Black Oak Savanna (Black Oak-Pine Forest)

Farther from the shoreline, black oaks dominate the dunes. Though the soils remain sandy, the plants that have lived and died on the dunes over thousands of years have created real soil, full of organic material. Many plants and animals can and do make their homes here.

Black oak (Quercus velutina)
Black oaks don’t grow as huge as some other species of oaks, but the ones on the dunes are very old. They have grown up, been burned back by fire, and grown again many times. Fire is a normal force in the life cycle of black oaks; the wiry trees are resilient, and grow back readily.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
These birds are the wild relatives of the ones we eat at Thanksgiving. They live in sparsely-wooded environments like this one where there’s plenty of food for foraging. Wild turkeys are shy, and if you should be fortunate to spot one, look fast as it will vanish quickly.

Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp.)
This cactus does well in a wide variety of habitats throughout North America, including the dry prairies and savannas of Illinois.