[3] While much of the upland area is oak savanna and prairie, the bottomlands consist of several different types of mesic forest with diverse plant communities.

The broad main valley is likely glacial in origin while the numerous small ravines are the result of erosion of the sandstone bedrock.

[1] The vertical sandstone cliffs found here are also related to the presence of the Peru Monocline Fault.

Amur Honeysuckle, an invasive plant from western Asia, was recorded as a dominant species in the shrub layer of the bottomland forest.

Aquatic insect communities of mayflies and caddisflies were documented and used to calculate the Index of biological integrity for the monitoring sites.