A glade is a natural opening in a forest. Glades generally have a thin, rocky soil over bedrock. The glade at South Fork lies on top of limestone, and supports much of the same plant and animal life as the prairie. It's located just a couple hundred yards north of the prairie. According to Natural History Biologist Larry Rizzo, this particular glade was probably grazed by livestock at one time. Most of the plants now thriving there, are those that cattle would not find edible.

Fortunately, many of the plants rejected by cattle, are interesting and beautiful natives, including: Wild Blue Indigo, Butterfly Milkweed, Wild Hyacinth and more. There are also many plants which prefer the thin, stony soil of the glade, such as the Leavenworth Eryngo pictured here.

A small, shallow pond which fills with the spring rains, and dries out with the summer draught, provides a breeding ground for frogs and other amphibians. Because the pond does not retain water through the summer, fish don't inhabit it, allowing frog eggs to hatch and tadpoles to develop without being preyed upon. Needless to say, this little "herp pond" is a popular breeding spot for frogs. On spring evenings, their enthusiastic chorus will make your ears buzz!

Like South Fork Prairie, the glade has suffered from the encroachment of invasive trees and shrubs. A large island of red cedar and hedge trees dominated the center of the glade, robbing many of the native plants there of sunlight and nutrients. Opportunistic shrubs and trees on the perimeter are growing inward toward the island. If left unchecked, the result would be a complete dominance of cedars, hedge and other invasive species, which will effectively shade out many of the glade's unique plants.