Research

Great Lakes Alvars, U.S. and Canada

"Alvar ecosystems are grassland, savanna and sparsely vegetated rock barrens that develop on flat limestone or dolostone bedrock where soils are very shallow. Almost all of North America’s alvars occur within the Great Lakes basin, primarily in an arc from northern Lake Michigan across northern Lake Huron and along the southern edge of the Canadian Shield to include eastern Ontario and northwestern New York state. Most types of alvar communities are globally imperiled, and they support several globally rare species as well."

List and information of Alavars Flora and Fauna .  (*)


Beetles:

Agonum nutans
Chlaenius p. purpuricollis
Pterostichus novus
Amara pennsylvanica
Carabus sylvosus
Cicindela denikei
 Cyclotrachelus sodalis
Harpalus faunus
 H. fallax
 Pterostichus permundus
Cymindis americana
Carabus sylvosus

Leafhoppers

Aflexia rubranura
Auridius sp. n.,
Flexamia delongi
Flexamia inflata
Graminella mohri
Limotettix urnura
Memnonia sp. n
Mocuellus americanus
Paraphlepsius lobatus,
Pendarus punctiscriptus
Texananus marmor
Delphacodes nigriscutellata
Chlorotettix spatulatus
Laevicephalus minimus
Polyamia caperata,
Aceratagallia sp. n.

Butterflies, skippers, and moths

Rare

garita skipper (Oarisma garita)
 olive hairstreak (Mitoura gryneus),
hoary elfin (Incizalia polios)

More Common

mottled duskywing (Erynnis martialis)
owlet moth (Noctuidae family)
columbine dusky wing (Erynnis lucilius)
olympia marblewing (Euchloe olympia);
 chryxus arctic (Oneis chryxus),
Laurentian skipper (Hesperia comma)
 large marblewing (Euchloe ausonides)
tawny crescent (Phyciodes batesii).

Orthopteroids

Melanoplus mancus,
Melanoplus p. punctulatus
Melanoplus huroni,
Orphulella p. pelidna
Scudderia septentrionalis,
Ceuthophilis meridionalis
Conocephalus saltans,
Conocephalus strictus
Stethophyma gracila
Melanoplus dawsonii
Scudderia pistillata

Terrestrial Molluscs

Vertigo hannai
Vertigo morsei
Vertigo elatior
Vertigo paradoxa
Vertigo ventricosa
Vertico cristata
Vertigo arthuri
Vertigo basidens
Vertigo hubrichti
Catinella aprica
Catinella exile


Birds

upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda)
grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
prairie sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus campestris)
loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus migrans


Reptile/Amphibian

eastern yellowbelly racer snake (Coluber constrictor flaviventris
eastern massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus


Mammals
White-tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus