1. Ecological Succession

2. Defined Change in community composition over time
Can be seen following a disturbance
Volcanic Eruption
Glacial Movement
Fire

3. Primary Succession
Volcanic Explosion
Glacier Receding
Bare Rock

4. Secondary Succession
Areas where living organisms occurred but a disturbance destroyed the community

5. Pioneer Communities Very Little to no Soils Lichens and Mosses
Wind dispersed fast growing plants
Little to no animals

6. Intermediate Communities
Soil formed from decomposed primary community
Grasses
Full sun exposed fast growing trees and shrubs
Herbivores

7. Mature Communities Deeper Soils Slow Growing Trees
Plant Species that are more tolerant of variable conditions
Shade Species of Flowers and Shrubs

8. Lichen
Symbiotic association between a photosynthetic microorganism and a fungus
Grows on
Rocks
Rotting logs
Trees
newspages/lichens.htm 8

9. Dandelions (Taraxacum) Grow quickly and produce large number of seeds
Seeds dispersed by wind currents 9

10. Cenchrus spinifex (Field sandspur)
Annual grass in the Poaceae family, grows up to 1 foot tall
Grows in full sun and in disturbed sites 10

11. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Diet includes:
Leaves, twigs, and fruits or nuts of most vegetation including trees, as well as lichens and other fungi. 11

12. Ruffed Grouse
These birds forage on the ground or in trees but spend most of their time on the ground
Diet includes: berries, seeds, fruits, nuts, leaves, and insects 12

13. Gray Squirrel Primary component of diet includes hard nuts and fruit
Will also eat seeds, fungi, insects and other arthropods, tree bark, nectar, leaves, buds, flowers, and sometimes bird eggs, nestlings and carrion (carcasses of dead animals).
Gray Squirrel 13

14. Wild Turkey
Diet includes seeds, insects, and an occasional frog or lizard 14

15. American Burying Beetle
Diet includes the bodies of dead and decaying animals
Play a major role as decomposers 15

16. Timber Rattlesnake
Diet mainly includes small mammals, but may include small birds, frogs, or other snakes. 16

17. Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Evergreen, fast growing tree
Reaches heights up to 80 feet tall
Needs full sun, and well-drained soil 17

18. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 50 feet tall
Prefers full-sun
Light sandy soils 18

19. Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua)
Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 18 feet tall
Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade 19

20. Four-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)
Perennial wildflower grows up to 2 feet tall
Semi-shade tolerant and thrives in a variety of soil conditions
Pollinated by butterflies, bees, moths, and attracts many different species of wildlife
Four-leaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)
© Gary P. Fleming 20

21. Dense blazing stars (Liatris spicata)
Slow growing wildflower; grows up to 4.5 feet tall
Grows best in full sunlight but is also partially shade tolerant
images.whiteflowerfarm.com/32955a.jpg 21

22. Bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)
Perennial grass, grows up to 5 feet tall
Wind pollinated and seeds are dispersed by wind
Found in meadows and woodlands
© Gary P. Fleming 22

23. Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Deciduous, shade tolerant tree, grows up to 90 feet tall
Tolerates many sun conditions and soil environments 23

24. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Tall, deciduous tree, grows up to 75 feet tall
Moist, nutrient rich soils
Fruits and nuts are food sources for many different wildlife species 24

25. White Oak (Quercus alba)
Slow growing, deciduous tree
Grows up to 100 feet tall, and several feet wide
Canopy species that creates large amounts of shade 25

26. Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Perennial wildflower, grows up to 6 inches tall
Shade tolerant
Underground stem is eaten by rodents
© Gary P. Fleming 26

27. Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera)
Native perennial wildflower, grows up to 1 foot tall
Shade tolerant
Found in moist, well-drained, nutrient rich soil 27

28. Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)
Woody vine that grows on trees and shrubs
Moderately shade tolerant
Wildlife including songbirds, turkey, and deer feed on it 28

29. Wake Robin (Trillium grandiflorum)
Wildflower that grows up to 18 inches
Shade tolerant, forest floor species
Fruit eaten by ants
Wake Robin (Trillium grandiflorum) 29

30. Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Omnivore
Spring diet includes emerging plants and carcasses of animals that have died during the winter
Summer diet includes fruits
Fall diet includes fruits, acorns and beechnuts that have accumulated on the floor (mast)
Black bears will also eat pinecones, roots, ants, and honey from wild or domestic bees
Black bears are strong predators, and in some areas they frequently kill moose, calves, and deer fawns during spring.
Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
greennature.com/.../black-bear.html 30

31. Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Diet includes rodents, rabbits, hares, and some birds. 31

32. Yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens)
Most individuals extract small insects among foliage of trees or shrubs 32

33. Nuthatch Searches tree trunks and rocks for food
Diet includes insects and seeds
Stores seeds for winter months
Nuthatch 33