Succession

Succession is the replacement of one community by another over a period of time.

Succession takes place at Rosy Mound Park by the these four sections:

1)  The beach/marram grass stage: Sand washes up on shore and winds blowing off the lake move the sand inland.

2)  Foredune/sun-loving shrubs stage: Marram grass helps stabilize sand to create an almost habitable area for a new ecosystem to start growing. But wind, water and shifting sand make it hard to do so.

3)  Open dune blowout/sun-loving trees stage: Open dunes are a grass and shrub dominated community. Sand formation and height is affected strongly by vegetation and lake driven winds.

4)  Backdune forest/shade-loving trees stage: Back dunes sit directly behind the foredunes and have a new seperate ecosystem with more vegetation. Back dunes are the oldest part of the dune because they have the most vegetation and the greatest amount of sand.

Animals At The Beach:

- Monarch Butterfly

- Sanderling (Bird)

Everyday Succession: 

One place that succession occurs in our everyday world is a sidewalk.  The sidewalk gets paved, but over time it starts to develop cracks where plants like grass and dandelions start to grow.

 marram grass

Pitchers Thistle 

 Juniper

 Sandberry

Maple 

 Hemlock