SIGN 1 | OUTWASH OVERLOOK In the place where you are now standing, glaciers paused before they completely melted away. Sand, gravel and rock that had been trapped inside the ice were deposited on the landscape creating the gently rolling terrain you see today. Captions 1| Oak trees grew when conditions became warmer. 2| In the distance you can see large hills, called moraines, composed of glacial sediment. 3| This pond was created as part of our habitat restoration project. 4| The Huron Swamp is an area with a high water table, where the groundwater is close to the surface. It is the headwaters of the Huron River, which flows 125 miles to Lake Erie. 5| this image shows how this area may have looked 14,000 years ago. SIGN 2 | CLUES FROM THE PAST The rocks you see at Indian Springs Metropark were left here by the glaciers over 14,000 years ago. Glaciers carried rocky debris ranging in size from sand and small pebbles to car size boulders. The composition of these rocks can give us clues to where they came from. The bedrock source of many of these rocks is found in Canada. This tells us that the glaciers must have carried them here from the north. Captions 1| Jasper metaconglomerate is commonly known as “Puddingstone.” The colors in the stone reminded early settlers of their favorite pudding which was made with cherries, nuts and currants. Chunks can be found in glacial deposits in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and eastern Iowa, but the actual rock outcrop is located north of Lake Huron near the town of Bruce Mines, Ontario. This rock was originally a sand and gravel deposit that was exposed to pressure and heat from later volcanic activity, which changed it into a metamorphic rock. Its depositional age is estimated to be approximately 2.3 billion years. 2| Rock and gravel carried within the glacier were released as the glaciers melted away. 3| The arrows indicate the direction of glacial movement. 4| Stones in the rock circle: Limestone, Granite, Slate, Porphyritic Basalt, Gneiss & Jasper Metaconglomerate 'Puddingstone' SIGN 3 | FOOTPRINTS THROUGH TIME Around 12,000 years ago, Native American Indians were the first people to walk this land. In their travels they created foot trails throughout what is now Oakland County. During the early 1800s, settlers of European descent began to arrive in this area. They found a land rich with rivers, lakes, prairies and forests - a great place for new homes and farms. They eventually changed the character of the land. Prairies were cultivated, forests were cut, non-native plants and animals were introduced, and some wildlife species were eliminated. Some Indian foot trails were converted into roads. One of the first families to settle near this park was the Garner Family from Pulteney, New York. In June 1833, brothers John, Robert and Thomas Garner left the village of Pontiac with lumber to build a temporary shanty. They followed an Indian trail part way to their newly purchased property. During their first night, they slept outdoors while wolves howled nearby. We are reminded of earlier times when others walked this ground by the following place names: Teggerdine, Cuthbert and Sashabaw Roads; Robinson Lake; and the towns of Davisburg and Pontiac. Captions 1| Many Native American villages were located near Oakland County lakes and rivers. 2| The Teggerdine family farm was once located at the base of this hill. Photo - circa 1958 - courtesy Donald Teggerdine Family 3| John Garner built this stone house in 1846, and it still stands on White Lake Road. 4| In 1870 there were 41,000 people in Oakland County and 35,000 of them lived on farms! SIGN 4 | SHADOWS OF TIME Several thousand years ago, time was indicated by shadow-casting devices. Many styles of sundials were first used by ancient Egyptians and later by Greeks and Romans. As mechanical clocks were developed in the 1500s, sundials were still used to reset these unreliable timepieces. This sundial displays “solar time.” Its time will not match the time on your watch. Why? The earth is divided into 24 man-made time zones, where all clocks within each zone display the same standard time. Sundial time, however, is based on sun-cast shadows. Since the earth is round and rotates, there is only one place on our planet at any given moment where a shadow points true north. This is “solar noon” for that area. In the Eastern Time Zone, “solar noon” and “clock noon” roughly match in the time zone’s center. Since this park is close to the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, this sundial appears slow compared to your watch. Why was the United States first divided into four time zones? In 1883, railroad companies created the Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time Zones to provide safer train travel and uniform schedules. Until then every town kept its own local time, which sometimes resulted in train collisions. Captions 1| The Washington Monument is an obelisk similar to those used by ancient Egyptians to cast time shadows. 2| Diagram of time zones: At noon in the Eastern Time Zone, all clocks read 12:00 pm. Sundials display a different time depending on their location in the time zone. This is because sunlight strikes the earth in parallel rays and all sundials point north. At noon clock time in the Eastern Time Zone in Detroit, the sundial will read 11:28, noon in Philadelphia, and 12:16 in Boston. 3| How to use this sundial: (1) Center the six-foot pole or your body on the middle line near the current month. (2) The shadow will mark solar time, which is approximately 30 minutes earlier than the actual time on your watch. (3) During daylight savings time subtract approximately 90 minutes from the time on your watch. SIGN 5 | RECIPE FOR A FOOD WEB Creating an ecosystem is a complicated matter. The balance that nature appears to accomplish effortlessly can take humans years to create. In nature, animals obtain energy by eating plants and other animals. These plants and animals may serve as food for a number of different animals. This interrelated network of predators and prey and plants is called a food web. In “cooking up” this pond, we are working to create a mix of plants and animals, that will become part of a complex food web, leading to the development of a healthy ecosystem. Here’s the mix of ingredients added by nature and humans to create the pond: clean water, plants, flying insects, swimming insects, snails, turtles, little fish, big fish, and time for everything to develop. To see our pond from the inside out, visit the underwater dome inside the building! Captions 1| Excavate a large depression and fill the hole, initially with groundwater. This pond is maintained through precipitation and clean water that exits the building’s geothermal system. 2| Add plants, insects and little fish. These are the “producers” and “prey” in the food web. 3| Add medium-sized fish and wait…other animals that find the habitat suitable will eventually find their way to the pond. 4| Once the biological foundation to the pond ecosystem appears healthy, larger fish – the “predators” – are added. 5| Over time the pond will continue to develop and change. SIGN 6 | THE 'OAK' IN OAKLAND COUNTY Open grasslands dotted with oak trees may have oncecovered much of Oakland County. Logging, farming and fire suppression changed all that, making oak savannas one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Here at Indian Springs Metropark, we have restored some of the original grassland ecosystems. Oak savannas, or openings, are often regions of overlap between treeless prairies and shady forests. Plants and animals from both of these ecosystems meet and mingle in the oak savanna, giving it a high degree of biodiversity. Fire helps to maintain the openness by reducing the density of woody plants. Many of the plants in the oak savanna are adapted to survive dry conditions and periodic fires. For example, mature specimens of some oak species have thick bark to protect the inner, living part of the tree from the searing heat of flames. Fire clears out dead material and undergrowth, returning vital nutrients to the soil and opening the way for new plants. It can also reduce the problems created by disease, pests and invasive plants and encourage native plants to germinate and grow. Walk around this area and gently touch the bark of the trees. Compare the thickness and texture of the oak bark to that of the other trees. Captions 1| Prairie: Prairies are predominately grasses and wildflowers. 2| Oak Savanna: Oak savannas are grassy areas dotted with individual trees or small clumps of trees. 3| Forest: Forests are dominated by trees with lower layers of shrubs, grasses and wildflowers. 4| Prairies, savannas and some forests are dependent on fire to maintain a quality ecosystem. SIGN 7 | WATCH YOUR STEP! The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is Michigan’s only native venomous snake. It is a common resident of this park. Fortunately, these snakes are generally non-aggressive and bites are very rare, but watch your step. Their coloration and markings provide camouflage in the various habitats they occupy. They normally avoid open areas like our trails, so your chances of seeing or stepping on one are slim. Recent research has found that many of our rattlesnakes spend the winters hibernating in wetland crayfish burrows. These burrows extend into the water table where the snakes submerge themselves. Summertime, however, finds most of the snakes “high and dry.” They spend their time hunting for small mammals in the dry fields and prairies. These snakes have become less common because of loss of these vital habitats. Captions 1| The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake makes a “buzzy” sound similar to some grasshoppers. Photo courtesy Joe Sage. 2| During hibernation the snakes are almost completely submerged in water. 3| Massasauga Look-Alikes: Eastern Milk Snake, Eastern Fox Snake, Northern Water Snake. SIGN 8 | NATIVE PLANT GARDEN What is a native plant? A native plant is defined as one that grows naturally in a region or locality. The garden beds before you are home to a collection of native plants. They represent many of the species found in our habitat restoration project. What is a non-native plant? A non-native plant is one from another region that has been introduced by people, either intentionally or unintentionally. Some non-native plants can become pests and invade or even destroy local ecosystems. What are the advantages of planting with natives? They... •require less maintenance •are locally hardy •thrive in the climate and soils of the region •are more resistant to diseases •provide food and shelter for animals •are very interesting and beautiful throughout the seasons Captions Use Nature’s Palette to Paint Your Home Garden: Red: Wild Columbine - May Blue: Wild Lupine - June Orange: Butterflyweed - July Pink: Showy Tick-trefoil - July White: Calico Aster - August Purple: New England Aster - September Yellow: Sneezeweed - September SIGN 9 | A GARDEN WITH WINGS When gardening for wildlife, you need to provide three things: food, water and shelter. The plants featured here serve mainly as food sources for: • butterfly and moth caterpillars • insects and hummingbirds seeking nectar • birds looking for seeds and fruit Some plants also provide shelter during rain storms, high winds and wintry days. For example, evergreens protect birds from inclement weather year-round, while brush piles can supply nesting materials for birds and hiding places for over-wintering insects. For more information (such as a list of plants you can grow), visit the Environmental Discovery Center. Captions 1| Birds can get seeds and fruit from many flowers and shrubs throughout the year. Goldfinches take the “fluff” from some plants, such as thistle, to line their nests. 2| Caterpillars need specific plants to eat. Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweeds and dogbanes. 3| Nectar-rich flowers like New England Asters attract butterflies, moths and many other insects. 4| Hummingbirds prefer tubular flowers like this Oswego Tea. SIGN 10 | PRAIRIES: UP FROM THE ASHES Prairies can be described as grasslands with flowers. Few trees and shrubs grow in a prairie because of periodic fires set by lightning or people. Controlled fires, in fact, are used as a management tool to maintain prairies. There are three types of prairies that are represented in our habitat restoration project — shortgrass, tallgrass and wet prairies. They differ mostly by types of soil, the amount of moisture in the soil and the plants that are adapted to those conditions. All are essential habitats for many species of plants, insects, birds and other animals. Although 99% of the original prairies of the Midwest have become farms and development, remnants still exist. There are also many restoration projects, both large and small. Even yards can become home to patches of prairie plants. Visit our native plant demonstration garden for ideas on how to use these plants in your own yard. Captions 1| Typical prairie grasses: Little Bluestem Grass: Usually found in dry shortgrass prairies with well-drained soils. Big Bluestem Grass: A dominant grass of dry to moderately wet tallgrass prairies. Indian Grass: Found in both tallgrass prairies and the wet prairies of lowlands. 2| A controlled burn at Indian Springs Metropark. 3| The deep and extensive root systems of prairie plants help them to survive periods of drought and occasional fires. The roots of Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Prairie Cord Grass and Switch grass can extend 9 feet into the ground, while Compass Plant and Cylindric Blazing Star roots can extend beyond 14 feet into the ground. SIGN 11| WHAT A FENTASTIC WETLAND! The wetland at the soggy margin between the hillside and the pond is called a fen. It receives most of its moisture from groundwater released by springs and seeps near the base of the hill. As groundwater flows, it picks up calcium and magnesium from the soil. Plants that live here are adapted to the alkaline soils created by these minerals. Grass-like sedges often dominate, but other emergent plants that don’t mind “wet feet” are also present. Captions 1| The caterpillar of the Eyed Brown butterfly feeds on sedges that grow in a fen. 2| Our man-made fen began to take shape in 2002. 3| Today the fen is alive with plants and wild creatures! 4| Fens are often found at the bases of glacial hills where the water table intersects the soil surface. SIGN 12 | LIFE AT THE WATER'S EDGE Clean water is essential for all living things. This small, marshy pond provides that water for a variety of plants and animals. Some of the animals spend all or part of their lives in the water, while others just visit for a quick drink. While you may not see these visitors, they often leave behind signs of their presence. While standing on the deck or trail, look for tracks at the water's edge. While you do, keep in mind that protecting and conserving our wetlands and water resources is one of the most important things we can do. Captions 1| Green Frog 2| Sandhill Crane 3| Raccoon 4| Duck 5| Mink 6| White-tailed Deer 7| Sandpiper 8| Muskrat 9| Opossum SIGN 13 | NATURE'S NURSERY A vernal pond is a shallow, temporary body of water with no outlet that is fed by snowmelt and spring rains. Since it usually dries up by late summer, fish cannot live in it. Therefore, many amphibians and insects lay their eggs here. These organisms are very sensitive to changes in their environment, so we must leave the vernal pond undisturbed. Captions 1| Fairy shrimp (.5" to 1.5" long) are often found in vernal ponds. Their eggs survive when the pond dries up. 2| Spring Peepers use vernal ponds for breeding. You can hear their high-pitched peeping from early to mid-spring. 3| Turn the wheel to compare the life cycles of the Wood Frog and the Blue Spotted Salamander: (1) Frog: 800 to 3,000 eggs laid in one or more masses in early spring Salamander: Eggs laid mid-spring in small masses (2) Frog: Eggs hatch in 1-4 weeks into brownish tadpoles Salamander: Eggs hatch in 3-4 weeks into larvae (3) Frog: Hind legs are seen first while front legs grow under the skin Salamander: Soon after hatching, legs emerge (4) Frog: Front legs finally emerge and the tail begins to disappear Salamander: Larvae with gills, begins to grow larger (5) Frog: Transformation into young frogs in 45 to 80 days Salamander: Juveniles move to land in the summer (6) Frog: Adults reach maturity in 2 years Salamander: Adults reach maturity in 2 years