Dowagiac Woods
Encyclopedia
Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary, commonly referred to as Dowagiac Woods, is a 384 acres (155.4 ha) woods located in Cass County, Michigan
. It is maintained and preserved by the Michigan Nature Association
which is a non-profit organization
dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals.
because of a report from a member
that Blue-eyed Mary
grew there. Response to an appeal by the Michigan Nature Association
in 1981 for $110,000 to purchase the woods was overwhelming. Despite poor economic conditions in the state at the time, the campaign was completed in one year. Over 550 individual contributions were given, climaxed by a $20,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation. In a marvelous show of cooperation, twenty percent of the amount needed was raised in Cass County alone.
In February 2009, MNA purchased adjacent acreage to expand Dowagiac Woods to 384 acres (155.4 ha). It is MNA’s largest sanctuary in the Lower Peninsula.
and bloodroot
start, quickly followed by a profusion of blooming that continues right up through the time of Trillium grandiflorum
. The tulip tree occurs in great numbers in the central forest, which is on slightly higher ground than the lowlands. Buds of the tulip tree unfold early.
A top attraction in the Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary is the abundance of Blue-eyed Mary
, Collinsia verna. For six full weeks, beginning early in April, it reigns supreme. Over 150 beds can be seen from the trail, each averaging ten by twenty feet square.
Nearly fifty kinds of trees have been found at Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary, including blue beech, black ash, black walnut
and hackberry. The Ohio buckeye
also thrives here in all sizes, from seedlings to one very tall tree that two people can scarcely reach around. The buckeye is the first tree to leaf out in the spring and blooms in late April.
Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary is also home to many animals, including at least 49 different kinds of birds. The songs of the Yellow Warbler
, Acadian Flycatcher
and ruffed grouse can all be heard.
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
. It is maintained and preserved by the Michigan Nature Association
Michigan Nature Association
The Michigan Nature Association is an association in the U.S. state of Michigan which was established in 1952. It is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals...
which is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals.
History
This woods was virtually unknown even to people living nearby until 1975, when it came to the attention of the Michigan Nature AssociationMichigan Nature Association
The Michigan Nature Association is an association in the U.S. state of Michigan which was established in 1952. It is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals...
because of a report from a member
that Blue-eyed Mary
Blue-eyed Mary
Omphalodes verna is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Omphalodes belonging to the family Boraginaceae.-Etymology:...
grew there. Response to an appeal by the Michigan Nature Association
Michigan Nature Association
The Michigan Nature Association is an association in the U.S. state of Michigan which was established in 1952. It is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals...
in 1981 for $110,000 to purchase the woods was overwhelming. Despite poor economic conditions in the state at the time, the campaign was completed in one year. Over 550 individual contributions were given, climaxed by a $20,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation. In a marvelous show of cooperation, twenty percent of the amount needed was raised in Cass County alone.
In February 2009, MNA purchased adjacent acreage to expand Dowagiac Woods to 384 acres (155.4 ha). It is MNA’s largest sanctuary in the Lower Peninsula.
About the Sanctuary
Plants flourish at Dowagiac Woods in countless numbers. Over fifty species of wildflowers bloom in the spring. After the first flowers open, hepaticaHepatica
Hepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America...
and bloodroot
Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
start, quickly followed by a profusion of blooming that continues right up through the time of Trillium grandiflorum
Trillium grandiflorum
Trillium grandiflorum, commonly known as white trillium, great white trillium, white wake-robin, or in French as trille blanc, is a perennial monocotyledonous plant in the lily family...
. The tulip tree occurs in great numbers in the central forest, which is on slightly higher ground than the lowlands. Buds of the tulip tree unfold early.
A top attraction in the Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary is the abundance of Blue-eyed Mary
Blue-eyed Mary
Omphalodes verna is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Omphalodes belonging to the family Boraginaceae.-Etymology:...
, Collinsia verna. For six full weeks, beginning early in April, it reigns supreme. Over 150 beds can be seen from the trail, each averaging ten by twenty feet square.
Nearly fifty kinds of trees have been found at Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary, including blue beech, black ash, black walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central...
and hackberry. The Ohio buckeye
Ohio Buckeye
The tree species Aesculus glabra is commonly known as Ohio buckeye, American buckeye, or fetid buckeye.It is native primarily to the Midwestern and lower Great Plains regions of the United States, extending southeast into the Nashville Basin. It is also found locally in the extreme southwest of...
also thrives here in all sizes, from seedlings to one very tall tree that two people can scarcely reach around. The buckeye is the first tree to leaf out in the spring and blooms in late April.
Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary is also home to many animals, including at least 49 different kinds of birds. The songs of the Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia is a New World warbler species or superspecies; the subspecies group around D. aestiva is increasingly treated as good species Dendroica aestiva again. The name for the entire cryptic species complex is Mangrove Warbler, and another group of subspecies is known as Golden Warbler...
, Acadian Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
The Acadian Flycatcher is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.- Description :Adults have olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars and a wide bill. The breast is washed with olive. The upper part of...
and ruffed grouse can all be heard.