The old field community is typically a relatively open site with abundant wildflowers and grasses and scattered shrubs. Most old fields were once cleared and plowed as agricultural land or grazed heavily as pasture. After farmers abandoned these sites, both native and non -native plants re -colonized. Those plants whose seeds travel far in the wind (or the stomach of an animal) often arrive first while others take much longer to arrive. Some seeds may have persisted in the soil from before the disturbance. Hence old field sites are areas of transition and continue to change as more species arrive at the site and alter it with their presence. Depending on the disturbance pattern that befalls each site, some old fields may remain open for very long periods of time, eventually reverting back to prairie or meadow. For other old fields, the process of succession may continue with the influx of shrubs and trees until the site develops into a mature forest.

In old fields, butterflies such as the Common Sulphur and Orange Sulphur are sometimes abundant. Bee- -balm (Monarda fistulosa), aster (Aster), ox- -eyed daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), and sweet-clover (Melilotus alba) are all highly attractive to a variety of butterflies, offering nectaring opportunities throughout the summer and fall. The Black Swallowtail butterfly is often seen near Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) which it uses for egg -laying. The overgrown shrubby nature of old fields provide the greatest opportunity for the Brown Thrasher, a rather uncommon bird species in our area. You may also see Ring --necked Pheasant and Eastern Towhee in old fields.

In the Ann Arbor area, to get a closer look at an old field community, go to Barton and Kuebler Langford Nature Areas, or Parker Mill Park.
Listed below are plants that may be found in Southeast Michigan old field communities. Non --natives are noted with an asterisk (*).

Shrubs
autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)*
gray dogwood (Cornus foemina)
honeysuckle (Lonicera)*

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa)*
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis)*
quack grass (Agropyron repens)*
redtop (Agrostis gigantea)*
tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea)*
timothy (Phleum pratense)*

Wildflowers
aster (Aster)
bee -balm (Monarda fistulosa)
black medick (Medicago lupulina)*
Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
lawn prunella (Prunella vulgaris)*
ox -eye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)*
Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota)*
white sweet -clover (Melilotus alba)*
yellow sweet -clover (Melilotus officinalis)*
hawkweed (Hieracium)*

The above definition and plant list were taken with permission from Along the Huron: The Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan written by the Natural Area Preservation Division, Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor, 1999. You can order the book from the University of Michigan Press.