Description

This valley-forest lake complex is a relatively undisturbed, continuous natural area along the Grand River. It has a high diversity of ecological communities, concentrations of rare plants, some unusual habitats and winter waterfowl habitat. This large site offers an excellent representation of a Carolinian river valley (Eagles & Beechey, 1985).

Portions of this site are known as Upper Glen Morris (McCormack Swamp, Goods Woods and Bladdernut Woods), Grand River North and Pinehurst Lake Complex.

Vegetation

Grand River Forests (Hanna, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
This site consists of a series of terraces rising 40 m above the Grand River along an 18 km stretch from 4 km north of Paris to Galt. Orchards, fields, black ash-cedar swamp, terraced willow-black maple floodplains, a variety of slope and upland forest types (i.e. oak-hickory), perched fens, prairie, and gravelly calcareous spring-fed lagoons characterize this area.

Spottiswood Lakes (Hanna, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
This site consists of a series of intermittent ponds between a repeating pattern of long, narrow, high, steep-sided sand hills, 10 km southwest of Galt. The hills are vegetated with red maple-red oak-black cherry-white oak-black oak-shagbark hickory, while depressions contain dogwood-willow-buttonbush thickets and silver maple-elm-ash swamp. The pond contains a narrow leatherleaf-water willow (Decodon verticillatus) bog fringe.

Upper Glen Morris (Eagles, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
Communities include: cedar-birch swamp, upland deciduous forests, lowland coniferous swamps, old fields and the Galt ridge.

Grand River North (Eagles, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
Communities include: orchard, open fields, early successional swamp, terraced floodplains and a variety of forest communities ranging from wet, wet mesic, mesic, dry mesic to dry. Within the dry mesic lowland forest, dominated by Ironwood, a rich and diverse spring ground flora was found. Communities found include terraced floodplains along the river edge dominated by Black Willow and Black Maple. An early successional Black Ash and White Cedar forest, once grazed, an open field and a Hawthorn orchard along the valley floor beside the floodplains.

Pinehurst Lake Complex (Eagles, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
A series of linear morainic ridges are the most notable features of this complex. The site has a series of 5 lakes from Moore Pond and the associated sphagnum bog on the northern perimeter to Spottiswood Lake and Grand River at the southern edge. Communities include Forest (oak-hickory; hard maple-red oak-beech; hard maple-oak-hickory-ash; pine-oak; hemlock-northern hardwoods; poplar-maple; floodplains), forest edge and fields (shrubland & floodplains), wetlands (wooded swamp & wetland shrub), reforested areas, pasture fields, cultivated fields and aquatic (bogs, ponds & lakes). The Pinehurst complex is also part of a triangular sequence of forested wilderness connected by the Grand River on one side and McCormack Swamp-Rich Woods on the other. Steep slopes, open lakes, sphagnum bogs and a wide range of forest communities provide habitats for both northern and Carolinian communities. The two sphagnum bogs within the study area are unique in the county. A pure stand of Hemlock near Spottiswood Lake is also unusual.

Landform

Pinehurst Lake Complex (Eagles, 1980 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985):
The Pinehurst ridge is dissected into 3 ridges by 3 parallel subglacial channels. These ridges are distinctive and uncommon locally. Morainic kame deposits, kettle lakes and sandy cliffs facing the Grand river in the southeast corner of the study area give the area unusual landform characteristics within the county. The coarse, gravelly kame deposits provide suitable geologic structure for groundwater aquifers. Springs are located along the bluffs on the north-eastern side of Spottiswood lake facing the Grand River.

References

* Allen, G.M., P.F.J. Eagles and S.D. Price (eds.) 1990. Conserving Carolinian Canada: Conservation Biology in the Deciduous Forest Region. University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo. 346 pp.

* Eagles, P.F.J. (ed.) 1980. Upper Glen Morris Site Description. Pp. 50-54,147, in, Environmentally Sensitive Areas of Brant County. 2nd Edition. Dept. of Man-Environment Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo. xiv + 285 pp. + maps.

* Eagles, P.F.J. and T.J. Beechey (eds.) 1985. Critical Unprotected Natural Areas in the Carolinian Life Zone of Canada. Final Report, Identification Subcommittee, Carolinian Canada. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, The Ontario Heritage Foundation and World Wildlife Fund (Canada). 400 pp.

* Hanna, R. 1984. Life Science Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest in Site District 7-6: A Review and Assessment of Significant Natural Areas in Site District 7-6. OMNR, Central Region, Richmond Hill. SR OFER 8405. viii + 92 pp + folded map, illus.

© Natural Heritage Information Centre, 1998

Visit other Carolinian Canada Signature Sites, Return to the Main Signature Sites Page