Indiana Dunes National Park ⓘ

"I intended to stay away until Monday," said one hiker, “but when I got the announcement I started back. I couldn't miss a trip to the dunes." The secretary was kept busy meeting new members and seeing that every one was properly ticketed for the return trip. Seventy-five hikers descended from the train at Gary and followed their leaders under the viaduct and down the track. No one turned for a second glance at the bustling city which sprang up almost in a night. "Back to nature!' was the cry, as the hikers pressed steadily forward to the dunes. Walking in sand is an all-absorbing study–not diversion. We varied it by walking the rails as long as we could keep our balance and then tried the ties. Some day the specifications for railroads will be more explicit. Not only will they call for ties of standard white oak, but it will be further designated that those ties be laid far enough apart, or near enough together, to permit of easy walking. The party kept along the shore of the river for a ways and-then clambered up the side of the Dunes. This was real exercise. Walking on level sand and making "footprints that perhaps another" hiker may profit by is easy compared to uphill work on the dunes. Your clambering footprints are apt to be so pronounced that they are a hindrance rather than a guide to the faltering friends in the rear guard. Longfellow must have taken Saturday afternoon walks and one of his jaunts was undoubtedly among dunes. Thus he describes it in Hiawatha:

"Please do not pick the wild flowers. They soon wilt and we do not want to destroy for some one else the pleasure which we have had in their beauty."

“I did it for scientific purposes,” he said with a quiet smile, as though he considered his act justified.

He claims this is the greatest tonic in the world for the body and the mind. So, when you are searching for happiness, and don't know what to do, take a cross-country walk. "And when you don't know where to go,” adds the Rambler, “go to the dunes. It's the crossest country walk I know."

The Indiana Dunes region has captured peoples' imaginations since time immemorial. This mesmerizing land of lines, patterns, contrasts, and moods provides endless opportunities to dazzle the artist. Indiana Dunes National Park protects this legacy of artistic inspiration and expression while continuing to inspire artists for generations to come. In 1923, Chicago Tribune writer William Gingrich wrote:

“Indiana duneland is a place of excessive contrasts. Visitors are impressed by the everlasting struggle for existence and by the signs of endless change apparent on every side... Today there is the thunderous pounding of waves upon the sandy shore. Tomorrow there will be sunshine and the singing of birds. Change, ceaseless change is the order."

Chicago's population began to swell in the latter half of the 1800s. From 1880 to 1890, the city's population doubled to over a million inhabitants. For many city-dwellers, the concentration of people necessiated outings to escape into nature. Landscape architect and conservationist Jens Jensen first began to visit the Indiana Dunes in 1889, just five years after emmigrating from Denmark to Chicago. Jensen became enamored with the nature he found around Chicago, later writing of the Dunes:

"They are more poetic, more free, more joyful, something that appeals more to the average human being and which has a greater influence on him than the colder, more severe and overwhelming forms of landscape."

"It not only reminded him of the seacoast of his native Jutland, but symbolized the freedom of movement and equality of opportunity he identified with mid-America... Landscape architect Wilhelm Miller credited Jensen with creating a new Middle West landscape style based on conserving original plant communities and repeating a motif of horizontal lines symbolic of the prairie."

Artists and writers began to take a serious interest in the Dune Country in the 1890s as scientists like Henry Cowles introduced the sandy region to the creative minds around Chicago. People were hungry to leave the noisy cityscape for more peaceful settings, and they were overjoyed with the opportunities found in the Dunes.

Author and "Etcher of the Dunes" Earl Howell Reed Sr. was one of the first artists to be associted with the Indiana Dunes. His son remembered going on early sketching trips in the 1890s, but it wasn't until about 1906 that Reed decided to dedicate all of his time to illustrating and describing this landscape. In 1912 he released his first book, The Voices of the Dunes , a collection of etchings and writings. Reed wrote:

"These vast and gloomy dunes are a rich storehouse of material for the poet and artist. To the colorist they present an ever changing panorama of hue and tone. Every cloud that trails its purple phantom-like shadow across them can call forth the resources of his palette if he seeks inspiration in some high nook where the pines still cling to their insecure anchorage. To the etcher they seem peculiarly adapted to interpretation of line. The harmonic undulations of the long serrated ridges, with their sharp accents of gnarled roots and stunted trees, offer infinite possibilities in composition."

"To the imaginative enthusiast seeking poetic forms of line expression, these dwarfed, neglected, crippled and wasted things become beautiful and subtle units in artistic arrangement. A man who can draw exactly what he sees is not necessarily an artist. A man who can draw what he feels is an artist. One must feel the spirit and poetry of the dunes if he deals with them as an artist who would send their story out into to the world. The magic of successfu artistic interpretation changes the sense of desolation into the expression of wild, weird beauty and romantic charm. It is the wildness and the mystery, the deep solemnity, and the infinite grandeur of this vast region of the dunes which furnish themes of appealing picturesquness."

In 1909, visitor access to Duneland dramatically increased as passenger train service began on the new South Shore Line between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana. Early outdoor enthusiast groups like the Saturday Afternoon Walking Club (later the Prairie Club of Chicago) rapidly exposed the Dunes to artists, and the region's popularity as a source of inspiration and respite began to spread. Around this time, a group of artists and literaries in Hyde Park, Chicago built strong ties to the Dunes. Known as the 57th Street Artist Colony, it included figures such as Carl Sandburg , Edgar Lee Masters, Vachel Lindsay, Harriet Monroe, Sherwood Anderson, Lorado Taft, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright and Henry Blake Fuller. Engel wrote in Sacred Sands :

"With the South Shore railroad only steps away, providing direct access to the Dune Country for weekend outings, the Fifty-seventh Street colony became a center for the creation of Dunes art in the following two decades."

Artists became infused with the first efforts to preserve the Indiana Dunes. In 1916, Prairie Club member and first director of the National Park Service Stephen Mather organized a hearing in Chicago for a proposed Sand Dunes National Park. Among the dozens who spoke on behalf of preserving Indiana's lakefront was Paul Douglas ' future father-in-law, Lorado Taft, who said:

"Now, there are two great beauties of this region, two things which are distinctive. One is the lake, and the other is its product, the dunes. When we allow the dunes to be wiped out for a mere matter of 'filling,' we are simply robbing ourselves of a rich heritage from the past, and repeating a tragedy that has often occurred before... If art stands for anything, or if beauty stands for anything, it is because it binds generations of men together. The man who folds his arms and stands alone might be an animal merely. His is the life of an animal. But art lifts us above that plane, and extends forth a hand of welcome to the future. And so, my friends, I am very happy and proud to be here and to be recorded in this matter as having a word to say for the preservation of this very beautiful spot which so appeals to the imagination. Its vision of vast open spaces, its billows of sand and their silent sentinels; the gestures of its weird trees silhouetted in the twilight— all conspire to make of it an enchanted land. By all means, let us spare no effort to conserve this wonderful place for ourselves and for the generations to follow us."

Mather's hearing on a proposed national park emboldened preservationists. They sought to continue building public support by organizing an enormous outdoor performance event for Memorial Day weekend of 1917. This dramatic masque was written by Thomas Wood Stevens and is entitled Dunes Under Four Flags . Over 1,000 people were involved in the production, and over 25,000 people attended the event. It was organized by the Dunes Pageant Assocation with notable involvement from conservationists Bess Sheehan , Flora Richardson and Dwight Heald Perkins; social reformers Jane Addams , Thomas William Allinson and Graham Taylor; and scientists Henry Cowles and Rollin D. Salisbury.

Artists Earl Howell Reed Sr. and Lorado Taft were also involved in the festivities, as well as Poetry magazine's Harriet Monroe, who penned this poem for the pageant:

Flutter on the shore, Saucy birds! Foaming waves will roar, Merry words! See-they follow after- Bold are they! Dance on wings of laughter- Fly away."

Theodore Jessup, member of the Prairie Club, served as a guide at the event. He included the following description in the program guide, which served as inspiration to the press:

"The Dune Country of Indiana represents the work of one hundred times one thousand years, by such artists as the glaciers, water, wind and sun, until you find there a park perfect, beautiful; a fairy land; a land of dreams; a land of remoteness; a land of solitude; a land of long beaches; a land on whose frail shore strong waves beat at times with a thunderous roar; a land so fair and fine no city park could be made to equal it by the expenditure of countless millions."

Frank began to make trips to the Indiana Dunes with the Prairie Club around 1912. He fell in love with the region, and began to paint the Dunes almost exclusively- earning him the title "Painter of the Dunes." His 1918 exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago introduced countless of people to Indiana's shore and helped build enthusiam for preservation efforts. Many were shocked to learn the scenes he painted were not of far away places like America's western coast, but from nearby Indiana just 30 miles to the east. In 1921 Dudley won the prestigous Logan Medal for his piece Duneland , which he sold to the Art Institute. With this money, he built a studio and cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan where he lived with his wife Maida nearly year-round for over three decades. The Indiana Dunes State Park was established in 1925 with the Dudleys' cabin within the park's boundaries. Dudley was required to 'pay rent' to the state by producing one painting a year, which he continued to do until his death in 1957.

National parks have been the source of inspiration for well-known artists, such as Thomas Moran, Albert Bierdstadt, and Frank Dudley, who have visually depicted the cultural and natural treasures of our great American heritage. These beautiful works are cherished by park visitors and for future generations. Indiana Dunes National Park invites you to become a part of this legacy in our two week Artist-in-Residence Program .

"If this is all the land means to you just recreation—then we are already well down the road to the brave, new world. If you're satisfied with a shuffleboard court, then they can substitute something else. You can stay at home in your astrodome. How are you going to develop a love for the land unless it means more to you than recreation? We need it for something more important than that. We need it for the kids to get out and study it, learn what nature is and how it works. Without that, we've got nothing.”

"God gave us the earth. He didn't give it to us to chew it up. He intended that we use it for something more than just growing potatoes to feed our faces." But somebody must grow potatoes, and somebody must make 80-inch, hot-rolled sheet steel. What the defenders of the dunes ask, however, is: Do they have to do it there? In the middle of an irreplaceable natural treasure? Sound economic reasons make the dunes an ideal site for a steel mill. It adjoins the new Burns harbor where the ore boats can unload, it straddles main railroad arteries, and it lies in the heart of a rapidly expanding market for finished steel products. They could have put it a couple of miles inland," Hawkinson insists. "They've got to load all that iron ore into railroad cars. It wouldn't cost them anything more to move it a couple of miles further." in this he is mistaken, however. Every extra foot would increase the steel companies' costs and worsen their competitive position. Some conservationists argue that the steel companies should have been willing to pay this price as a public responsibility, but corporation executives hesitate to put hard cash into nebulous causes. Stockholder suits have been instituted for more frivolous reasons than that. Corporations, moreover, vehemently deny that they ignore their public responsibilities. Bethlehem boasts that it is spending more than a million dollars to landscape its plant in the dunes. [In fact, it had to. After the ground cover was stripped off, the sand was blowing everywhere and damaging the machinery.] In the struggle for Hawkinson's two acres, Bethlehem will eventually win, of course, and Hawkinson will lose. The rest of the forest will come down, and the beech, the maple, the oak, the gum trees will die. The indigo bunting will find another home. But Hawkinson will savor a more important victory: By clinging to his land until the end, he helps to persuade Bethlehem executives that they must not oppose the national lakeshore. When the lakeshore plan is realized, he can retreat from the field of battle, his honor still intact. But he will have one personal loss to mourn. "I still love the place," he says. "That's what hurts."

This story was written by Ridgely Hunt III; a World War II U.S. Army veteran, Korean War Air-Force veteran, an Associated Press awarded combat correspondent during the Vietnam War, and a stylistically influencial Chicago Tribune writer and editor. While working for the Chicago Tribune, Hunt had a gender-affirmation surgery and changed their name to Nancy. She chronicled the experience in her 1978 book "Mirror Image." That year she told the Chicago Sun-Times, "I feel good about womanhood. For 49 years I looked into the mirror and saw an image distorted by the crazy lens of masculinity. Now I'm content with what I've got."

The legislation that authorized Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 1966 resulted from a movement that began in 1899. Three key individuals helped make Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore a reality: Henry C. Cowles , a botanist from the University of Chicago; Paul H. Douglas , Senator for the State of Illinois; and Dorothy R. Buell , an Ogden Dunes resident and English teacher. Henry Cowles published an article entitled "Ecological Relations of the Vegetation on Sand Dunes of Lake Michigan," in the Botanical Gazette in 1899 that established Cowles as the "father of plant ecology" in North America and brought international attention to the intricate ecosystems existing on the dunes.

But Cowles' article and the new international awareness were not enough to curtail the struggle between industry and preservation that governed the development of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. In 1916, the region was booming with industry in the form of steel mills and power plants. Hoosier Slide, for example, 200 feet in height, was the largest sand dune on Indiana's lakeshore. During the first twenty years of the battle to save the dunes, the Ball Brothers of Muncie, Indiana, manufacturers of glass fruit jars, and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company of Kokomo carried Hoosier Slide away in railroad boxcars.

It was this kind of activity by local industry that spurred Cowles, along with Thomas W. Allinson and Jens Jensen to form the Prairie Club of Chicago in 1908. The Prairie Club was the first group to propose that a portion of the Indiana Dunes be protected from commercial interests and maintained in its pristine condition for the enjoyment of the people. Out of the Prairie Club of Chicago came the precursor to the current park: The National Dunes Park Association (NDPA). The NDPA promoted the theme: "A National Park for the Middle West, and all the Middle West for a National Park."

On October 30, 1916, only one month after the National Park Service itself was established (August 25, 1916), Stephen Mather , the Service's first Director, (shown at the far left in the adjacent photo leading a tour of park advocates in the dunes in 1916) held hearings in Chicago to gauge public sentiment on a "Sand Dunes National Park". Four hundred people attended and 42 people, including Henry Cowles, Jens Jensen, Lorado Taft and Harriet Monroe spoke in favor of the park proposal; there were no opponents.

The battle for a national park was crippled, however, when the United States entered the First World War. National priorities changed and revenues were targeted for national defense, not the development of a national park. The popular slogan "Save the Dunes!" became "First Save the Country, Then Save the Dunes!" As the nation went from a world war into a depression, hopes to save the dunes began to fade.

In 1926, after a ten-year petition by the State of Indiana to preserve the dunes, the Indiana Dunes State Park opened to the public. The State Park was still relatively small in size and scope and the push for a national park continued. In 1949, Dorothy Buell became involved with the Indiana Dunes Preservation Council (IDPC). The efforts of Buell resulted in a Save the Dunes Council in 1952.

However, the struggle did not end there. A union of politicians and businessmen desired to maximize economic development by obtaining federal funds to construct a "Port of Indiana." Hoosier politicians and businessmen were eager to exploit the economic prosperity promised by linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes via the St. Lawrence Seaway. In light of this, Save the Dunes Council President Dorothy Buell and council members like Charlotte Read and Sylvia Troy began a nationwide membership and fundraising drive to buy the land they desperately sought to preserve, known as the Central Dunes . Their first success was the purchase of 56 acres in Porter County, the Cowles Tamarack Bog.

The Save the Dunes Council, sought political support to protect the dunes. In 1958, Dorothy Buell took advice to contact Senator Paul Douglas, who introduced his first bill to establish an Indiana Dunes unit within the National Park Service. This marked the beginning of one of the most prolonged legislative battles in U.S. history to protect a particular landscape.

Dorothy Buell praised Douglas for his commitment, saying he had the “vision” and plunged into the fight. Thomas Dustin, director of the Indiana Izaak Walton League, offered a more measured view: “Until this time it had been an impossible campaign.”

“But any expectation the council and its allies might have had of a quick victory now that Douglas was their champion soon died. While the park bills sat in committees, the industrial and political interests intent upon the development of the [Central Dunes] site exploited the customary advantage of private industry over conservationists in Congress—they simply proceeded to develop the land” ( Sacred Sands ).

By 1962, most of the dune land had been sold off, and hope among conservationists began to wane. Although Save the Dunes continued to rally support, one undeniable fact hampered their efforts: industrial companies already owned nearly all the land. Despite the efforts of Senator Douglas and Save the Dunes, Bethlehem Steel remained unmoved. While the company had not yet secured the right to build, they had the authority to destroy. They contracted to haul away 2.5 million cubic yards of sand from the Central Dunes to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois—a bitter irony, as Northwestern students had long used the dunes for educational excursions.

The news came as a great shock to Douglas and the rest of the Council. The next day Thomas Dustin called it “an infamous Pearl Harbor for conservationists everywhere.” Douglas and his allies insisted that Northwestern could not escape moral responsibility for the deed, but protests proved futile. Dorothy Buell remembered how in early winter 1962, as the bulldozers went to work, “Senator Douglas stood beside me, watching, with tears running down his cheeks” ( Sacred Sands ).

In a final, desperate effort to save the Central Dunes, Senator Douglas introduced S. 650 at the start of the 1963 congressional session. “The bulldozers are poised, Mr. President, but the dunes still remain and can be rescued,” he declared. But it was no use. Within a year, the heart of the Central Dunes was gone. “The wildest and largest area of the Dunes outside the Indiana Dunes State Park, the center of maximum ecological diversity, the landscape of moving dunes where Cowles did his first research on plant succession —was no more” ( Sacred Sands ).

A few years later, the battle over the lakefront culminated in what became known as the Kennedy Compromise, which established both a port and a park. While it was seen as a win for conservation, Senator Paul Douglas and Save the Dunes were deeply disappointed. They had faced a difficult choice: accept the compromise, which would create a federally protected lakeshore—albeit on land that felt was inferior to the dunes they had fought to preserve—or continue the battle indefinitely, risking the loss of everything.

By the time the 89th Congress adjourned, the bill (Public Law 89-761) had passed on November 5, 1966 and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore finally became a reality. While the 1966 authorizing legislation included only 8,330 acres of land and water, the Save the Dunes Council, National Park Service, and others continued to seek expansion of the boundaries of preservation. Four subsequent expansion bills for the park (1976, 1980, 1986, and 1992) have increased the size of the park to more than 15,000 acres.

On February 15, 2019, Congress authorized the name change from Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Indiana Dunes National Park (Public Law No: 116-6; written into House Joint Resolution 31). Indiana Dunes became the 61st national park. The park has still not aquired all land within the authorized boundaries set by Congress.

Located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes National Park is an important feeding and resting area for migrating birds. The national park is in the top five of all national parks in terms of the number of recorded bird species with over 350 confirmed species. Lake Michigan influences the migration patterns of bird species. During the fall migration, southbound birds follow the north-south shoreline and are funneled into Indiana's dunes. Also, the expanse of open water and miles of shoreline can attract large numbers of wintering birds. Indiana Dunes National Park provides an excellent opportunity for birders to see a variety of bird species. Birders can watch birds along the shoreline with a spotting scope, stand on the foredunes observing the hawks during migration, or look for wetland birds in remnant sections of the Great Marsh. Whether you have beginner or advanced identification skills, the national park is a great place for birders. The national park conducts annual monitoring of birds at several different park locations.The monitoring is focused on tracking population trends of breeding birds. Monitoring programs provide valuable data on the status of birds in the park and also contribute to national efforts to track bird populations. Birding information for the national park and broader region is available at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center . The Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society is another great resource for birding in the region.

Biological diversity was a primary reason for the creation of Indiana Dunes National Park. Because the national park is located in several ecological transition zones, the diversity is many times greater than most areas its size. In fact, Indiana Dunes National Park is fourth in biological diversity among the national parks despite having only 15,000 acres. Remnant species from past climatic changes have managed to survive in sheltered habitats. The moderating effect of Lake Michigan, along with the great variety of habitats within a small area, explain much of the plant and animal diversity. 46 species of mammals, 18 species of amphibians, 23 species of reptiles, 71 species of fish, 60 species of butterflies, and 60 species of dragonflies and damselflies can be found here. The largest herbivore is the white-tailed deer while the largest predator is the coyote. Over 350 species of birds have been identified, with 113 of these being regular nesters. The national park also provides habitat for a great blue heron rookery and the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly.

As a result of the diversity, visitors can hear several different species of frogs and toads calling during the spring and summer. People hiking through dunes and blowouts may catch a glimpse of the six-lined racerunner darting through the grass.

Indiana Dunes National Park has documented 37 species of mammals. Common mammals observed in the park include; northern short-tailed shrew, eastern mole, eastern cottontail, eastern chipmunk, woodchuck, eastern gray squirrel, eastern fox squirrel, red squirrel, white-footed mouse, prairie deer mouse, house mouse, meadow vole, muskrat, red fox, coyote, raccoon, beaver , and white-tailed deer .

Four additional species, the northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), the Indiana myotis (M. sodalis), the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), and the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) probably are present but have not been documented. Some of the most abundant mammals are the eastern cottontail, the eastern fox squirrel, the white-footed mouse, the white-tailed deer, and the meadow vole. Extirpated species are the common porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), the gray wolf (Canis lupus), the red wolf (C. rufus), the black bear (Ursus americanus), the fisher (Martes pennanti), the northern river otter* (Lutra canadensis), the mountain lion (Felis concolor), the lynx (Lynx lynx), the bobcat (L. rufus), the elk (Cervus elaphus), and the bison (Bos bison). The only threatened or endangered species known to be present is the American badger (state threatened list), but the Indiana myotis (federal endangered list) is likely present." *In recent years, river otters have been spotted in and around the park.

Three visitors walk the Pinhook Bog Upland Trail in summer. NPS / Rafi Wilkinson General Tips Over 50 miles of hiking trails spread across Indiana Dunes National Park. Hitting the trails is one of the best ways to connect to this landscape. Please review the following information to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable park adventure. Wear supportive hiking footwear; trail surfaces may be uneven or slippery Poison-ivy grows along many trail edges; avoid brushing up against plants and remember: leaves of three, let them be! Be prepared for changing weather conditions Please stay on designated trails and respect closed area signs: going off trail damages fragile habitat Be mindful of current air quality conditions; check before you go on AirNow . In case of an emergency or to report a crime, call 911. Please visit Hike Smart for general hiking safety tips.

Black-legged tick on a blade of grass. NPS Photo Ticks and Insects: Bites and Stings Ticks and biting insects such as mosquitos present a serious risks to visitors because of their ability to transmit disease. Mitigate the risk with these tips: Use insect repellent Treat clothing and gear with products containing permethrin Ticks are present year-round. Take precautionary measures to prevent bites and vector-borne disease Wear light-colored pants and long-sleeved shirts to help spot ticks on your clothing Tuck the bottom of your pants into your boots or socks to make a "seal" Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn to help prevent mosquito bites and vector-borne disease Stinging insects such as wasps and bees have the potential to cause dangerous allergic reactions: Avoid loose and bright clothing to help prevent yellow jackets and other stinging insects Do not wear sandals while hiking; avoid wearing perfume, lotion and hairspray Insect repellents DO NOT work against stinging insects If stung, seek medical attention if symptoms of a systemic allergic reaction develop For more information on ticks, visit Tick-Borne Diseases For more information on mosquitos, visit Mosquito-Borne Diseases

A sunny day at the beach on the Cowles Bog Trail. NPS / Rafi Wilkinson Heat and Sun Overheating on the trail presents a serious risk. Keep cool with these tips: Remember to bring plenty of water to stay hydrated Stay in the shade when possible to prevent heat stroke Remember sunblock to protect your skin Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes For more information on heat safety, visit Beat the Heat: Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses

A poison ivy plant awaiting its next victim. NPS Photo Harmful Plants For your safety, please stay on officially designated trails and avoid brushing against vegetation. Multiple species of plants can cause skin irritation to visitors. A few notable plants to avoid include: Poison Ivy + Poison Sumac: Allergic contact dermititus: Urushiol oils present on the surface of plants can cause itchy allergic reactions that last over a week. Oils can pass onto skin by brushing up against plant leaves, stems, or vines. Posion ivy is a native plant species that is abundant along many trails. Posion sumac is a native plant species that is confined to few wetlands in the park. Poison Hemlock: Phytophotodermititus: Sap from inside the plant makes skin highly susceptible to UV damage from sunlight and can cause painful blisters and chemical burns. This invasive plant species can be 5-12 feet tall, has white flowers, and is common in disturbed areas along roads and trails. This plant is locally abundant along the newly paved portion of the Marquette Greenway Trail through the City of Portage and the Town of Burns Harbor. Avoid breaking plant stems or leaves to avoid sap.