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Northern Shawnee Hills

Ecoregion in IL, KY

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The rugged, forested Northern Shawnee Hills (71m) ecoregion is composed of a high, south-facing sandstone escarpment, as well as cliffs, bluffs, ravines, and canyons. It is underlain by massive Pennsylvanian sandstone, siltstone, and shale, and is largely unglaciated. The Northern Shawnee Hills ecoregion is physiographically and lithologically distinct from the lower, less rugged, carbonate-rich, Karstic Southern Shawnee Hills (71n). Soils in The Northern Shawnee Hills ecoregion were largely derived from loess or residuum (Natural Resources Conservation Service, various dates); they are not very productive because they have been leached of nutrients through time, lack organic material, typically are steeply sloping, and often contain fragipans that impede internal drainage and discourage root penetration (Nelson, 1978, p. 105; Schwegman, 1973, p. 27). At the time of settlement, the Northern Shawnee Hills (71m) ecoregion was entirely forested; few if any prairies occurred (McManis, 1964, p. 6). Today, considerable forest remains, mostly within the Shawnee National Forest; pastureland, hayland, and some cropland also occurs. Upland forests are typically dominated by white oak, black oak, and shagbark hickory. Cool, shaded ravines support mesic forests composed of trees including red oak, beech and sugar maple, and contain relict plant species with northern affinities (Neely and Heister, 1987, p. 31; Schwegman, 1973, p. 28). Floodplain forests of bottomlands are dominated by sycamore, black walnut, Kentucky coffeetree, sugarberry, and honey locust. High gradient, clear streams occur; pools typically have rock bottoms, and riffles have gravel bottoms. Streams support several distinctive fishes including rock bass, black redhorse, banded sculpin, blackspotted topminnow, spottail darter, and stripetail darter (Smith, 1971, p. 7; Schwegman, 1973, p. 28); in Illinois, the latter three species are restricted to the southern part of the state (Illinois Natural History Survey, on-line resource). The Northern Shawnee Hills ecoregion shares a number of fish species (mostly darters) with the Crawford – Mammoth Cave Uplands (71a) in Kentucky (personal communication, 2005, Mike Retzer).

— EPA

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