Lafarge Marblehead Quarry

Lafarge Marblehead Quarry. . , The 2500-acre Lafarge Marblehead Quarry is home to over 25 rare plant species and an unusual alvar plant community. Alvars are areas of exposed limestone or dolomite bedrock which are maintained in an open state by natural phenomena such as drought, wave action or ice formation. Although the natural alvar which once existed here has been severely altered by quarrying, the plant associations which are unique to alvars still occur here at Marblehead., One of the rarest plants to occupy this habitat is the Lakeside daisy (Hymenoxys herbacea). This very rare plant is known from only four locations in North America: the Marblehead Peninsula in Ottawa County, Ohio, the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin island in Ontario, Canada and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Lafarge Quarry represents the largest natural population of this species in the U.S. Lakeside daisy forms basal rosettes, each of which may produce a leafless stalk topped with a yellow, daisy-like flowerhead., Lafarge has worked with the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves for over 10 years to protect this and other rare plants on the Marblehead Peninsula. The 19-acre Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve was purchased from Standard Slag (now Lafarge Construction Materials) in 1988. Since that time Lafarge has allowed the Division to conduct a rare plant survey of the quarry as well as collect Lakeside daisy plants and seeds for restoration efforts on Kelleys Island., In 1996, Lafarge allowed the Division to begin to develop this landscaped area to showcase some of the unusual plants of the Quarry. Many of the species planted here are abundant throughout the quarry. Rare species include the Lakeside daisy, which carpets the quarry in gold for a two-week period in mid-May, and the diminutive narrow-leaved summer bluets (Hedyotis nigricans) whose tiny white flowers begin to open in June. The more common prairie species which provide color during the rest of the summer months include spiked blazing-star (Liatris spicata), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida).