In northern areas prairies were formed during the last glacial
advance about 110,000 years ago. As the glaciers moved south they
scraped the earth. Causing flat land. As glaciers retreated about
10,000 years ago, they deposited till.
Till is unsorted glacial sediment. The sediment mostly consists
of clay, sand and gravel.
In southern areas, prairies are formed when limestone disolves
and the ground settles. At Hopkins Prairie, the main soil content
is pure quartz sand. The pure quartz sand is normally a greyish
color. The underlining is limestone. The limestone is deeply
buried.
The climate of the area promotes rapid decompositon of plants,
animals and micro-organisms. The abundant rainfall leaches the soil
of plant nutrients. This causes a chemical reaction in the soil
which is an acidic reaction in the sandy soil. The temperatures run
mid 50's - 70's November-February the "dry season". March-October
the temperatures run 75- high 90's. Rainfall is average of 55
inches.
Hopkins Prairie is considered a "wet prairie" due to the poor
drainage and underlining of limestone. Due to retaining water most
of the year. The sand pines grow along the edge of the prairie. The
"wet prairie" will not support the sand pines. The tall prairie
grass thrives on the soil content of the "wet prairie". Hopkins
maintains water when drought conditions are not present.
Hopkins Prairie is home to many animals: bald eagles, black
bear, many types of hawks, deer. Hopkins Prairie provides a nice
respite for the inhabitants of the area.
Photos are not mandatory, but Turtletoes would love to see some
nice photos of Hopkins Prairie. REPEAT PHOTOS NOT MANDATORY.
In order to log this earthcache you need to complete the
following: Looking out over the prairie from the posted
coordinates, please explain whether the prairie is "wet" or "dry"
at the time of your visit. Secondly, there are 2 very distinct
object near the coordinates, please describe what you see.
Please DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG, EVEN ENCRYPTED.
Please email your answer to Turtletoes1000@gmail.com or the email
associated with our profile.
research taken from
http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Manuscripts/FL609/0/ONF.pdf