Pioneer Mothers Memorial
Location
 |  Photo Credit
50 Years - 1974-2024 Pioneer Mothers Memeorial Forest Research Natural Area - National Natural Landmark
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Ecological and Physical Description
The Pioneer Mother's Memorial Forest RNA is an 88-acre grove of virgin Central Hardwood forest, which includes cathedral stands of mature black walnut (Juglans nigra), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), white oak (Quercus alba), and white ash (Fraxinus americana). Some of these trees exceed 50 inches in diameter at breast height and 60 feet to the first limb. This is one of the few remaining virgin tracts of Central Hardwoods in the region.
Average annual precipitation is about 45 inches (114.3 cm). Average annual snowfall is 17 inches (43.18 cm).
The nearest weather station is in Paoli, Indiana, approximately 1 to 2 miles away from the RNA.
The topography in the RNA is hilly and rugged, due in part to the presence of several sinkholes. The RNA is in the heart of the southern Indiana karst topography. The soil is a residual, unglaciated loam and silt loam derived from the weathering of a sandstone stratum overlying limestone. In the lower parts of the RNA, the soil is derived from weathered limestone with accumulations of eroded overlying sandstone colluvium.
Lick Creek, an intermittent creek, forms the northern boundary of this RNA.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornus florida | Flowering dogwood | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Cercis canadensis | redbud | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Asimina triloba | pawpaw | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Lindera benzoin | spicebush | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Vitis sp. | grape | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Smilax sp | greenbrier | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Aralia spinosa | Hercules club | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Carpinus caroliniana | hornbeam | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Ostrya virginiana | ironwood | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Euonymus atropurpureus | wahoo | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Galium sp. | Bedstraw | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Ranunculus recurvatus | hooked crow foot | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Arisaema triphyllum | Jack-in-the-pulpit | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Podophyllum peltatum | May-apple | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Viola spp. | violets | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Claytonia virginica | spring-beauty | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Phlox divaricata | forest-plox | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Geum virginianum | cream-colored avens | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Asarum candense | wild ginger | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Mertensia virginica | eastern bluebell | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Trillium recurvatum), | trillium | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Thalictrum revolutum | skunk meadow-rue | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Thelypteris hexagonoptera | broad beech-fern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Adiantum pedatum | northern maidenhair fern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Polystichum acrostichoides), | Christmas-fern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Impatiens sp. | touch-me-nots | Common Herbaceous Species |
Publications
- John T. Auten. 1941. Notes on Some Old-Growth Forests in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois