Over 700 species of flowering
and non-flowering plants, some of which are
found only in this region, thrive in the park's
diverse landscape. In dry forest areas, where
the predominant tree is the southern Hackberry,
rope-like wild grape, Virginia creeper, and
poison ivy vines hanging from the trees create
a jungle effect. As the grasslands age, the
red cedar, staghorn, dogwood and sumac move
in, creating Red cedar savannah, the habitat
of rare grasses and herbs such as wild potato
vine and prickly pear cactus - now on the
list of protected plants in Ontario. The open
forest is made up of sycamore, generally found
only in the Carolinian Zone, red mulberry, black
walnut, red cedar, hop trees, tulip, honey locust,
and blue ash. To the north, mixed wood includes
some sugar maple, white pine and basswood. Lower
swampy terrain produces silver maple, willow,
cottonwood and dogwood. A sea of cattails and
bulrushes stretches across the marshland, the
brilliant white petals of water lilies float
in open water and the hop tree, a representative
of the citrus family found as far south as Mexico,
finds its northernmost setting here. Only the
hardiest plants survive on the beaches; above
high water mark, colonies of plants grow in
sand enriched by rotting plant and animal matter.
Further up the beach, the deeply rooted lime
grass, beard grass and witch grass contribute
to soil stability.
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