Four-and-a-Half Months’ Stay in New Harmony
Description of the region – Natural history – Messrs. Say, Lesueur, and Owen – Hunting excursions in Indiana and Illinois – Wabash, Fox River – Illinois prairies – Albion – Black River – Mr. Bodmer’s trip to New Orleans
February 26, 1833
In the morning, beautiful bright sky; sunshine. At seven thirty, 1 3/4°R [35.9°F, 2.2°C]. This morning Mr. Say went with Arthur to Mount Vernon, where he was summoned to appear in court against the Frenchman Duclos. He will be gone for several days. Today I drew up a list of the principal trees and shrubs here, as well as I could identify them in their defoliated state. They are approximately the following:
1. Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
2. Buttonwood or sycamore (Platanus)
3. Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
4. Catalpa (Bignonia catalpa)
5. Coffee tree (Gymnocladus canadensis)
6. Dogwood (Cornus florida)
7. Crab apple (Pyrus coronaria)
8. Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
9. Pawpaw (Annona triloba)
10. Ironwood (Carpinus ostrya)
11. Hornbeam (C. virginiana)
12. Judas tree (Cercis canadensis)
13. Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
14. White walnut or butternut (J. catharctica)
15. Pignut hickory (J. porcina)
16. Bitternut hickory (J. amara)
17. Pecan Pecannut hickory (J. olivaeformis)
18. Mockernut hickory (J. tomentosa)
19. Shellbark hickory (J. squamosa)
20. Thick shellbark hickory (J. laciniosa ?)
21. Soft or white maple (Acer eriocarpum)
22. Red maple (Acer rubrum)
23. Box elder (A. negundo)
24. Sugar maple (A. saccharinum)
25. Black sugar maple (A. nigrum)
26. Curled maple (A. ?)
27. Black oak (Quercus tinctoria)
28. White oak (Q. alba)
29. Red oak (Q. rubra) or purpurea
30. Post oak (Q. purpurea ?)
31. Pin Oak (Q. ?)
32. Overcup oak (Q. lyrata ?)
33. Mossy-cup oak (Q. macrocarpa)
34. Scrub oak (Q. banister obtusiloba ?) and several others
35. Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
36. Butternut (J. cathartica)
37. Pecan-nut Hickory (J. olivaeformis)
38. Bitternut hickory (J. amara)
39. Water bitternut (J. aquatica ?)
40. Blackjack oak (Q. ferruginea)
41. Moosewood ? (Acer striatum)
42. Juneberry (Mespilus arborea)
43. Birch (Betula) (not in the immediate vicinity of Harmony)
44. Alder (Alnus) (not in the immediate vicinity of Harmony)
45. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
46. Locust (Gleditsia monosperma)
47. Honey or sweet locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
48. Sassafras (Laurus sassafras)
49. Wild cherry (Cerasus virginiana)
50. Buckeye (Aesculus) (a variety [found] 12 miles from Harmony)
51. Cottonwood ? (Populus canadensis ?) (possibly several varieties)
52. Aspen (Populus tremuloides or grandidentata)
53. White beech (Fagus americana)
54. Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) (possibly several varieties of Nyssa)
55. [——]
56. Hackberry (Celtis crassifolia), possibly occidentalis as well
57. Red mulberry (Morus rubra)
58. White ash (Fraxinus americana)
59. Blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata ?) (perhaps several varieties)
60. Willows (Salix) (several varieties)
61. White elm (Ulmus americana)
62. Red elm (Ulmus rubra)
63. Wahoo (Ulmus alata)
64. Basswood or linden (Tilia) (certainly several kinds)
65. Vines (Vitis) (several kinds)
66. Poison weed (Rhus radicans)
67. Rhus typhinum
68. Several other varieties of Rhus
69. Bignonia radicans
70. Bignonia crucigera
71. Celastrus scandens
72. Amorpha fruticosa
73. Smilax (several varieties)
74. Euonymus verrucosus
75. Euonymus ?
76. Corylus americana
77. Symphoria glomerata
78. Hydrangea arborescens
79. Ceanothus americanus
80. Spiraea ?
81. Crataegus (several varieties)
82. Rubus (several varieties)
83. Salix (several varieties)
84. Prunus
85. Clematis?
86. Staphylea trifoliata
87. Gonolobium hirsutum
[Nos. 88 to 94 are blank.]
No Vaccinium, Andromeda, Magnolia, Aesculus, Aristolochia sipho, Lonicera. No rhododendron, Kalmia, [or] chestnut (Castanea vesca or americana). No variety of Pinus appears in the Harmony region, though the latter does appear farther upstream along the Wabash. Here there are no evergreen plants except Miegia, Bignonia crucigera, and Viscum. The vegetation of the Wabash near Harmony is quite different from that of Pennsylvania.
At twelve noon, 9°R [52.3°F, 11.3°C]. There was warm sunshine, as well as much wind. The bluebirds could be heard calling, and they were bantering vigorously with each other. There were many of them around dwellings, fences, in the orchards, and in town; furthermore, at noon today I saw only Fringilla hyemalis and heard crows calling along the Cutoff and in the tall forest beyond. In the afternoon I went out and crossed the Wabash with the ferry, then kept to the left near the forest along the bank, where I immediately shot a large wild duck (Anas boschas), which, however, I could not reach. Because a strong south wind held the duck close to the bank, it could not swim away. I continued on and found several more ducks, particularly on the small arm that overflowed its banks, where large and small ducks swam close to each other and noticed me too soon. I stationed myself here and smoked several cigars, sitting concealed on an old fallen tree trunk.
The weather, to be sure, was very windy but pleasantly warm. The tall maples (Acer eriocarpum) bloomed all around me. The enormous Platanus and other trees, with their grotesque forms, entangled woody vines, etc., entertained me, while urubus, whose shadows flitted past, were hovering above me. A teal (Anas crecca) pitched down near me, and I shot it. Twice a rider drove away ducks that were approaching me. On my way home, I tried to reach a duck killed earlier, but in vain. Early tomorrow morning I must look for both of them. On the way back, I had heard cranes flying high up in the sky.
Visit in the evening to Messrs. Lesueur and Twigg. We talked about the flora in the region. Mr. Lesueur commented that here large numbers of trees bloom before their foliage appears—for example: maples, elms, cottonwoods, birches, Cercis, dogwood, Corylus, etc.—but the primary season for local flora is in July and August. Many nice lilies and, indeed, quite a few other beautiful plants bloom during spring. Mr. Say owns Birkbeck’s herbarium from the Illinois prairies, actually it is housed in Mr. Maclure’s library. As far as I know, the pretty Dodecatheon and especially beautiful plants generally grow in the prairies of Illinois. As stated, the only evergreen plants along the Wabash are Miegia, the tall cane; Bignonia crucigera, which assumes a dark, blackish red or blackish green appearance; and Phlox Viscum. I myself have never seen Ilex near Harmony, but according to Mr. Lesueur, it does occur. Mr. Say, however, has never seen it.