Size: 139.13 acres

Established: 2014 & 2019

Donor: Elaine Bebensee in memory of her husband Lloyd Bebensee

Status: Not Open to the Public

Protection: Donated & Purchased

Background:

Bebensee Tract was gifted to TTLT by Elaine Bebensee of Calgary in memory of her husband Lloyd Bebensee. Both grew up near Skunk's Misery Natural Area, one of the largest remnant Carolinian forest blocks in Southwestern Ontario. The reserve expanded in 2019, adding an additional 75 acres. At over 1200-ha in size, Skunk's Misery is designated as a provincial Life Sciences Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, a Carolinian Canada Signature Site, and a Bird Studies Canada Important Bird Area. The nature reserve is bordered by large, forested tracts owned and managed by the County of Middlesex and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.

Description:

Bebensee Tract is largely a deciduous swamp forest lying on untilled land with a well-developed swale and hummock (pit-and-mound) microtopography. Several rare breeding songbirds use the large, forested areas on the nature reserve and are reported to breed on Bebensee Tract. This forest contains a diverse selection of Carolinian trees, such as Maples, Oaks, Ash, Black Cherry, and American Beech. The understorey includes Eastern Flowering Dogwood and Witch Hazel as well as the Swallowtail caterpillar foodplants such as Spicebush and Prickly Ash. A former 2-acre agricultural field was restored to a meadow with native prairie plants.

(all photos by Cathy Quinlan)