Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore flora and fauna · Flora and fauna in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Flora and fauna in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Flora and fauna in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
The sand dunes provide a distinctive environment for vegetation. Dune grasses' long roots seek out water and help to hold the dunes together, along with thistles, bearberries, and other hardy plants. Juniper and jack pine take hold in the sand. Oak and white pine trees are found slightly inland from the beach. Further inland (where the soil is richer) it's a prime example of a beech/maple hardwood forest with some hemlock, basswood, and black cherry.
Birds can be found throughout the park, especially waterfowl such as Canada geese, loons, ducks, mergansers, and gulls. Shorebirds such as the sandpiper are common; the endangered piping plover nests on the North Manitou shoreline, parts of which are off-limits during mating season for this reason. Bald eagles nest on the islands, but hawks and owls are the main predatory birds. Sandhill cranes can be found in some wetlands. Thrushes and warblers inhabit the woodlands; the threatened prairie warbler nests in the mainland dunes along Lake Michigan.
Despite the park's name, black bears are rare in the area. Chipmunks, fox squirrels, and gray squirrels (including the uncommon black variety) are commonplace. The northern flying squirrel (which really just glides short distances) lives here but isn't often seen. Several species of bats (which fly quite well) are out between dusk and dawn. Raccoons like to hang out around campsites to scavenge. Beavers, otters, and minks can be found around inland lakes and streams. Bobcats (a feline slightly larger than a housecat) are present but avoid human contact. White-tailed deer have become increasingly common since forests were cleared in the area (they are hunted, in season) -- and are known to host deer ticks, which also attack humans. Coyotes and opossums are other recent arrivals to the area. Cougars have been sighted (see "Stay safe"), though they are generally elusive and avoid contact.
The islands have a limited variety of mammals, due to their distance from the mainland and their small size. Beavers, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, snowshoe hares, bats, and coyotes can be found. North Manitou also has raccoons and white-tailed deer. The deer were introduced, and because they had no predators overwhelmed the island, eradicating some plant species and halting the growth of new maple, cedar, and pine trees. They are now hunted to keep their numbers down and much of the vegetation is recovering. On the other hand, South Manitou's plant life is fairly representative of what the mainland was like before farming and deer grazing. The trees are mostly beech and maple, with a stand of huge white cedars (one fallen specimen was over 500 years old) and yew growing in the underbrush. Trillium (which are protected) grow on both islands, along with many other spring wildflowers and orchids.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.