This area of the woods is a good place to see stratification, described in the chart on page 9. The plants of the herbaceous (non-woody, broad-leaved) layer are diverse here – in the spring look for Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum), trilliums, twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), and waterleaf (Hydrophyllum spp.). During the summer and early fall you can see several asters, avens, and impatiens. The litter layer is also thick. Take a moment to peel back the layers of fallen leaves and twigs. What do you see?
In the springtime, a green wave moves upward from the herbaceous layer, which is the first layer to leaf out, to the canopy, which is the last to leaf out. This pattern gives each layer a period of springtime growth in the full sun. Many plants of the herbaceous layer are ephemerals. Most ephemerals here emerge in April and May, and complete their lifecycles before being shaded by the canopy. Wildflowers such as Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) with fern-like foliage, trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) with green and purplish mottled leaves, and bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are common ephemerals.
In this canopy and understory, oaks and hickories are still abundant, but more sugar maples are able to thrive in the deeper, more mesic (moist) soil. MEEC land managers have noticed a change in recent years in the balance between oaks, hickories and maples. In the canopy, oaks and hickories outnumber maples. In the understory, the opposite is true. Two of the many effects of human activity include acid rain and increased greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). The nitrogen in acid rain acts as a fertilizer and causes the canopy to be very dense. The atmospheric increase of CO2 has caused the growing season to begin earlier. These conditions favor the maples, which are more shade-tolerant than oaks and hickories. Add to this the suppression of fire (oaks and hickories are adapted to survive light, occasional fire) and you...