South Shore Cultural Center Nature Sanctuary
Specialty: Nature Sanctuary
Getting there: From the field house walk south along the beach until you reach the nature area
General Info
The prairie meadow includes plants that provide nectar for butterflies and food for growing caterpillars such as butterfly milkweed, blazing star, and purple coneflower. Scattered cottonwoods and willows around the sanctuary have been left standing to provide food for caterpillars. The wetland edge contains a variety of native shrubs and plants such as indigo bush, button bush, cardinal flower, bull rushes, and wild blue iris.
The sands along Lake Michigan are slowly collecting into a special dune habitat, which may soon contain dune vegetation such as Marram Grass, Sand Reed and Sea Rocket. The newly formed dune is a welcome sight near the four-acre peninsula, which was previously overgrown with fast-growing weedy vegetation.
