The Flora of Benzie County

Abstract

Benzie County, bordering Lake Michigan in northwestern Lower Peninsula Michigan, is the smallest county in the state. It consists of 202,200 acres comprising 316 square miles. The flat to rolling topography is nearly entirely the result of deposition of the Wisconsin glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago. Terminal and other glacial moraines and out wash plains provide the habitat for a northern hardwoods plant community e which with its variations originally covered nearly 75% of the county. The dominant species were Sugar Maple, American Beech, Red Oak, Eastern Hemlock, Yellow Birch, White Ash, and American Basswood. American Elm was once common on the moister sites. It has been virtually eliminated in the County by the Dutch Elm disease in recent years. Since logging of this forest at the turn of the century, Sugar Maple has become very abundant as sprout growth with Eastern Hemlock and Yellow Birch much less common than the early records and observations indicate. Rich spring wildflower displays are found on finer textured moraine soils with northern hardwoods, and are good indicators of soil profile development.