Brush Creek
Location
Potential Research Topics
Brush Creek provides unique opportunities to investigate forested ice-walled lake plain glacial features (eg. varved sediments) and the rich vegetation found there, Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) near the southwestern edge of its range, and habitat attracting large raptors. Surveys of taxa not yet recorded include amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, bats, and other mammals.
Ecological and Physical Description
Brush Creek RNA centers around a northern mesic forest of second-growth eastern hemlock-hardwood forest containing an exceptional super-canopy white pine component on rugged terminal moraine topography. Interspersed throughout the area are numerous forested stands of mixed conifer and hardwood swamps in kettle depressions and along riparian drainages. Also included is a forested reach of Brush Creek, a headwater, morainal stream with rocky, cascading segments alternating with black ash bottomland forest. The site includes and borders a glacially formed ice-walled lake plain. This site is embedded within an area recognized by the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative as an Important Bird Area (IBA) which by definition provides essential habitat to one or more species of breeding or non-breeding birds, such as rare red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).
Annual precipitation averages 33.2 inches (84.3 cm), 70% of which falls between April and September. Average seasonal snowfall is 40.3 inches (102.3 cm).
The Medford 1 SW weather station is 20 miles southeast of the RNA.
Landform is terminal end moraine of the Chippewa Lobe. The terrain tends to be hummocky, with steep slopes and wet kettle depressions common. Upland soils are generally well-drained sandy loam. Moisture regime ranges from mesic to wet and nutrient status from medium to medium-rich. Soils include deep peat and Iron River-Milaca-Pence association. Peat soils occupy nearly level, broad peat basins. They are formed from sedges, grasses and woody peats more than 42 inches (107 cm) deep. These acidic soils often support scattered to dense stands of black spruce with tamarack and cedar common on sites with internal water movement. Soils of the Iron River-Milaca-Pence series occupy rolling to steep glacial uplands. They formed in shallow loamy deposits over sandy loam to loam glacial till or sandy, gravelly and cobbly outwash.
Brush Creek is a headwater, morainal stream with rocky, cascading segments alternating with black ash (Fraxinus nigra) bottomland forest. Interspersed throughout the site are small ephemeral woodland ponds that occur in some of the glacial depressions.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer spicatum | Mountain maple | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Cornus canadensis | Bunchberry dogwood | |||
| Lonicera canadensis | American fly honeysuckle | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Aralia nudicaulis | Wild sarsaparilla | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Lycopodium obscurum | Obscure (rare) clubmoss | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Brachyelytrum erectrum | Bearded shorthusk | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Maianthemum canadense | Canada mayflower | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Clintonia borealis | Bluebead | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Mitchella repens | Partridgeberry | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Coptis trifolia | Threeleaf goldthread | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Oryzopsis asperifolia | Roughleaf ricegrass | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Osmunda claytonia | Interrupted Fern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Oxalis montana) | Mountain woodsorrel | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Dryopteris intermedia | Intermediate woodfern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Phegopteris connectilis | Long beechfern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Rubus pubescens | Dwarf red blackberry | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Huperzia lucidula | Shining clubmoss | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Trientalis borealis | Starflower | Common Herbaceous Species |