Revis Hill Prairie
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Revis Hill Prairie State Natural Area, also known as ''Revis Hill Prairie
Nature Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
'', is a state park located six miles south of Easton in
Mason County, Illinois Mason County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,086. Its county seat is Havana. The county is named in honor of George Mason, a member of the Virginia legislature who campaigne ...
. It is operated by the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that operates the state parks and state recreation areas, enforces the fishing and game laws of Illinois, regulates Illinois coal mines ...
(IDNR) as a
tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and Historical ecology#Anthropogenic fire, anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to th ...
nature preserve and as a fish and wildlife area managed for
deer hunting Deer hunting is hunting deer for meat and sport, and, formerly, for producing Buckskin (leather), buckskin hides, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food sourc ...
.


History

Revis Hill is managed as a fragile ecosystem of
loess A loess (, ; from ) is a clastic rock, clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loesses or similar deposition (geology), deposits. A loess ...
, a loose, powdered
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
y soil type formed from silt ground fine by
glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
and other events. After the loess was wind-deposited on the terrain of what became southern Mason County, Illinois to form a low hill, it was subject to rapid
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
and Revis Hill was dissected by ravines that drained into nearby Salt Creek. Most of the Illinois hill prairie ecosystems that resembled Revis Hill were lost to the
moldboard plow A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...
. Revis Hill re-entered the public domain and was dedicated by the state of Illinois as a natural area in August 1973. Land management practices utilized at Revis Hill include
prescribed burning A controlled burn or prescribed burn (Rx burn) is the practice of intentionally setting a fire to change the assemblage of vegetation and decaying material in a landscape. The purpose could be for forest management, ecological restoration, ...
and the control of
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
. The preserve is also managed for archery and firearm deer hunting, by permit only. IDNR supervises the unstaffed Revis Hill Prairie State Natural Area as a disjunct area of another Mason County state park that is staffed full-time,
Sand Ridge State Forest Sand Ridge State Forest is a conservation area located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Containing , it is the largest state forest in Illinois. It is located in northern Mason County. The nearest town is Manito, Illinois, and the nearest number ...
.


Flora

Tallgrass prairie plants, such as little bluestem grass,
purple coneflower ''Echinacea purpurea'', the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or Echinacea, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to parts of eastern North America and present t ...
, and leadplant countered the erosion by developing significant, interlaced root systems that held much of the loessy dust in place in the uplands. Meanwhile, in the dissected ravines, an upland oak-hickory forest grew. The transition belts between the loessy hill prairie and the ravine woodlands developed into
oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna (or lightly forested grassland), where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. It is also generally characterized by an understory that is lush with grass and herb-related plants. The terms "oakery" or ...
. Rare plants such as Skinner's gerardia and jeweled shooting star (''Dodecatheon amethystinum'') can be found at Revis Hill.


Fauna

Animals adapted to Revis Hill include
whitetail deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North, Central and South America. It is the most widely-distributed mainland ungulate ...
,
turkey vulture The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus '' Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of Sou ...
s and bank swallows. The Illinois Nature Preserves Commission advises visitors to be on the lookout for
bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
s,
western hognose snake The western hognose snake (''Heterodon nasicus'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. There are three subspecies that are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Et ...
s, and prairie walking stick insects. In the 2002 butterfly count, butterfly species such as
great spangled fritillary The great spangled fritillary (''Speyeria cybele'') is a North American butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Description Its wingspan ranges from . It is characterized by its orange colour above with five black dashes near forewing base and sev ...
, wood satyr, zebra swallowtails, summer azures, and pearl crescents were observed.


See also

* Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area


References

{{authority control Grasslands of Illinois Nature reserves in Illinois Protected areas established in 1973 Protected areas of Mason County, Illinois 1973 establishments in Illinois State parks of Illinois