If you take a look around the Indiana Dunes, you will notice all many different kinds of native plants, animals and birds. The
Indiana Dunes has 1,419 species in an area of
approximately 15,000 acres and is fourth in Biodiversity,
under the Great Smoky Mountains (1,581), the North
Cascades (1,567), and the Grand Canyon (1,474), all of
which have over half a million acres. There are several ecosystems, including prairies, oak savannas, woodlands, marshes, fens, sedge meadows, bogs, beaches, ponds and more. Before people invaded the area, these different ecosystems dominated, and now they are confined to small areas. All of the ecosystems at the Dunes can be placed into four general categories of living communities: Prairies, Woodlands, Wetlands and Dunes.
During the ice age, huge amounts of ice built up along the landscape of Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
When the ice receded all the rich soil from different areas (since glaciers can act as transplanters) was laid on the shores of lake Michigan. These deposits are referred to as till (directly deposited from the glacier) or outwash (deposited from the melted water of the glacier). They contributed greatly to the conditions that led to the immense Biodiversity in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. For a closer look at the four categories of living communities, click on an area in the graphic below.
