Walking on the Wild Side

A look at rare and endangered wildlife at Sleeping Bear Dunes

By Brighid Driscoll | June 11, 2022

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBD) is a favorite place for locals and tourists in search of stunning views and sun-soaked hikes. However, while we’re snapping Insta-worthy skylines, crucial mating, nesting, and migrating are going on behind the scenes.

We have a beautiful natural landscape here in northern Michigan, full of forests and beaches that provide essential habitat to wildlife of all kinds. Plants, animals, and insects all live within these landscapes and rely on each other to keep their life cycles in motion. SBD’s busy season is underway, but the park’s staff work hard to protect and monitor the local wildlife throughout the year.

Northern Express talked with SBD’s Wildlife Biologist Vince Cavalieri about some of the unique flora and fauna that can be found within the park. To help keep this local wildlife happy and healthy, Cavalieri says to hike the trails with clean boots so invasive plant species don’t spread, keep dogs leashed, and refrain from wandering off the path or into roped-off areas.

Look out for these special flora and fauna the next time you’re exploring the park, and take care not to disturb them. They’re as unique and beautiful as the landscape they summer in.

Great Lakes Piping Plover: Arguably the mascot of SBD, Great Lakes Piping Plovers are set to have a great summer season. In the 1970s, nesting pairs of the plovers in Michigan dropped to only 11-14 pairs. Last year, 35 pairs were spotted, and Cavalieri is hopeful for continued growth.

These tiny, sand-colored birds return to the dunes every year for their mating season. Great Lakes shores are where they nest, especially at the dunes. The birds and their eggs easily blend into their beach surroundings, so certain areas of SBD are roped off to protect them from getting crushed underfoot. With the number of nesting plover pairs rising, the conservation efforts for this federally endangered species are paying off.

Prairie Warbler: Well worth mentioning in the bird world is the prairie warbler, a state endangered bird that resides within the park. These bright yellow and black birds like shrubby areas, forests, and dunes. They seek out dry, old clearings, pines in sandy barrens, and forest edges during their breeding season, making SBD an ideal spot.

After their mating and nesting season, the prairie warbler migrates to warmer temperatures in Florida and the Caribbean. Males will return to the same breeding site every year, while the female prairie warbler typically doesn’t go to the same spot twice. Climate change has reduced the bird’s habitat range throughout some of the Midwest and South but is stable and improving in Florida, some of the East Coast, and Canada.

Pitcher's Thistle: This federally threatened plant has a bulbous, spiky top with long, narrow leaves. It thrives in hot, sandy, windy areas. “It’s also called dune thistle, and they only occur in Great Lakes dune systems. 90 percent of the Pitcher's thistle population occurs on dunes around Lake Michigan. There are many at Sleeping Bear Dunes,” says Cavalieri.

The plants are a pale, silvery-green color, and when they flower in the spring and summer, they can get anywhere from 1 to 5 feet tall. Interestingly, Pitcher's thistles only breed once—their lifespan is anywhere from 5 to 8 years, and they flower and go to seed only in their last year.

Rare Turtles: While many local turtles can be found in or near creeks, rivers, and inland lakes, Blanding’s turtles have been found on SBD property as well. “They’re distinct by their yellow under chin and yellow spots on their carapace,” says Cavalieri. “One thing about Blanding’s turtles is that they can live a long time, about 80 to 100 years.” The turtles hibernate from October to April and do well in the cold. They may only be spotted on cool, early mornings and dusk during the summer.

SBD will soon start surveying rare turtles on its grounds. The Blanding’s turtle will be a species of interest, along with wood turtles, which have not yet been found within the SBD park property but have been spotted in Benzie County. Both turtles are candidates for the endangered species list.

Lake Huron Tansy: Yes, tansy, not pansy. Also called Dune Tansy, these long-stalked wildflowers are found along Lake Michigan. They’re a favorite dune plant due to their bright yellow, daisy-like flower heads. They bloom from late June to early August and, despite their name, can be found in several places across North America, including Alaska, Canada, Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They like beaches, dunes, and gravelly limestone.

The tansy grows upward with broad, hairy stems and has been described as emitting a camphor-like smell. They can withstand being washed over by waves if they grow near a shoreline with high water levels. Like Pitcher Thistle, Lake Huron Tansy thrives with disturbances from the wind.

Hognose Snake: “They like the dunes; they prefer the sand over the rest of the park habitat here,” says Cavalieri.

This non-venomous snake is named after its upturned nose. A big part of its diet is toads—the snake can even neutralize the toxic secretions that toads have in their skin. The hognose also feasts on birds, eggs, lizards, mice, and frogs. Compared to your average garter snake, a hognose is bigger and thicker, according to Cavalieri. “They’re 2 to 4 feet long and more robust with a brown and black pattern,” he says.

When threatened, they’ll play dead or intimidate. “They’ll kind of contract their neck and then dart it out kind of like a cobra. They can make themselves look dangerous, but they’re completely harmless,” explains Cavalieri.