Mondeaux Hardwoods
Location
Potential Research Topics:
This RNA contains one long-term monitoring plot in the Chequamegon Breeding Bird Survey, providing a useful baseline for studies of bird population dynamics. Flora and fauna available for detailed research include bats, goshawk and red-shouldered hawks, the globally rare bog bluegrass and its associated spring-run wetland community, plants on the edge of their ecological range, and groundwater-influenced wetland ecology. The forested ice-walled lake plain end moraine glacial features in this area are unique because of its unmodified status.
Ecological and Physical Description
The Mondeaux Hardwoods Research Natural Area (RNA) is composed of two land parcels, the North parcel (307 acres; 150 ha) and the South parcel (383 acres; 155 ha). The RNA is situated on rough terminal glacial moraine supporting an extensive mesic forest including a super-canopy of white pine (Pinus strobus). The community mosaic is diverse with dry-mesic white pine forest, northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) swamp, hardwood swamp, black spruce-tamarack (Picea mariana-Larix laricina), and alder thicket (Alnus incana). Rare plants occurring here include the state-threatened bog bluegrass (Poa paludigena). The RNA contains habitat for northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus).
Annual precipitation averages 33 inches (84 cm), 70% of which falls between April and September. Average seasonal snowfall is 57 inches (144 cm).
Jump River (station no. 474080) located about 15 mi (24 km) to the east of the RNA.
The bedrock of the Jump River Ground Moraine LTA is carbonates, which are between 100 feet and 50 feet (30 - 15 m) of the land surface. Bedrock of the Perkinstown Moraines LTA includes igneous, metamorphic, and volcanic rock.
Surface features on these LTAs are dominated by till plain with outwash terraces and hummocky moraine with plateau-like ice-walled lake plains. The ice-walled lake plain glacial features were formed as the glacier retreated. A wall of stagnant ice trapped the outwash sediments, creating a plateau of debris that was later covered with fine loess deposits. The soils that developed are rich in nutrients and support a diverse plant community.
Unique features of this RNA are the springs and spring runs. Groundwater flows to the surface forming small streams that feed marshes and conifer swamps. These springs create a fragile wetland community that supports the globally rare and state threatened bog bluegrass. Glacial Springs on the RNA boundary was tapped decades ago and is a source of water for recreationists in the area. The RNA protects a portion of the source water of the Mondeaux River and Yellow River to the east.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sugar maple | Common Shrub Species | |||
| beaked hazelnut | Common Shrub Species | |||
| leatherwood | Common Shrub Species | |||
| American fly-honeysuckle | Common Shrub Species | |||
| velvet-leaf blueberry | Common Shrub Species | |||
| Dryopteris carthusiana | toothed wood fern | Common Herbaceous Species: | ||
| Maianthemum trifolium | wild lily-of-the-valley | Common Herbaceous Species: | ||
| Aralia nudicaulis | wild sarsaparilla | Common Herbaceous Species: | ||
| Oryzopsis asperifolia | roughleaf rice grass | Common Herbaceous Species: | ||
| Anemone quinquefolia | wood anemone | Common Herbaceous Species: |
Common Animal Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odocoileus virginianus | white-tailed deer | Common Fauna: | ||
| Erethizon dorsatum | porcupine | Common Fauna: | ||
| Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) | red squirrel | Common Fauna: | ||
| Ondatra zibethicus | muskrat | Common Fauna: | ||
| Castor canadensis | beaver | Common Fauna: | ||
| Ursus canadensis) | black bear | Common Fauna: |