Forest

The forest habitat at Severson Dells Forest Preserve is the prevalent ecosystem. The rolling topography of the property and the shallow soils made for poor farming potential, which is what ultimately protected the forest from turning into farmland. The forest is a secondary forest, meaning it has been cut and disturbed in the past, and has since regrown. It is classified as an oak-hickory ecosystem, and where the honeysuckle has been cleared, it has an open understory that bursts with spring ephemerals in the months of April and May. Oak-hickory forests host a wide variety of insect species as well. Click on animal and bird photos for more information!

Dry Upland Mesic Forest

Common Plants

Floodplain Forest

Floodplain forest occurs along  the margins of Hall Creek where occasional flood waters deposit rich  alluvial soils. Subject to periodic inundation, the area supports the  growth of plants that are adapted to a lack of available oxygen to the  roots (during flooding); such plants often rely on moving water as a  method of seed dispersal.

Common Plants