Emma Cole Project: A 100-year reassessment of Grand Rapids Flora (1901)
Dorthea Leisman, Emily Van Staalduinen
Mentors: Dr. Dave Warners, Professor and Dr. Garrett Crow, Visiting Scholar
In the late 1800s, botanist Emma Cole, a teacher at Grand Rapids High School and Kent
Scientific Institute, assessed the plant diversity growing throughout much of Kent County,
collecting specimens and eventually publishing Grand Rapids Flora, a catalogue of all plants
growing in the Grand Rapids area. Despite considerable urban development in the past 100 years,
this remains the most comprehensive study of the area’s plants to date. Therefore, in order to
understand the impact of Grand Rapid’s growth on native environments and their plant species,
this project aims to re-examine the sites Emma Cole visited and ultimately create an updated
account of Grand Rapid’s species list. Beyond this, the data for some sites will be used to make
decisions regarding the focus of future conservation efforts.
Over the course of ten weeks, student researchers Dorthea Leisman and Emily Van
Staalduinen visited thirteen different locations throughout Kent County that Botanist Emma Cole
had included in her book Grand Rapids Flora in 1901. Each site was fully surveyed and all the
species in flower or fruit were collected as herbarium specimens, except for rare species which
were then only photo-documented. Species not in fruit or flower were noted separately in the field
journals and data records. Three of the largest areas, Lamberton Lake Fen, Clear Bottom Lake,
and Saul Lake Bog, were visited on a weekly or biweekly basis throughout the summer. These
locations have experienced less disturbance in the past 100 years than most others and so were
predicted to have higher diversity of native species, fewer invasives, and an overall higher
Floristic Quality Index value (or FQI, an index used to determine the overall health and quality of
an ecosystem).
Lamberton Lake Fen, a preserve of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan off
Plainfield Ave. is a unique wetland environment where calcium-rich water percolates through
clay soil. While the development around most of Lamberton Lake has had an effect, the floristic
integrity of the fen has remained fairly intact. Some notable species at this site include star grass,
numerous sedges, and the State-Threatened White Lady-slipper (Cypripedium candidum).
Another study area was Clear Bottom Lake in Plainfield Charter Township, also visited by
Emma Cole. Assessed by Calvin College biologists in 2000, the lake’s edges, surrounding woods, and
fens were found to have maintained a high floristic integrity and remain a fairly untouched remnant of
what Michigan used to be like. Revisiting this site in light of Emma Cole’s work, we found the area
has been well preserved and noteworthy species such as Indian Cucumber, Pitcher Plants, and
Selaginella have been found. Many orchid species are also known from the site.
By far the site with highest floristic quality, Saul Lake Bog exhibits several different
types of habitat, each well-preserved and full of special species. The most interesting of the
ecosystems is the bog—a lake covered entirely with an acidic floating mat of peat moss, on which
unique species like carnivorous Pitcher plants, sundews and and hundreds of the orchid Rose
Pogonia.
Despite these three primary locations’ floristic integrity, many of the other sites visited,
such as Soft Water Lake and Kensington Park were severely impacted by nearby development.
The disturbed sites had much lower FQI values and a higher presence of invasive species.
Throughout this project, Emily and Dorthea have not only become equipped to identify a
majority of native plants, but have also seen in a tangible way the effects of development
negatively impact native ecosystems. They have also learned how to properly preserve plant
specimens for documentation in the Calvin College Herbarium collection and work identification
keys. Beyond this, they have also been greatly inspired by Emma Cole’s courage and leadership
for women in the field of biology.