 Daucus carota Queen Anne’s-lace Forb H,L 1 Eryngium yuccifolium rattlesnake-master Forb A 1 Sanicula canadensis Canadian black-snakeroot Forb E,F,G,K 1 Sanicula odorata clustered black-snakeroot Forb F,G 1 Thaspium chapmanii meadow-parsnip Forb A,G 1 Torilis arvensis field hedge-parsley Forb L 1 Zizia aptera heart-leaf golden Alexanders Forb A 1

APOCYNACEAE Dogbane Family

Asclepias verticillata whorled milkweed Forb A 1

AQUIFOLIACEAE Holly Family

Ilex decidua deciduous holly Tree A,F,G,I,K 1

ARISTOLOCHIACEAE Dutchman’s-pipe Family

Asarum canadense var. reflexum wild ginger Forb F,G 1

ASTERACEAE Sunflower Family

Ageratina altissima white snakeroot Forb F,G 1 Ambrosia artemisiifolia common ragweed Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Antennaria parlinii pussytoes Forb E 1 Arnoglossum plantagineum Indian-plantain Forb A 1 Artemisia annua sweet wormwood Forb I 1 Witsell 17-0579 ANHC Bidens cernua nodding bur-marigold Forb I 1 Bidens frondosa beggar-ticks Forb I 1 Brickellia eupatorioides false boneset Forb A 1 Carduus nutans musk thistle Forb L 1 Cirsium altissimum tall thistle Forb A,G,L 1 Conoclinium coelestinum mist-flower Forb I 1 Coreopsis lanceolata lance-leaf tickseed Forb A,B 1 Echinacea simulata glade coneflower Forb A 1 Elephantopus carolinianus Carolina elephant’s-foot Forb E,G 1 Erechtites hieraciifolius fireweed Forb H,I,L 1 Erigeron strigosus daisy fleabane Forb A,L 1 Eupatorium altissimum tall thoroughwort Forb A,B,C,D 1 Grindelia lanceolata gum-plant Forb A,B,H 1 Helenium autumnale sneezeweed Forb G,H,I 1 Helianthus hirsutus hairy woodland sunflower Forb A,B,C,D,E,G 1 Helianthus maximiliani Maximilian’s sunflower Forb A 1 Heliopsis helianthoides ox-eye Forb A 1 Hieracium gronovii hawkweed Forb E 1 Ionactis linariifolia stiff-leaf aster Forb E 1 Lactuca canadensis wild lettuce Forb A,E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 2 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Leucanthemum vulgare ox-eye daisy Forb L 1 Liatris aspera rough blazing-star Forb A 1 Liatris hirsuta hairy blazing-star Forb A 1 Liatris punctata var. mucronata dotted gayfeather Forb A 1 Packera obovata round-leaf ragwort Forb A,E,F,G 1 Polymnia canadensis white leafcup Forb C,D,F 1 Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium rabbit-tobacco Forb A,E,L 1 Ratibida pinnata gray-head coneflower Forb A,C 1 Rudbeckia laciniata wild goldenglow Forb G 1 Rudbeckia missouriensis Missouri coneflower Forb A,B 1 Rudbeckia triloba var. triloba brown-eyed Susan Forb F,G,L 1 Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum cup-plant Forb G 1 Solidago altissima tall goldenrod Forb I,K,L 1 Solidago arguta goldenrod Forb A,F,G 1 Solidago nemoralis oldfield goldenrod Forb A,B,E 1 Solidago radula rough goldenrod Forb A,B,C,D 1 Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia elm-leaf goldenrod Forb A,C,E 1 Symphyotrichum lanceolatum tall white aster Forb G 1 Symphyotrichum oblongifolium aromatic aster Forb A,B,C 1 Symphyotrichum patens late purple aster Forb A,E 1 Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum white heath aster Forb L 1 Symphyotrichum urophyllum white arrow-leaf aster Forb C,D 1 Taraxacum officinale common dandelion Forb L 1 Verbesina alternifolia yellow ironweed Forb G,I 1 Verbesina helianthoides crownbeard Forb A,E 1 Verbesina virginica frostweed Forb A,C,D,F,G,H 1 Vernonia arkansana Arkansas ironweed Forb H 1

BETULACEAE Birch Family

Corylus americana hazelnut Shrub E,F,G 1 Ostrya virginiana hop-hornbeam Tree E,F,G 1

BORAGINACEAE Borage Family

Cynoglossum virginianum wild comfrey Forb F,G 1 Hackelia virginiana beggar’s-lice Forb C,D,F,G 1 Heliotropium tenellum heliotrope Forb A 1 Hydrophyllum virginianum Virginia waterleaf Forb F,G 1 Lithospermum canescens hoary puccoon Forb A,C 1 Onosmodium bejariense var. subsetosum marbleseed Forb A 1

BRASSICACEAE Mustard Family

Barbarea vulgaris yellow-rocket Forb H,L 1 Boechera canadensis Canadian rockcress Forb C,D,E,H 1 Boechera laevigata smooth rockcress Forb C,G,H 1 Cardamine pensylvanica Pennsylvania bittercress Forb I,L 1 Lepidium virginicum Virginia pepper-grass Forb L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 3 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

CACTACEAE Cactus Family

Opuntia cf. macrorhiza western prickly-pear Shrub A,B,C,D 1

CAMPANULACEAE Bellflower Family

Campanula americana tall bellflower Forb F,G,H 1 Lobelia siphilitica great blue lobelia Forb H,J 1 Lobelia spicata pale-spike lobelia Forb A,C 1 Triodanis perfoliata subsp. biflora small Venus’-looking-glass Forb A 1

CANNABACEAE Hemp Family

Celtis occidentalis hackberry Tree F,G,H 1 Celtis tenuifolia dwarf hackberry Tree A,B,C,D 1

CAPRIFOLIACEAE Honeysuckle Family

Lonicera flava yellow honeysuckle Woody Vine C 1 Lonicera japonica Japanese honeysuckle Woody Vine C,D,G,H,I,K,L 1 Lonicera maackii Amur honeysuckle Shrub G,L 1 Symphoricarpos orbiculatus coral-berry Shrub A,E,F,G,K 1 Triosteum perfoliatum horse-gentian Forb A 1

CARYOPHYLLACEAE Pink Family

Saponaria officinalis bouncing-bet Forb H 1 Stellaria media common chickweed Forb D,G,H,L 1

CELASTRACEAE Bittersweet Family

Euonymus atropurpureus var. atropurpureus wahoo Shrub C,F,G 1 Euonymus fortunei winter-creeper Woody Vine C,G,L 1

CORNACEAE Dogwood Family

Cornus dogwood I 1 Cornus florida flowering dogwood Tree E 1

CRASSULACEAE Stonecrop Family

Sedum pulchellum widow’s-cross Forb B,D 1

ELAEAGNACEAE Oleaster Family

Elaeagnus umbellata autumn-olive Shrub G,H,L 1

ERICACEAE Heath Family

Vaccinium pallidum low-bush blueberry Shrub E 1

EUPHORBIACEAE Spurge Family

Acalypha virginica Virginia copperleaf Forb E,G,H,I,L 1 Croton monanthogynus prairie-tea Forb A,B,C,D,H,L 1 Euphorbia dentata toothed spurge Forb A,B,H,L 1 Euphorbia nutans nodding spurge Forb A,H,L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 4 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Tragia ramosa noseburn Forb A 1 Witsell 17-0573 ANHC

FABACEAE Bean Family

Baptisia australis var. minor blue wild indigo Forb A 1 Cercis canadensis eastern redbud Tree A,B,C,D,F,G, 1 K Clitoria mariana butterfly-pea Herbaceous Vine E 1 Dalea candida white prairie-clover Forb A,E 1 Desmodium nudiflorum naked-flower tick-trefoil Forb E,F 1 Desmodium rotundifolium dollar-leaf Forb E 2 Eric Hunt photo Gleditsia triacanthos honey locust Tree G,H,K,L 1 Lespedeza cuneata sericea lespedeza Forb E,H,I,L 1 Lespedeza hirta hairy bush-clover Forb E 1 Lespedeza virginica slender bush-clover Forb A,E 1 Melilotus albus white sweet-clover Forb H,I,L 1 Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii sensitive-brier Herbaceous VineA 2 Eric Hunt photo Securigera varia crown-vetch Forb H,L 1 Senna marilandica wild senna Forb A,G 1 Tephrosia virginiana goat’s-rue Forb E 1 Vicia vetch Herbaceous Vine L 1

FAGACEAE Beech Family

Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis Ozark chinquapin Tree E 1 Quercus alba white oak Tree E,F,G 1 Quercus marilandica blackjack oak Tree E 1 Quercus muehlenbergii chinquapin oak Tree A,B,C,D,G 1 Quercus rubra northern red oak Tree A,D,E,F,G 1 Quercus shumardii Shumard’s oak Tree A,B,C,D,G 1 Quercus stellata post oak Tree A,B,C,D,E 1 Quercus velutina black oak Tree E 1

GERANIACEAE Geranium Family

Geranium carolinianum Carolina crane’s-bill Forb L 1

GROSSULARIACEAE Currant Family

Ribes missouriense Missouri gooseberry Shrub C,D,F,G 1

HALORAGACEAE Water-milfoil Family

Myriophyllum aquaticum parrot’s-feather Forb I 1

HAMAMELIDACEAE Witch-hazel Family

Hamamelis virginiana American witch-hazel Shrub E 1 Witsell 17-0576 ANHC

HYDRANGEACEAE Hydrangea Family

Hydrangea arborescens wild hydrangea Shrub C,D,F 1

HYPERICACEAE St. John’s-wort Family

Hypericum hypericoides subsp. multicaule St. Andrew’s-cross Shrub E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 5 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Hypericum prolificum shrubby St. John’s-wort Shrub E,G,H 1 Hypericum sphaerocarpum round-fruit St. John’s-wort Forb A 1

JUGLANDACEAE Walnut Family

Carya alba mockernut hickory Tree E,F 1 Carya cordiformis bitternut hickory Tree C,F,G 1 Carya glabra pignut hickory Tree E,F 1 Carya ovata shagbark hickory Tree A,B,F,G 1 Juglans nigra black walnut Tree F,G,H,K 1

LAMIACEAE Mint Family

Blephilia ciliata downy wood mint Forb C,D,F,G 1 Clinopodium arkansanum Arkansas calamint Forb A,B 1 Cunila origanoides dittany Forb E 1 Lamium purpureum purple dead-nettle Forb L 1 Mentha ×piperita peppermint Forb I 1 Monarda bradburiana Bradbury’s beebalm Forb E 1 Monarda fistulosa var. mollis beebalm Forb A,E 1 Monarda russeliana Russell’s beebalm Forb E 2 Eric Hunt photo Perilla frutescens beefsteak-plant Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Physostegia virginiana subsp. praemorsa obedient-plant Forb A 1 Prunella vulgaris subsp. lanceolata heal-all Forb G,H,I,K,L 1 Salvia lyrata lyre-leaf sage Forb G,J,L 1 Scutellaria elliptica hairy skullcap Forb G 1 Scutellaria ovata heart-leaf skullcap Forb E 1 Teucrium canadense American germander Forb I 1 Trichostema brachiatum false pennyroyal Forb C 1

LAURACEAE Laurel Family

Lindera benzoin spicebush Shrub C,D,F,G 1 Sassafras albidum sassafras Tree D,E,K 1

MALVACEAE Mallow Family

Callirhoe digitata winecup Forb A 1

MENISPERMACEAE Moonseed Family

Cocculus carolinus Carolina snailseed Woody Vine G,H,I,L 1 Menispermum canadense moonseed Woody Vine F,G 1

MORACEAE Mulberry Family

Maclura pomifera Osage-orange Tree G,H,K 1 Morus rubra red mulberry Tree F,G 1

NYSSACEAE Tupelo Family

Nyssa sylvatica black-gum Tree E 1

OLEACEAE Olive Family

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 6 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Fraxinus americana white ash Tree A,B,C,D,E,F, 1 G Fraxinus quadrangulata blue ash Tree A,B,C,D 1 Ligustrum sinense Chinese privet Shrub G,H,I,K,L 1

ONAGRACEAE Evening-primrose Family

Ludwigia palustris water-purslane Forb I 1

OXALIDACEAE Wood-sorrel Family

Oxalis dillenii yellow wood-sorrel Forb A,L 1

PAPAVERACEAE Poppy Family

Corydalis corydalis Forb C,D,F,G 1

PHYTOLACCACEAE Pokeweed Family

Phytolacca americana poke Forb H,I,K,L 1

PLANTAGINACEAE Plantain Family

Kickxia elatine cancerwort Forb H 1 Witsell 17-0577 ANHC Penstemon pallidus beardtongue Forb A,B,D,C 1 Penstemon tubiflorus beardtongue Forb A,E 1 Plantago rugelii black-seed plantain Forb H,L 1

PLATANACEAE Sycamore Family

Platanus occidentalis sycamore Tree G,H,I,L 1

POLEMONIACEAE Phlox Family

Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii wild blue phlox Forb F,G 1 Phlox pilosa downy phlox Forb A,D,G 1

POLYGALACEAE Milkwort Family

Polygala senega Seneca snakeroot Forb A,C 1

POLYGONACEAE Buckwheat Family

Persicaria hydropiperoides swamp smartweed Forb I 1 Rumex crispus curly dock Forb H,K,L 1

RANUNCULACEAE Buttercup Family

Anemone virginiana thimbleweed Forb A,C,E,G 1 Clematis catesbyana Catesby's virgin’s-bower Woody Vine A,B,F,G,H 1 Clematis versicolor pale leather-flower Herbaceous Vine C,D 1 Delphinium carolinianum larkspur Forb A 2 Eric Hunt photo Delphinium treleasei Trelease’s larkspur Forb A 2 Eric Hunt photo Enemion biternatum false rue-anemone Forb F,G 1 Witsell 17-0578 ANHC Ranunculus abortivus small-flower crowfoot Forb G,H,I,L 1 Ranunculus fascicularis early buttercup Forb A,E 1 Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidus hispid buttercup Forb F,G 1 Ranunculus recurvatus hooked buttercup Forb G,J 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 7 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Ranunculus sardous hairy buttercup Forb I 1

RHAMNACEAE Buckthorn Family

Berchemia scandens rattan-vine Woody Vine A,B,C,D,E,F, 1 G,K Frangula caroliniana Carolina buckthorn Tree A,C,D,E,F,G 1

ROSACEAE Rose Family

Agrimonia rostellata agrimony Forb F,G 1 Geum canadense white avens Forb G,H,K,L 1 Geum virginianum cream avens Forb A,C,D,G 1 Prunus serotina black cherry Tree A,C,E,F,G,K 1 Rosa multiflora multiflora rose Shrub G,H,I,K,L 1 Rosa setigera climbing rose Shrub I 1 Rubus occidentalis black raspberry Shrub C,D 1 Rubus subg. Rubus sect. Arguti high-bush blackberries Shrub C,D,E,H,I,K,L 1 Rubus subg. Rubus sect. Flagellares dewberries Woody Vine A,C,D,E,H,I,L 1

RUBIACEAE Madder Family

Galium arkansanum var. arkansanum Arkansas bedstraw Forb E 1 Galium circaezans wild licorice Forb E,F,G 1 Galium concinnum shining bedstraw Forb C,F,G 1 Galium triflorum sweet-scent bedstraw Forb F,G 1 Houstonia nigricans diamond-flower Forb A,B,C,D 1 Houstonia purpurea var. purpurea mountain houstonia Forb F,G 1

SALICACEAE Willow Family

Salix nigra black willow Tree I 1

SANTALACEAE Sandalwood Family

Comandra umbellata subsp. umbellata bastard-toadflax Forb B,C,E 1

SAPINDACEAE Soapberry Family

Acer negundo box elder Tree G,H,I,K 1 Acer saccharum sugar maple Tree C,D,F,G 1

SAPOTACEAE Sapodilla Family

Sideroxylon lanuginosum gum bumelia Tree A,B,C,D,E 1

SCROPHULARIACEAE Figwort Family

Scrophularia marilandica carpenter’s-square Forb G 1 Verbascum thapsus woolly mullein Forb L 1

SOLANACEAE Nightshade Family

Physalis heterophylla clammy ground-cherry Forb A,E 1 Physalis pubescens downy ground-cherry Forb H,L 1 Physalis virginiana Virginia ground-cherry Forb A,B,E 1 Solanum ptychanthum black nightshade Forb D,L 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 8 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

STAPHYLEACEAE Bladdernut Family

Staphylea trifolia bladdernut Shrub F,G 1

THEOPHRASTACEAE Theophrasta Family

Samolus parviflorus water-pimpernel Forb J,L 1

ULMACEAE Elm Family

Ulmus alata winged elm Tree A,B,C,D,E,L 1 Ulmus americana American elm Tree G,I,K 1 Ulmus rubra slippery elm Tree F,G 1

URTICACEAE Nettle Family

Boehmeria cylindrica false nettle Forb H,I 1 Parietaria pensylvanica pellitory Forb C,D,L 1

VERBENACEAE Vervain Family

Glandularia canadensis rose vervain Forb A,B,C,D 1 Verbena urticifolia white vervain Forb G,H 1

VIOLACEAE Violet Family

Viola pedata bird’s-foot violet Forb A,B,E 1 Viola sororia blue violet Forb F,G 1

VITACEAE Grape Family

Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia-creeper Woody Vine E,F,G 1 Vitis vitis Woody Vine C,D,E,F,G 1

ANGIOSPERM MONOCOTS

ALLIACEAE Onion Family

Allium stellatum glade onion Forb A,B,C,D 1

ARACEAE Arum Family

Lemna duckweed Forb I 1

COMMELINACEAE Spiderwort Family

Tradescantia spiderwort Forb C,D,E 1

CYPERACEAE Sedge Family

Carex albicans sedge Graminoid A,E 1 Carex cf. gracilescens slender wood sedge Graminoid C,D,F 1 Carex cf. timida timid sedge Graminoid A,C 1 Carex crawei Crawe’s sedge Graminoid A,B 1 Carex eburnea sedge Graminoid A,B,C,D 1 Carex glaucodea blue sedge Graminoid A,E,G,K,L 1 Eleocharis quadrangulata square-stem spike-rush Graminoid I 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 9 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Scleria oligantha nut-rush Graminoid A,E 1

IRIDACEAE Iris Family

Sisyrinchium blue-eyed-grass Forb A 1

ORCHIDACEAE Orchid Family

Spiranthes ladies’-tresses Forb A 1

POACEAE Grass Family

Andropogon gerardi big bluestem Graminoid A,B,C,D,E 1 Andropogon gyrans var. gyrans Elliott’s bluestem Graminoid E 1 Witsell 17-0574 ANHC Andropogon virginicus broomsedge Graminoid H,I,K,L 1 Aristida purpurascens arrow-feather three-awn Graminoid A,E,L 1 Bouteloua curtipendula side-oats grama Graminoid A,B 1 Brachyelytrum erectum bearded shorthusk Graminoid C,E,F,G 1 Bromus pubescens hairy woodland brome Graminoid A,E,F,G 1 Bromus racemosus bald brome Graminoid L 1 Chasmanthium latifolium river-oats Graminoid C,F,G 1 Danthonia spicata poverty oat grass Graminoid E 1 Diarrhena americana American beakgrain Graminoid A,C,F,G 1 Diarrhena obovata beakgrain Graminoid C,G 1 Dichanthelium ashei rosette grass Graminoid E 1 Dichanthelium boscii Bosc’s rosette grass Graminoid E 1 Dichanthelium dichotomum forked rosette grass Graminoid E 1 Dichanthelium lanuginosum rosette grass Graminoid A,B,E,L 1 Dichanthelium laxiflorum open-flower rosette grass Graminoid E,G 1 Echinochloa muricata American barnyard grass Graminoid I 1 Elymus elymus Graminoid D 1 Witsell 17-0582 ANHC Elymus churchii Church’s wild rye Graminoid A,C,D 1 Elymus glabriflorus southeastern wild rye Graminoid A,B,C,D,E,H,I 1 ,L Elymus glaucus subsp. mackenzii Mackenzie's blue wild rye Graminoid A,B,C,D 1 Elymus hystrix bottle-brush grass Graminoid C,F,G,H 1 Elymus villosus hairy wild rye Graminoid F,G,H 1 Elymus virginicus var. virginicus Virginia wild rye Graminoid G,H 1 Eragrostis hirsuta big-top love grass Graminoid A,F 1 Leersia oryzoides rice cut grass Graminoid I 1 Microstegium vimineum Japanese stilt grass Graminoid F,G,H,I,L 1 Miscanthus sinensis Chinese silver grass Graminoid L 1 Witsell 17-0580 ANHC Muhlenbergia schreberi nimblewill Graminoid G,H,I,L 1 Muhlenbergia sobolifera rock muhly Graminoid C,D,E,F 1 Panicum anceps subsp. anceps beaked panic grass Graminoid E,I,K,L 1 Panicum philadelphicum witch grass Graminoid A,B,C,D,E,H, 1 L Panicum virgatum switch grass Graminoid A 1 Saccharum alopecuroides silver plume grass Graminoid A,F,L 1 Witsell 17-0572 ANHC Schedonorus arundinaceus tall fescue Graminoid H,I,K,L 1 Schizachyrium scoparium little bluestem Graminoid A,B,C,D,E 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 10 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Scientifc Name* Common Name Growth FormHabitat(s) Source Voucher Herbarium

Setaria faberi Chinese foxtail Graminoid L 1 Setaria viridis green bristle grass Graminoid L 1 Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass Graminoid A 1 Sorghum halepense Johnson grass Graminoid I,K,L 1 Sporobolus clandestinus hidden dropseed Graminoid A,C 1 Sporobolus compositus var. compositus tall dropseed Graminoid A 1 Sporobolus vaginiflorus var. ozarkanus Ozark dropseed Graminoid A,C 1 Tridens flavus var. chapmanii Chapman’s tridens Graminoid A 1 Tridens flavus var. flavus purple-top tridens Graminoid A,E,H,I,K,L 1 Tripsacum dactyloides eastern gama grass Graminoid A 1

SMILACACEAE Greenbrier Family

Smilax bona-nox saw greenbrier Woody Vine A,B,C,D,E 1 Smilax hispida bristly greenbrier Woody Vine F,G 1

TYPHACEAE Cat-tail Family

Typha cat-tail Forb I 1

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 11 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive Total Taxa: 312

Growth Form: Growth Form Description:

Sources:

1 = Theo Witsell (with Steven Foster for part of trip), 20-22 November 2017 site visit. 2 = Eric Hunt, photographs taken 23 May 2014.

Monday, February 19, 2018 * Bold Blue = ANHC Tracked; Bold Green = AR Endemic and Tracked; Page 12 of 12 Red = Non-native; Bold Red = Non-native Invasive