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Flora
of a Marsh on Cayuga Island, Niagara County, New York http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/ResBot/niag/ |
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FLORA OF A
MARSH ON CAYUGA ISLAND, NIAGARA
COUNTY, NEW YORK by Patricia M.
Eckel Missouri
Botanical Garden (Adapted with modifications from Clintonia, Newsletter of the Niagara Frontier Botanical
Society, Vol. 6(4):7‑10.).
Part of the botanical tradition associated with localities in the
vicinity of Niagara Falls, an area included in the territories of the United
States and Canada, is that of a tiny stream‑side marsh three and one‑half
miles upstream from the brinks of the cataracts of the Niagara River. It occurs on the northern boundary of
Cayuga Island, a Niagara County, New York State, residential area bounded on
the north by the Little Niagara River, into which the south‑trending
Cayuga Creek flows, and on the south by the Niagara River, opposite Grand
Island, New York. The Cayuga Creek outflow is actually the confluence of an
upstream creek complex that includes Black, Bergholtz and Sawyer Creeks.
Cayuga Island was once part of the municipality of LaSalle, which is today
included in the eastern boundary of the City of Niagara Falls, New York. Today the island is extensively developed throughout with
residences, all shorelines thoroughly modified for erosion control, except
for a green space on the north side, called Jayne Park. The frontage facing
the Niagara River to the south is armed with structural reinforcements
leaving rather deep water abutting onto the land, rather than shallows,
precluding shallow‑water or emergent vegetation and crustaceous fauna.
Jayne Park lies to the immediate left as one crosses the bridge over
the Little Niagara River onto Cayuga Island from Buffalo Avenue on
the mainland. The park has been maintained with trees and a level lawnscape
with baseball diamonds. The trees are
old and of various kinds, such as Platanus
occidentalis (Sycamore), Quercus
borealis var. maxima (Red Oak),
on the riverside Populus deltoides (Cottonwood),
Quercus macrocarpa (Bur Oak) (to 30"
diameter breast height (dbh), Salix
fragilis (Crack Willor), Acer
saccharinum (Sugar Maple), etc. The north shore of this park faces onto
the Little Niagara River. While the opposite, mainland shore
is heavily developed with residences and boat‑launching facilities, the
park shore is, except for
a shallow emplacement of
concrete ballast, relativeiy unmodified. A small marsh
occupies the center of the
north boundary, a plot of surprising botanical diversity compared with the
relative weediness and sterility of the shore immediately east and west of
the marsh boundaries. The area is about 400 feet long by 35 to 40 feet at its
widest point. The objective of this paper is to present information on this site
due to the fact that in 1990, ostensibly in order to encourage greater use of
the park, the thickets, comprised of mostly horticultural shrubs of
Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.).
Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica),
Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Box Elder (Acer
negundo), that had formerly occupied the entire north boundary along the
stream, had been torn out and, together with the marsh, the area was mowed
over. Native shrubs that have been removed include the native dogwoods: Red‑osier
Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), Panicled
Dogwood (C. racemosa) and Silky Cornel (C. amomum) and Green Ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) Chokecherry (Prunus
virginiana), Quercus macrocarpa saplings
and Bebb's Willow (Salix bebbiana).
Festoons of River Grape (Vitis riparia)
were also removed. The result is that the park is still the same, but now the
visitor can clearly see the built‑up shore of the mainland, whereas previously, strollers in the park
were surrounded at least on three sides, with a wall of greenery. The altered
strip has a variety of weedy taxa that seemed to have derived from the
adjacent lawn, such as Burdock (Arctium
spp.), Yellow Wood‑sorrel (Oxalis
stricta), Spear‑grass (Poa
annua), Dandelion (Taraxacum
officinale), etc. Streamside of this weedy, shrubby strip there is a small area of
soft, wet alluvial soil that supports a tiny cattail marsh with additional
river's‑edge taxa. This wet area has been set off from the park ground
with low‑piled stones. A return to the marsh on July 6, 1991, showed
the marsh had returned to its predisturbance lush vegetation, several of the
shrubs and trees regenerating, and it appears that alteration of the marsh by
cutting did not significantly alter the habitat although a return to this
marsh in 2001 marked the apparent absence of some native species and the
establishment and proliferation of weedy ones.
In 1834, a
tourist guide
indicated:"Cayuga Island ... below Tonnewanta island [sic] and at
the mouth of Cayuga Creek. This is very near the main shore, of an oval
shape, and 2060 yards long. It contains 98 3/4 acres," (Ingraham, 1834).
The vegetation of the island was probably originally an extension of the
mainland forest, cut off by the creation of the Little Niagara River channel. In 1864, on May 26
Judge George W. Clinton, son of the famous naturalist governor of New York
State, DeWitt Clinton, wrote in his journal: "At La Salle, went to
Burdett's landing & hollared, he heard & came & ferried me over.
Recd. me very kindly. Has a fine Tulip
Tree &c., &c. Home by the Train." Mr. Burdett lived on Cayuga
Island. Clinton had spent the day at
Niagara Falls. He had then walked upstream to Schlosser Landing where
acquaintances who were fishing gave him some of their catch. He continued to
walk to Cayuga Island along the shore, carrying the fish all the way and
eventually on home for his wife and home in Buffalo. At LaSalle he took the
trains home. Later, in 1872 on the first of June, "With [Buffalo] Field
Club, visited Cayuga (Burdett's) Island.
Found, 2 specimens of Hydrastis,
in flower. Staphylea triplicata [= S. trifolia
L.]. On the River side, of the Island, Potentilla palustris (not in flower) abundant." The Buffalo Naturalists' Field Club was an affiliate of the Buffalo
Society of Natural Sciences (BSNS), of
which G. Clinton was the first president. It is presumed that the Island
visited and the island of this report were the same (note there is also a
Cayuga Creek flowing from Wyoming into Erie County, a tributary of the
Buffalo River; there is a Cayuga County and Cayuga Lake in the midst of the
Finger Lakes region of New York State). That Clinton's island was our Cayuga
island is indicated by David F. Day's
citation of a Clinton specimen of Hydrastis
canadensis from "Cayuga Island, Niagara River" (Day, 1882). Day
also reported a Clinton specimen of Swamp Saxifrage (Saxifraga pennsylvanica) from
"Cayuga Island, near
LaSalle." Clinton collected fungi there, on Sept. 30, 1878: Hydnum fuscoatrum Fr.; Polyporus rhodellus Fr.; Puccinia gentianae Strauss. Edna Porter served as field secretary
for the Field Club, and in 1896, July II, collected a specimen of Water
Willow (Justicia americana) from
Cayuga Island. In the 1930's Charles
Zenkert of the BSNS found Chenopodium glaucum there on Sept. 10, 1933, Echinochloa
muricata (Michx.) Fernald var. microstachya
Wiegand, "on waste ground, edge of wet meadow," in 1933, and Juncus torreyi, a plant of stream and
lake shores and wet ditches, in 1933 in a "wet meadow along the Niagara
River," on Cayuga island. The meadow reference indicates the the lawn
area present today was more marshy in character in the 1930's. Zenkert also
collected Salsola kali there on
Sept. 10, 1933, and reported the occurrence of False Mermaid (Floerkea proserpinacoides Willd.)
(Zenkert, 1934). When I first visited the marsh on April 14, 1986 with
Richard Zander, the
water of the stream was turbid,
foul with sewage, and choked with a variety of aquatic vegetation. A sample
of the floating vegetation included Water‑weed (Anacharis canadensis (Michx.) Rich.), Eel‑grass (Valisneria americana Michx.), the alien Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.) and the native
Spiked Water‑milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum var. exalbescens ( Fern.) Jeps.: note this
is not
the Eurasian milfoil,
M. spicatum var. spicatum, that plagues many of our inland lakes). That other
aquatic plants occur or occurred in the Little Niagara River than those just
mentioned is attested by the numerous Potamogeton
specimens in the Clinton Herbarium (BUF) of the Buffalo Museum of Science
(P. epihydrus, P. foliosus, P. natans, P. zosteriformis,
P. perfoliatus, etc.). Upon revisiting the stream in early 1991, I was surprised to see how
clear the water was; the bottom was clearly visible.‑ This is most
likely attributable to the scavenging efficiency of Zebra mussels in the
Niagara River, and probably in the Little Niagara River itself, as has been
indicated to me by local biologists and in various publications describing
the effects of these mollusks in the Great Lakes. The marsh is arranged with
banded vegetation corresponding with degree of submersion to percentage of
water in the soil, from wet to dry as the ground sloped up from the riverside
to the park grounds. Broad‑leaved Cat tail dominated the first band,
emerging from shallow water, followed by Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and Swamp
Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), then
Bluejoint Grass (Calamagrostis
canadensis) and Impatiens capensis.
Weedy species of Curled Dock (Rumex
crispus), Teasel (Dipsacus
sylvestris), Winter Cress (Barbarea
vulgaris), and Canada Thistle (Cirsium
arvense) form the final bands, intermixed with seedlings of trees and
shrubs. The historic specimen list indicates that at one time a rich woods
existed on Cayuga island in addition
to the marshy spot, where Dog‑tooth
Violet grew, Dutchman's Breeches and Squirrel Corn, and Spice‑bush
(see Cowell's specimens listed below). It is just such a rich shore‑line
flora such as the marsh at Jayne Park, full of native aquatic and emergent
vegetation, that provides a precious resource to enrich and restore riverine
ecosystems both down and upstream on the Niagara River. Species such as the
lovely Water Willow (Justicia americana),
rare in the Niagara Frontier Region and which were lost on Goat island State
park by the cataracts of the river where it was known earlier In the century,
always have the potential to reestablish themselves naturally in that famous
flora if upstream vegetation is not destroyed. The flora of Jayne Park, Buckhorn Island State Park across the river
from Cayuga Island, and Navy island, Ontario, all contribute to the
enrichment and maintenance of the species populations at parks downstream,
such as Dufferin Islands and Goat Island. Our municipal and State parks,
especially those established earlier in the century, usually focused on
unusual natural resources within their boundaries to justify the park's
location and removal from the private domain. Familiarity with biological
richness was a recreational opportunity for citizens enjoying the park. The historic interest in the flora of the marsh may have contributed
to the original reason tor Jayne Park's establishment. Public parks today may be or become the refuges of dwindling natural resources
of scientific and historic value,
such as the marsh at Jayne Park, amidst a sea of
development, such as occurs today in the nearby Town of Wheatfield. As such
it would be socially responsible for caretakers of public parks to catalogue
what resources of importance currently exist on their properties, and manage
them with a sensitivity to the natural values in their trust. Rare species in the Niagara Frontier Region found in the Jayne Park
Marsh include Water Willow (Justicia
americana (L.) Vahl), an emergent species also found at Dufferin islands,
Ontario, and Hairy Hedge‑nettle (Stachys
hispida Pursh). A species at Jayne Park Marsh on the New York State Rare
plant Status List of the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
is Clearweed (Pilea fontana (Lunell)
Flydb.). Since this species also grows downstream at the base of Goat Island
in the spray zone of the Horse‑shoe Falls, its existence upstream, is
important in maintaining populations in the State park. CLINTON CITATIONS (noted above): Liriodendron tulipifera L. [A species of rich, upland woods, indigenous populations of this
native tree exist in the Niagara area and are a good choice for planting with
a restoration theme in mind. There is, however, no evidence that this species
has ever been used for this purpose by riverside administrations on either
side of the border. A mature population exists on the Canadian side of the
gorge in a stream valley by the whirlpool.] Potentilla palustrls (L.) Scop. [The deep maroon flowers of this species are distinctive in a genus
known for its yellow flowers, the Marsh Cinqfoil enjoys quiet marshes and
stream borders, emphasizing a habitat on the Little Niagara River and a
lower, wetter situation than is
present today]. Staphylea trifolia L. [There is some debate regarding the native status of this species
along the Niagara River, perhaps due to the presence of the Niagara Parks
School of Horticulture in Ontario and their plantings and the enthusiastic horticultural
talent of the Canadian residents along the upper and Niagara River. However,
this early report seems to indicate native populations along Niagara were
established.] (fungi): Hydnum fuscoatrum Polyporus rhodellus Puccinia gentianae DAY CITATIONS: Hydrastis Canadensis [Otherwise known as Goldenseal, a heavily
commercially exploited native plant in the United States, it enjoys rich
deciduous woodlands, occasionally established in Oak-Hickory woods which,
along the Niagara River, are associated with wet soil.] Saxifraga pensylvanica [A species of swamps and marshes and damp
woods.] ZENKERT CITATIONS: Chenopodium glaucum [The next three species are all weedy
introductions, although there is some doubt whether this species of Lamb's-quarters
is native in North America.] Echinochloa muricata var. microstachya Salsola kali [The establishment of this species on the
island may have been due to the proximity of the railway line. It also grows
on sandy situations as may have occurred on Cayuga Island before the
shoreline was armed.] Floerkea proserpinacoides [Like the Saxifrage mentioned above, this species was probably
growing in a wet wood on Cayuga Island, bordering the river. Along the
Niagara River there is a fine display of this species on Navy Island.] HISTORIC SPECIMENS FROM THE CLINTON HERBARIUM (BUF): (annotations October 11, 2003) Acalypha rhomboidea Raf. "along Niagara River" by Warren
Bleekman, Aug. 10, 1933. [What is now a common weed of garden soil.] Carex intumescens Rudge. Edna Porter, Aug. 9.1899. Carex lupulina Muhl. Edna Porter, Aug. 9, 1899 Carex tuckermanii Boott ex Dewey, Edna Porter, Aug. 9, 1899. [These
three Carices are indicative of vernal pools and, together with the next
species, indicate wet Oak‑Hickory woods as well.] Cinna arundinacea L. Edna Porter, Aug. 8, 1899. [A grass of wet
depressions in deciduous woods]. Cyperus diandrus Torr. Frank W Johnson, Sept. 22, 1924.
[Streamsides and wet depressions]. Decodon verticillatus (L.) Ell. E. Chamot, ca.1888. Shallow water and
shores, may be associated with Cephalanthus
occidentalis of wet woods at South Grand Island Bridge and Buckhorn
Island State Park.] Dicentra canadensis (Goldie) Walp. J. F. Cowell, April 24,1898.
[Upland woods, as on Goat Island ‑ now extirpated in both places.] Dicentra cucullaria (L.) Bernh. J. F. Cowell, April 24,1898. [Upland
woods, as on Goat Island ‑ now extirpated in both places.] Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz,
Aug. 2, 1899. [This lovely and alien orchid was a very exciting find
back in the American Victorian era when it was first discovered in 1882 in
our region at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York ‑ the second such discovery in
America. This species has an interesting substrate tolerance, growing today in
wet shallows on the south side of Goat Island and growing from a crack in
asphalt pavement at Deveaux Woods State Park along the Niagara River. Unlike
other exotic species, this one is a so far benign and lovely complement to
our shoreline species ‑ together with the Flowering Rush, Butomus umbellatus.] Erythronium americanum Ker. J. F. Cowell, April 24,1898. [Upland
deciduous forests, together with Dicentra species.] Gentiana sp. presumed from specimens of the fungus Puccinia gentianae Strauss collected
there by Clinton, with Gentian leaves included; cf. G. andrewsii. Gentiana
andrewsii is associated with wet meadows and streamside thickets. Juncus effusus var. solutus
Fern. & Wieg., Aug. 9, 1899. [A common streamside species.] Justicia americana (L.) Vahl "Cayuga Creek, LaSalle," Edna Porter, July II,
1896. Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume, J. F. Cowell, Oct. 14, 1897. [This
shrub is interesting for its dominance in the understory of wet Oak‑Hickory
woods in association with Quercus palustris,
Q. bicolor, Q. shumardii, and
various Carya (Hickory) species,
conspicuous in Buckhorn Island and Navy Islands, areas with vernal pools. Plantago major L. "The smaller, pubescent form,"
C.A.Zenkert, Sept. 10,1933. [Together with Acalypha, a common weed of lawns and garden soil.] Pontederia cordata L. Miss A. M. Crawford, June 30,1891. [Abundant
at the fishing platform at Wood's Creek, Buckhorn Island State Park,
indicating, with other species, the ecological historical affinity of this
flora historically with that of Buckhorn across the Niagara River above the
Grass Island Pool). Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth. Edna Porter, Aug. 9,1899. [Indicative
of open, sunny wet meadows and marshes.] Scirpus validus Vahl. J. F. Cowell, Aug. 9, 1899. [Characteristic
emergent vegetation.] Spartina pectinata Link J. F.
Cowell, Aug. 9, 1899. [This interesting grass forms stoops on wet shores of
the Niagara River, growing together with Panicum
virgatum as at Buckhorn on its western margin.] TODAY'S FLORA (specimens deposited at BUF) = sight record, * = alien
species): *Amaranthus lividus L.
rare ! Anemone quinquefolia L. ! Ambrosia trifida L. !Asclepias incarnata L. !Asclepias syriaca L. *Barbarea vulgaris R. Br. Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx,) Beauv. Carex lacustris Wilid. Circaea quadrisulcata (Maxim.) Franch. & Sav. Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. ! Convolvulus sepium L. Cuscuta gronovii, abundant *Epilobium hirsutum L.
[This specimen should be compared with E.
parviflorum, not known from our
area until recently (Eckel 2002). *Epipactis helleborine (L.)
Crantz. !Eupatorium maculatum L. Festuca elatior L. Impatiens capensis *lris pseudacorus L. Geum laciniatum Murr. Geum virginianum L. [Probably a mistake by the author for G. aleppicum,
which has yellow flowers.] Justicia americana (L.) Vahl rare Ludwigia palustris (L.) Ell. !*Lythrum salicaria L. Mentha arvensis var. glabrata
(Benth.) Fern. Mimulus ringens L. Pilea fontana (Lunell) Rydb. rare in New York State Poa pratensis L. Poa trivialis L. Polygonum punctatum Ell. !Rhus radicans L. *Ribes sativum Syne *Rumex crispus L. Salix bebbiana Sarg. Scutellaria galericulata L. !*Solanum dulcamara L. Stachys hispida Pursh rare Teucrium canadense var. occidentale
(Gray) McClint. & Epl. !Typha latifolia L. !Verbena hastata L. On a visit to Jayne Park on September 18, 2001, the thicket
established on a low embankment between the park lawns and the marsh was
examined for a rare species of Aster. The embankment is dry and bordered by
shallow concrete ballast. Observed, in addition to the thicket species
mentioned above were the tree species: the invasive White Mulberry (Morus alba), Box Elder (Acer negundo), Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanoides), Norway Maple
(Acer platanoides); native species
include a species of Walnut (Juglans sp.),
American Elm (Ulmus americana),
Green Ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica)
and Cottonwood (Populus deltoides).
Native shrubs in the shrub layer include Red‑osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) and Panicled
Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), these
two species usually growing together. Native viney species include River
Graps (Vitis riparius) and Poison
Ivy (Rhus toxicodendron). This last
growing with Virginia Knotweed there is indicative of drier ground. Invasive
shrubs include Multiflora Rose (Rosa
multiflora), Buckthorn (Rhamnus
cathartica) and an odd new alien: Rubus
phoenicolasius. Native herbs in the thickets include the common
streamside grass Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus
virginicus), Tall White Aster (Aster
simplex), Beggar Ticks (Bidens
frondosa), New England Aster (Aster
novae‑angliae), Goldenrod (Solidago
altissimus), Smooth Aster (Aster
laevis). The Clearweed (Pilea
pumila) and Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
is indicative of mucky soil. Alien herbs to be watched include Burdock (Arctium lappa), Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), dominant in the
brownfields along the Buffalo River south of the City of Buffalo, Bull
Thistle (Cirsium vulgare, Chickory
(Cichorium intybus), Jerusalem
Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). After study of the earlier species list, and discounting the
invasive species and those associated with repeated disturbance, it is
striking to see the commonality of plants in this marsh and its adjacent
historical woodland with similar habitats along the upper Niagara River. It
seems clear that the Niagara River marsh and streamside vegetation presently
owes much to that of Buckhorn Island State Park. Buckhorn is clearly the
donor community of species establishing themselves in new habitats adjacent
to and downstream of this Park, officially designated as wilderness habitat.
This is particularly evident at Navy Island, part of the continuous area
along the Niagara River from Fort Erie, Ontario, to Niagara‑on‑the‑Lake
under the administration of the Niagara Parks Commission. The marshes there,
particularly the one on the western, downstream tip of the island in the
Chippewa Channel of the Niagara River above the Grass Island Pool, are
clearly being charged with species deriving from the Buckhorn Island marsh in
Burntship Bay. Likewise, Navy Island is the inheritor of Buckhorn's crisis
condition of invasive Phragmites
communis that has choked the entrance to Burntship Bay on its
northwestern mouth. Phragmites is creeping upstream at Buckhorn and a
population has established itself on the shoreline at Navy Island, facing
this Phragmites‑choked inlet. The problem at Cayuga Island is rather
Purple Loosestrife ‑ still at manageable levels. Both species have made
serious inroads downstream at the Three Sisters Island on the Niagara
Reservation (Goat Island) and appear to be ready to choke off the stream flow
in the channel between the south side of Goat Island and the First Sister,
the Phragmites in particular growing across the stream feeding this channel
just upstream and will eventually form a dam or diversion arm, contributing
to fully exposed bedrock. During winter diversion regimes by the power
projects on both sides of the Niagara River, this channel could be thoroughly
exposed to the detriment of what native species still exist in the plant
communities recently examined. The Cayuga Island marsh at Jayne Park is one of several upper
Niagara River parcels with significant biocultural assets that deserve
monitoring, invasive species removal and stewardship. Jayne Park is probably
administered by either the City of Niagara Falls or the Niagara County Parks
Department but this information was not known at the time of this posting. I would like to thank Al
Schotz, herbarium technician at the Clinton Herbarium, for drawing my
attention to Clinton's mycological specimens. More recently, I am indebted to
Irene Wingerter, editor of Clintonia and the board of the Niagara Frontier
Botanical Society for permission to reprint this article in this format.
Richard Zander kindly provided the computer technology for this posting. Map images are from USGS map Tonawanda West
Quadrangle, 7.5 minute series, 1980. Bibliography Day, David F. 1882. Plants of Buffalo and its Vicinity.
Bulletin of the
Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences,
Buffalo. Vol. IV, No. 3. Eckel, P. M. 2002. Epilobium
parviflorum, a rare European introduction along the Niagara River. NYFA
Newsletter 13(2): 3‑5. Ingraham, Joseph Wentworth. 1834. A Manual for the use of Visitors
[sic] to the Falls of Niagara, intended as an epitome of, and temporary
substitute for, a larger and more extended work, relative to the most
stupendous wonder of the world. [Rare book room, Buffalo & Erie Co.
Public Library] Zenkert, C. A. 1934. Flora of
the Niagara Frontier Region. Bulletin
of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, Buffalo. Vol. XVI.
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