Aquatic vascular plants in three bays of eastern Door County, Wisconsin

Abstract

Aquatic macrophytes of the western shores of Lake Michigan have received little attention from Wisconsin botanists (Ross and Calhoun, 1951; Curtis, 1959), probably because few localities are available for study. Severe wave action and unstable bottom sediments prevent the establishment of such plants in many areas of the lakeshore and intensive shoreline development has eliminated most of the hardy species which were originally present. However, three bays in eastern Door County (Rowleys Bay, North Bay and Moonlight Bay) support a considerable number of aquatic plant because they are protected from severe storms and are relatively free from human interference. This report is a brief synopsis of my observations of the diversity and density of these plants and their general distribution in relation to water depth, shoreline features and water movements in these bodies of water.