| Globally Imperiled Vegetation
Still Buff, After All These Years No other records existed at the park for the species, until now. A population of buff fleabane was documented during 2005 at (no surprise!) Lookout Point. Sixty-eight years later, this small, isolated population of buff fleabane is still holding its own. The low-growing perennial forb is mostly 1-6 cm tall, and has yellow (disk) and white (ray) flowers. It usually blooms May-August, but was discovered blooming this year during the third week of April. The species occurs in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. It is tracked by the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program as a species of concern, and is ranked S4. A State rank of S4 indicates the species is apparently secure, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery, and that there is cause for long term concern. Now that buff fleabane has been rediscovered at the Park, the population will be mapped and its status will be monitored. The information will be added to the park’s GIS vegetation layer for plant species of concern, and plant species of limited occurrence at the park. - M. Curtin. Comments and feedback about Resource Ramblings are encouraged and can be made to Dan Foster, in person, or via email. |
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Two vegetation community types occurring at Wind Cave National Park,
Western Great Plains Streamside Vegetation and Cottonwood/Wolfberry
Floodplain Woodland, are considered to be globally imperiled. 
This
woodland vegetation type refers to stands of plains cottonwood and
western snowberry. Box elder and green ash may also occur. The shrub
layer is dominated by snowberry and may include Rocky Mt. Juniper
and wild roses. The herbaceous layer usually includes western and
slender wheatgrasses. A small example of this type is located in
the draw between NPS 5 and NPS 6 in the northeast part of the park.
Isolated cottonwoods occur elsewhere in drainage bottoms in the
Park. - M. Curtin.
A
population of buff fleabane was documented at Lookout Point, in
Wind Cave National Park, in 1937. Several specimens of the fleabane,
Erigeron ochroleucus var. scribneri (Canby ex Rydb.) Cronq., were
collected at that time, and entered as voucher specimens in the
park’s museum collection.