When restoration work began at Pleasant Valley Conservancy, there were a few fine prairie remnants and some degraded savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. However, grazing and other agricultural activities have caused a marked loss in plant species.
In addition to removing many invasive plants, we worked hard to increase the diversity of native plant species. This work has been quite successful. From an early estimate of about 250 native plant species, our list has grown to over 400 species.
The number 250 is derived from a merger of plant checklists made by botanists who visited Pleasant Valley Conservancy before any restoration work had been carried out. These lists, presented below, were edited to remove any duplicates. The total list includes some weeds and other invasive species, has 270 species. It is estimated that about 250 of these species are plants native to prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands.
The early plant species checklists given below were done by different people at different times, and some of the Latin names used, even for the same species, may be different. Plant nomenclature is a complicated field, and different authorities use different names. Continuing research in plant taxonomy leads to altered nomenclature. Therefore, some of the names used in these checklists may no longer be valid.
Early Species List by Brian Pruka
The first detailed plant checklist for the land that was to become Pleasant Valley Conservancy was carried out by plant ecologist Brian Pruka in 1995. Pruka had just finished his Master’s thesis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on a nearby oak savanna, and was familiar with the area. His list was prepared for us as part of the early management plan that Pruka prepared for the property. Pruka’s list contains 170 species, which include prairie, savanna, woodland, and wetland species.
Even considering the nomenclature problems mentioned above, and the fact that surveys were made only in the summer, there are some noteworthy species on the Pruka list, including a number with relatively high Coefficients of Conservatism.
In 1997, we hired plant ecologist Paul West, then working only part-time at the Nature Conservancy, to further develop management objectives for the property. As part of this work, West prepared another plant checklist. Although there was some overlap with Pruka’s list, West’s list, with 136 species, added some additional species.
Kathie Brock’s Species List for Goat Prairie (Unit 1)
Our best prairie remnant, Unit 1, was probably never grazed. In 2002 Kathie Brock prepared a species list for this prairie. At that time, this unit had been burned six times. Noteworthy prairie species on Kathie’s list of 37 species include sky-blue aster, side oats grama, purple prairie clover, showy and Illinois tick-trefoil, tall boneset, flowering spurge, false boneset, small yellow flax, fringed puccoon, violet wood sorrel, little bluestem, small skullcap, blue-eyed grass, gray goldenrod, Indian grass, prairie dropseed, spiderwort, and bird’s foot violet.
Unintroduced Species Missing From the Above Lists
There are a number of species that were originally present at Pleasant Valley Conservancy that are not given in any of these early lists. We know these species were present because they are present now and we did not introduce them. Of these, the most interesting are: White wild indigo, glade mallow, Canada anemone, wood anemone, poke milkweed, silky aster, white wild indigo, Bromus kalmii, large yellow lady-slipper orchid, shooting star, wood betony, bottlebrush grass, silky rye, Virginia wild rye, upland boneset, sweet Indian plantain, prairie alum-root, great St. John’s wort, yellow star grass, seneca snakeroot, lion’s foot, rosinweed, cup plant, showy goldenrod, elm-leafed goldenrod, yellow pimpernel, Culver’s root, purple meadow-rue, angelica, spiderwort, bellwort, prairie violet, golden Alexanders, and purple milkweed. Several of these species are endangered, threatened, or of special concern.
The presence of purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), a State endangered species, is noteworthy. This beautful savanna species was first found flowering in Unit 12B after it had been cleared and burned. With further clearing and burning, additional sites developed. Seeds of this species were never brought in from elsewhere, although efforts have been made (partly successfully) to get it established in new sites on the Conservancy.
It turned out that a significant number of native species were present on our property along County Highway F. This north-facing slope had been periodically mowed by county highway crews, but this mowing had been infrequent enough that some important species were not eradicated. Species that were present in relatively large amounts included New Jersey tea, golden Alexanders, arrow-leafed aster, great St. John’s wort, great blue lobelia, fringed loosestrife, and Culver’s root.
Increasing Species Diversity
Originally, our goal was to collect seed from the remnants and transfer it to other sites on the property. This work went in tandem with the removal of invasive shrubs and trees. The focus initially was on the south-facing slope where large amounts of red cedar, planted red pines, elms, buckthorn, honeysuckle, and other woody plants were removed. Removal of these trees opened up “holes”, into which seeds collected elsewhere on the property were planted. This sort of activity is ongoing throughout the Conservancy.
As much as possible, we have used seeds that had been collected on our property. If no useful source was found there, we collected seeds from nearby town roads, or from other sites nearby. In only a few cases were seeds obtained from more distant sites, although always from southern Wisconsin sources.
In 1998, our first year of planting, we planted 20 species on the south slope that had been collected elsewhere on the property. Only the lower part of the slope, which lacked any significant savanna oaks, had been cleared. It was burned in early April and planted a few days later, with seeds that had been stored in the barn all winter. We had only limited amounts of grass species, so this seeding was primarily forbs. As it turned out, burning had stimulated the growth of pre-existing grasses, and little bluestem and Indian grass flourished without planting.
Controlled burns played a major role in increasing diversity, and the south slope has been burned almost every year since restoration began. The photo here is from a burn in March 2003.
First Planted Prairie At the same time, we were planting completely new prairies on the various small agricultural fields present at the site. These small fields, amounting to a total of less than 15 acres, had been entered into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in 1987. When our 10-year contract came up for renewal in 1997, we opted to plant prairie on two of these fields, which gave us extra points in the evaluation of our CRP project. Instead of purchasing seeds, we decided, as much as possible, to collect our seeds. Because our supply of seeds was limited, the first year we planted only a single field of prairie (Toby’s Prairie). Although almost all the species planted came from elsewhere on the property, a few species that “should” have been in a tallgrass prairie were completely missing. These were obtained by trade from the Madison Audubon Society prairie restorations at Goose Pond. What we traded was volunteer work for seeds. Species that we obtained from this source were: wild onion, Canada milk vetch, white prairie clover, pale purple coneflower, ox-eye sunflower, compass plant, and stiff goldenrod. All the rest of the 70 species planted came from our own sources.
Indian grass, Sorghastrum nutans, is an important species in a tallgrass prairie. It produces a good prairie sod, and it provides great fuel for a prairie burn. All of our Indian grass has come from our own property. Initially, it was present in significant amounts only on a small prairie remnant high on the south slope (Unit 4), surrounded by cedars and buckthorn, This tiny prairie of less than 1/2 acre was first burned in April 1998 and as a result the Indian grass flourished. Seed was collected in the fall of 1998 and used as part of the prairie seed mix for Toby’s Prairie, planted in November 1998. It has done exceeding well there and has been the source of Indian grass seed for all of our subsequent planted prairies, as well as for the open savanna areas.
2007: What Eleven Years Have Wrought
Restoration work at Pleasant Valley Conservancy has proceeded at a steady pace. As degraded savannas have been cleared, they have been planted with seeds collected elsewhere on the site. The planted prairies have turned out to be excellent seed sources because of the large acreages of relatively level land where collecting is easy.
Only minimal work has been done in the wetlands, which were initially in fairly good shape. Minimal work has also been done on the north-facing oak woods, which have plentiful spring ephemerals and, except for a few areas, only small amounts of invasive shrubs.
As of the end of the 2007 season, over 400 native species are present at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. Even more significant, the floristic quality index (FQI) has a value of 91.3, which is an impressively high number.
Most of the species used for the FQI calculation were not introduced but were already here, although perhaps present in small numbers. The most important work that we have done is to remove the invasives, both woody and herbaceous, thus providing a habitat for pre-existing species to spread. Controlled burns also have played a major role.
We have increased diversity in another way, by learning to identify the plants and by exploring the Conservancy in great detail. Often a rare species will be present in only one or a few sites and will be missed in any casual walk-through. Further, restoration of an area will almost immediately result in the appearance of species that have not been seen in that site before. They might well have been present but were suppressed by the great weight of invasives.
As an example, shooting star, a very desirable prairie and savanna plant, can survive under the shade of exotic bush honeysuckle but is not readily visible. Removal of the honeysuckles leads almost immediately, usually in the first subsequent growing season, to a great increase in the growth of shooting stars, many of which will flower (see photo below). These were not planted but burst into view after their habitat was restored.
Brian Pruka’s Check List from 1995
| Latin | Common |
| Acer negundo | Box elder |
| Acer saccharum | Sugar maple |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow |
| Actaea alba | White baneberry |
| Actaea rubra | Red baneberry |
| Adiantum pedatum | Northern maidenhair fern |
| Agalinis gattingeri | Round-stemed false foxglove |
| Agalinis purpurea v. parviflora | Smooth false foxglove |
| Agrimonia gryposepala | Tall agrimony |
| Ambrosia trifida | Giant ragweed |
| Amorpha canescens | Lead-plant |
| Amphicarpaea bracteata | Hog peanut |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big bluestem |
| Anemone canadensis | Meadow anemone |
| Anemone cylindrica | Thimbleweed |
| Anemone quinquefolia | Wood anemone |
| Anemone virginiana | Tall anemone |
| Antennaria plantaginifolia | Plantain-leaved pussytoes |
| Apocynum sibiricum | Clasping dogbane |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Wild columbine |
| Arabis lyrata | Sand cress |
| Aralia nudicaulis | Wild sarsaparilla |
| Aralia racemosa | Spikenard |
| Aristida tuberculosa | Dune three-awn grass |
| Armoracia lacustris | Lake cress |
| Artemisia campestris caudata | Beach wormwood |
| Artemisia frigida | Prairie sagewort |
| Asclepias hirtella | Tall green milkweed |
| Asclepias viridiflora | Short green milkweed |
| Asparagus officinalis | Asparagus |
| Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair spleenwort |
| Aster sagittifolius | Arrow-leaved aster |
| Bidens frondosa | Common beggar’s-tick |
| Botrychium dissectum obliquum | Oblique grape fern |
| Botrychium minganense | Mingan moonwort |
| Botrychium multifidum | Leather-leaved grape fern |
| Brassica sp | Mustard |
| Cacalia plantaginea | Prairie Indian plantain |
| Calamagrostis stricta | Bog reed-grass |
| Calamovilfa longifolia longifolia | Sand-reed |
| Carex spp | Sedge |
| Carex torreyi | Torrey sedge |
| Carex trisperma | |
| Celtis occidentalis | Hackberry |
| Conium maculatum | Poison hemlock |
| Coptis trifolia groenlandica | Goldthread |
| Corydalis spp | Corydalis |
| Crataegus chrysocarpa | Fireberry hawthorn |
| Cynosurus cristatus | Dogtail |
| Cyperus odoratus | Fragrant cyperus |
| Cyperus squarrosus | Awned cyperus |
| Cystopteris fragilis | Northern fragile fern |
| Cystopteris protrusa | Creeping fragile fern |
| Dasistoma macrophylla | Mullein foxglove |
| Desmodium paniculatum | Panicled tick-trefoil |
| Eleocharis ovata | Blunt spike-rush |
| Eleocharis tenuis borealis | Neat spike-rush |
| Equisetum palustre | Marsh horsetail |
| Equisetum variegatum jesupi | E. X TRACHYODON |
| Equisetum x litorale | E. ARVENSE X FLUVIATILE |
| Erigeron philadelphicus | Marsh fleabane |
| Erigeron pulchellus | Robin’s plantain |
| Erigeron sp | Fleabane |
| Erigeron spp | Fleabane |
| Erigeron strigosus | Daisy fleabane |
| Eriophorum sp | Cotton-grass |
| Euthamia graminifolia | Grass-leaved goldenrod |
| Euthamia gymnospermoides | Western flat-top goldenrod |
| Festuca brachyphylla | Short-leaf fescue |
| Festuca sp | Fescue grass |
| Festuca spp | Fescue grass |
| Fraxinus americana | White ash |
| Fraxinus nigra | Black ash |
| Fumaria officinalis | Fumitory |
| Galium lanceolatum | Lance-leaved wild licorice |
| Gentiana sp | Gentian |
| Goodyera pubescens | Rattlesnake plantain |
| Gymnocladus dioica | Kentucky coffee tree |
| Hedeoma hispida | Rough pennyroyal |
| Helianthus divaricatus | Woodland sunflower |
| Helianthus spp | Sunflower |
| Helianthus tuberosus | Jerusalem artichoke |
| Hordeum sp | |
| Hudsonia tomentosa | False heather |
| Hypochaeris radicata | Spotted cat’s ear |
| Juncus alpinoarticulatus | Richardson’s rush |
| Juncus gerardi | Black grass |
| Koeleria macrantha | June grass |
| Lechea pulchella | Pinweed |
| Lepidium perfoliatum | Clasping cress |
| Liatris x gladewitzii | HYBRID BLAZING STAR |
| Linum medium texanum | Small yellow flax |
| Linum rigidum | Stiff yellow flax |
| Lithospermum sp | Pucoon |
| Lycopodium inundatum | Bog clubmoss |
| Menispermum canadense | Moonseed |
| Mentha aquatica crispa | Curled mint |
| Microseris cuspidata | Prairie dandelion |
| Myosotis scorpioides | Common forget-me-not |
| Myriophyllum sp | Water milfoil |
| Myriophyllum tenellum | Dwarf milfoil |
| Neslia paniculata | Ball mustard |
| Oenothera perennis | Small sundrops |
| Oenothera pilosella | Prairie sundrops |
| Orchis spectabilis | Showy orchis |
| Panax trifolium | Dwarf ginseng |
| Panicum latifolium | Broad-leaved panic-grass |
| Panicum miliaceum | Broom-corn millet |
| Panicum oligosanthes | Few-flowered panic-grass |
| Panicum oligosanthes scribnerianum | Scribner’s panic-grass |
| Penstemon grandiflorus | Large-flowered beard-tongue |
| Penstemon spp | Beard-tongue |
| Platanthera lacera | Ragged fringed orchid |
| Polygonum hydropiperoides | Mild water |
| Potamogeton oakesianus | Oakes’ pondweed |
| Potentilla arguta | Prairie cinquefoil |
| Potentilla norvegica | Rough cinquefoil |
| Prenanthes sp | White lettuce |
| Ptelea trifoliata | Hop-tree |
| Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | Slender mountain mint |
| Pyrola chlorantha | Green shinleaf |
| Pyrola elliptica | Large-leaved shinleaf |
| Pyrola sp | Shinleaf |
| Quercus bicolor | Swamp white oak |
| Quercus sp | Oak |
| Ranunculus abortivus | Small-flowered buttercup |
| Ranunculus gmelinii | Small yellow water-crowfoot |
| Ranunculus hispidus | Rough buttercup |
| Ranunculus sp | Buttercup |
| Ribes hudsonianum | Canadian black currant |
| Ribes uva-crispi | Garden gooseberry |
| Rorippa sinuata | Spreading yellow-cress |
| Rosa blanda | Early wild rose |
| Rubus flagellaris | Common dewberry |
| Rubus setosus | Bristly blackberry |
| Rumex acetosella | Field sorrel |
| Salix cordata | Dune willow |
| Salix lucida | Shining willow |
| Salix myricoides | Blue-leaved willow |
| Scirpus cyperinus | Woolgrass |
| Scirpus validus | Great bulrush |
| Silene cserei | Glaucous campion |
| Silene dichotoma | Forked catchfly |
| Silene latifolia | White campion |
| Silene vulgaris | Bladder campion |
| Sisymbrium officinale | Hedge-mustard |
| Sisyrinchium spp | Blue-eyed grass |
| Smilax herbacea herbacea | Carrion flower |
| Solanum carolinense | Horse nettle |
| Sonchus arvensis | Perennial sow thistle |
| Sparganium fluctuans | Floating-leaved bur-reed |
| Stellaria borealis | Northern starwort |
| Stellaria spp | Starwort |
| Streptopus roseus longipes | Twisted stalk |
| Symphoricarpos sp | Snowberry |
| Talinum rugospermum | Fame flower |
| Thelypteris phegopteris | Narrow beach-fern |
| Triadenum virginicum | Marsh St. John’s wort |
| Trientalis borealis | Starflower |
| Trifolium campestre | Low hop-clover |
| Trifolium repens | White clover |
| Utricularia geminiscapa | Twin-stemmed bladderwort |
| Utricularia sp | Bladderwort |
| Verbena simplex | Narrow-leaved vervain |
| Verbena sp | Vervain |
| Vernonia fasciculata | Common ironweed |
| Vincetoxicum nigrum | Black swallow-wort |
| Viola conspersa | Dog violet |
| Viola spp | Violet |
| Vitis spp | Wild grape |
Paul West’s Check List From 1997-98
| Latin name | Common name |
| Acer rubrum | Red maple |
| Achillea millefolium | Yarrow |
| Actaea rubra | Red baneberry |
| Adiantum pedatum | Northern maidenhair fern |
| Agalinis asper | Rough false foxglove |
| Agastache sp | Giant hyssop |
| Ambrosia artemisiifolia | Common ragweed |
| Amorpha canescens | Lead-plant |
| Amphicarpaea bracteata | Hog peanut |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big bluestem |
| Anemone cylindrica | Thimbleweed |
| Anemone quinquefolia | Wood anemone |
| Anemone virginiana | Tall anemone |
| Antennaria neglecta | Field pussytoes |
| Antennaria plantaginifolia | Plantain-leaved pussytoes |
| Apocynum androsaemifolium | Spreading dogbane |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Wild columbine |
| Aralia nudicaulis | Wild sarsaparilla |
| Aralia racemosa | Spikenard |
| Aristida tuberculosa | Dune three-awn grass |
| Artemisia biennis | Biennial wormwood |
| Asclepias ovalifolia | Oval milkweed |
| Asclepias sp | Milkweed |
| Asclepias syriaca | Common milkweed |
| Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly weed |
| Asclepias viridiflora | Short green milkweed |
| Asplenium sp | Spleenwort |
| Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair spleenwort |
| Aureolaria grandiflora | Yellow false foxglove |
| Bidens discoidea | Swamp beggar’s-tick |
| Bidens frondosa | Common beggar’s-tick |
| Botrychium dissectum obliquum | Oblique grape fern |
| Calamovilfa longifolia longifolia | Sand-reed |
| Calylophus serrulatus | Toothed evening-primrose |
| Cardamine sp | Cress |
| Carex albolutescens | |
| Carex leptalea | |
| Carex meadii | Mead’s sedge |
| Carex pauciflora | |
| Carex rostrata | |
| Carex spp | Sedge |
| Carex torreyi | Torrey sedge |
| Carya ovata | Shagbark hickory |
| Celtis occidentalis | Hackberry |
| Chenopodium gigantospermum | Maple-leaved goosefoot |
| Coptis trifolia groenlandica | Goldthread |
| Corydalis spp | Corydalis |
| Cymbalaria muralis | Kenilworth ivy |
| Cyperus lupulinus | Sand cyperus |
| Cyperus odoratus | Fragrant cyperus |
| Cyperus squarrosus | Awned cyperus |
| Cystopteris fragilis mackayi | Mackay’s frafile fern |
| Cystopteris protrusa | Creeping fragile fern |
| Dasistoma macrophylla | Mullein foxglove |
| Desmodium paniculatum | Panicled tick-trefoil |
| Eleocharis flavescens olivacea | Tufted spike-rush |
| Equisetum palustre | Marsh horsetail |
| Equisetum variegatum nelsonii | E. X NELSONII |
| Eriophorum sp | Cotton-grass |
| Euphorbia marginata | Snow-on-the-mountain |
| Euthamia gymnospermoides | Western flat-top goldenrod |
| Fagopyrum esculentum | Buckwheat |
| Festuca pratensis | Meadow fescue |
| Filipendula rubra | Queen-of-the-prairie |
| Fraxinus nigra | Black ash |
| Fumaria officinalis | Fumitory |
| Galium lanceolatum | Lance-leaved wild licorice |
| Galium tinctorium | Stiff bedstraw |
| Gentiana spp | Gentian |
| Goodyera repens ophioides | Creeping rattlesnake plantain |
| Halenia deflexa | Spurred gentian |
| Hedeoma hispida | Rough pennyroyal |
| Helianthus divaricatus | Woodland sunflower |
| Helianthus mollis | Downy sunflower |
| Hieracium sp | Hawkweed |
| Hieracium spp | Hawkweed |
| Hypochaeris radicata | Spotted cat’s ear |
| Isopyrum biternatum | False rue anemone |
| Juncus gerardi | Black grass |
| Juncus squarrosus | |
| Lespedeza virginica | Slender bush clover |
| Liatris x gladewitzii | HYBRID BLAZING STAR |
| Linum rigidum | Stiff yellow flax |
| Lithospermum latifolium | American gromwell |
| Lycopodium inundatum | Bog clubmoss |
| Malaxis monophyllos | White adder’s mouth |
| Menispermum canadense | Moonseed |
| Myosotis scorpioides | Common forget-me-not |
| Orchis rotundifolia | Small round-leafed orchis |
| Orchis spectabilis | Showy orchis |
| Oryzopsis racemosa | Black-seeded ricegrass |
| Oxalis acetosella | Northern wood-sorrel |
| Panicum latifolium | Broad-leaved panic-grass |
| Penstemon grandiflorus | Large-flowered beard-tongue |
| Pinus banksiana | Jack pine |
| Platanthera blephariglottis | White fringed orchid |
| Platanthera lacera | Ragged fringed orchid |
| Poa nemoralis | |
| Polygonella articulata | Jointweed |
| Polygonum erectum | Erect knotweed |
| Potamogeton oakesianus | Oakes’ pondweed |
| Potentilla arguta | Prairie cinquefoil |
| Potentilla norvegica | Rough cinquefoil |
| Potentilla spp | Cinquefoil |
| Ptelea trifoliata | Hop-tree |
| Puccinellia distans | Alkali grass |
| Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | Slender mountain mint |
| Pyrus malus | Apple |
| Ranunculus abortivus | Small-flowered buttercup |
| Ranunculus gmelinii | Small yellow water-crowfoot |
| Rheum rhabarbicum | Rhubarb |
| Rumex obtusifolius | Bitter dock |
| Sagittaria sp | Arrowhead |
| Salix cordata | Dune willow |
| Salix lucida | Shining willow |
| Scirpus supinus hallii | Sharp-scale bulrush |
| Senna hebecarpa | Wild senna |
| Silene vulgaris | Bladder campion |
| Silene vulgaris | Bladder campion |
| Sisymbrium officinale | Hedge-mustard |
| Sisyrinchium fuscatum | Blue-eyed grass |
| Solanum carolinense | Horse nettle |
| Stellaria spp | Starwort |
| Streptopus roseus longipes | Twisted stalk |
| Talinum rugospermum | Fame flower |
| Triadenum virginicum | Marsh St. John’s wort |
| Trientalis borealis | Starflower |
| Trifolium repens | White clover |
| Triosteum perfoliatum | Early horse gentian |
| Utricularia sp | Bladderwort |
| Verbena simplex | Narrow-leaved vervain |
| Vernonia fasciculata | Common ironweed |
| Vicia americana | American vetch |
| Vincetoxicum nigrum | Black swallow-wort |
| Viola spp | Violet |
| Vitis spp | Wild grape |
Kathie Brock’s 2002 Prairie List
| Latin name | Common name |
| Amorpha canescens | Lead-plant |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big bluestem |
| Anemone cylindrica | Thimbleweed |
| Antennaria neglecta | Field pussytoes |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Wild columbine |
| Asclepias verticillata | Whorled milkweed |
| Aster oolentangiensis | Sky-blue aster |
| Bouteloua curtipendula | Side oats grama |
| Campanula rotundifolia | Harebell |
| Dalea purpureum | Purple prairie clover |
| Desmodium canadense | Showy tick-trefoil |
| Desmodium illinoense | Illinois tick-trefoil |
| Erigeron pulchellus | Robin’s plantain |
| Erigeron strigosus | Daisy fleabane |
| Eupatorium altissimum | Tall (Upland) boneset |
| Euphorbia corollata | Flowering spurge |
| Geranium maculatum | Wild geranium |
| Kuhnia eupatorioides | False boneset |
| Linum medium texanum | Small yellow flax |
| Lithospermum incisum | Fringed puccoon |
| Monarda fistulosa | Wild bergamot |
| Oxalis acetosella | Northern wood-sorrel |
| Oxalis violacea | Violet wood-sorrel |
| Panicum latifolium | Broad-leaved panic-grass |
| Panicum sp. | Small-seed panic grass |
| Ratibida pinnata | Yellow coneflower |
| Rudbeckia hirta | Black-eyed Susan |
| Schizachyrium scoparium | Little bluestem |
| Scutellaria leonardi | Small skullcap |
| Sisyrinchium spp | Blue-eyed grass |
| Solidago canadensis | Common goldenrod |
| Solidago nemoralis | Old-field goldenrod (grey; dyer) |
| Sorghastrum nutans | Indian grass |
| Sporobolus heterolepis | Prairie dropseed |
| Tradescantia ohiensis | Common spiderwort |
| Verbena stricta | Hoary vervain |
| Viola pedata | Bird’s foot violet |
Detailed picture of the oak savanna diversity at Pleasant Valley Conservancy
A summary of the species found in the various savanna units is given in a PDF that can be downloaded. The species in this file are sorted by C value (Coefficient of Conservatism), which puts the most interesting species on top.