Located on Drummond Island - "The Gem of the Huron"
Maxton Plains a True Natural Treasure . . .
Maxton Plains Alvar Habitat
Fields of Prairie Smoke waving in the breeze, plants growing up through fissures in the rocks, trees growing in lines where the soil is deeper - this is the Maxton Plains.
The Maxton Plains on Drummond Island is an alvar reagion, perhaps one of the world's largest. And seen through the eyes of The Nature Conservancy - which owns and protects this land - it is a true wonder.
So what is an alvar region and what makes it important? An alvar is a special habitat which occurs only on flat limestone bedrock covered with little or no soil. Alvars are open places with few trees and they can look like big meadows or like bare rocks with plants growing out of cracks. Alvar habitats are very rare - as are many of the species that live on them.
Due to the fragility of this globally rare natural area, please stay on the roads or existing trails. The soils are very thin and easily disturbed. Please tread lightly -
"Take only photographs, leave only footprints."
You can get more info on this rare habitat from the (DITA). And if interested, they can hook you up with some of the local guide groups that often tour the plains.
Fog Blankets the Alvar Ecosystem on Drummond Island
Sparse Grasses, Rocks, and Trees on the Alvar on Drummond Island
