Buffalo Beats
Location
Ecological and Physical Description
Buffalo Beats is a small relict prairie that is surrounded by deciduous forest. It is one of the easternmost outliers of the Prairie Peninsula. The existence of this relict plant community may date from the xerothermic period of about 4,000 years before the present, during which time prairie vegetation expanded eastward. The prairie is nationally significant, both floristically and ecologically.
There are three species occurring in the prairie that are listed by the State of Ohio. Gentiana alba (yellowish gentian), Liatris cylindracea (slender blazing star) and Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master). Additional specie include: Solidago ridgida (stiff goldenrod), Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Helianthus hirsutus (stiff-haired sunflower), Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge) and other prairie species. The woodland surrounding the prairie is classified as a Xeric Upper Slope under the Wayne National Forest Ecological Classification System.
Average annual precipitation is 39 inches (99.06 cm)
Scalia Lab, Ohio University, Athens Ohio.
The prairie sites are underlain by a clay deposit on the north end of the ridge. The clay deposits may represent a portion of the Duquesne member of Pennsylvanian age. Soils in the surrounding woods are Westmoreland-Guernsey and Guernsey silt loames, derived from underlying sandstones and shales.
None
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccinium sp. | Common Shrub Species | In woodland |
||
| Viburnum sp. | Common Shrub Species | In woodland |
||
| Ceanothus americanus | Common Shrub Species | In prairie |
||
| Rosa carolina | Common Shrub Species | In prairie |
||
| Galium sp. | Common Herbaceous Species | In woodland |
||
| Sanicula sp. | Common Herbaceous Species | In woodland |
||
| Panicum sp. | Common Herbaceous Species | In woodland |
||
| Andropogon gerardii | Common Herbaceous Species | In prairie |
||
| Eryngium yuccifolium | Common Herbaceous Species | In prairie |
||
| Liatris sp.) | Common Herbaceous Species | In prairie |
Common Animal Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odocoileus virginianus | White-tailed deer | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Wild turkey | Common Bird Species | |||
| Bonasa umbellus | ruffed grouse | Common Bird Species | ||
| field sparrow | Common Bird Species | |||
| Eastern bluebird | Common Bird Species |