Elk Lick Falls, the 61-foot waterfall at the junction of Kettle Springs Branch and Falls Branch includes one of the largest known surface deposits of tufa in the eastern United States. Tufa is a porous sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate and is more common in areas with karst topography, such as the Inner Bluegrass. Groundwater flowing through seeps and springs becomes mineral laden due to the surrounding limestone. When this water comes to the surface and flows over Elk Lick Falls, some of the minerals precipitate out to form deposits that are similar to the stalactites and stalagmites found in caves.
Another geological feature, the Elk Lick graben, is visible at the confluence of Falls Branch and Elk Lick Creek. A graben is a depression between two faults and such formations often contain saline-sulfur groundwater that can bubble up through the faults to create the conditions for a salt lick. There are no known licks in the Elk Lick area today, but the graben at Floracliff could be a probable location for a lick that has since dried up.
Floracliff is located within the Central Hardwoods Forest region that historically covered much of western and central Kentucky, western and central Tennessee, southwestern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and southern Missouri. The sanctuary’s intact and maturing mixed hardwood forest results from its fertile limestone-derived soils, topography, and land use history. While the forests on the steep slopes were heavily logged after European settlement, they were never cleared for pasture, farming, and settlement like much of the surrounding Bluegrass region.
Today the gorges support a wide variety of native plants and animals. The forest overstory is comprised of sugar maple, northern red oak, Shumard oak, white ash, blue ash, bitternut hickory, shagbark hickory, Ohio buckeye, and others. Chinkapin oaks dating to the 1600s remain on south-west facing slopes throughout the sanctuary. In addition to spring ephemeral wildflowers, the understory includes flowering dogwood, ironwood, spicebush, bladdernut, and pawpaw. This sheltered forest provides important habitat for migratory birds, as well as elusive mammals like eastern bobcats and Allegheny woodrats.
In contrast to the gorges, the sanctuary’s uplands and river bottomlands were mostly cleared and farmed before Dr. Wharton acquired the land. Since then, the uplands have grown into a young forest of eastern red cedar, Osage orange, black cherry, black walnut, white ash, American elm, and honey locust. Old farm ponds provide breeding sites for native frogs and salamanders. Small streams in this area do not support fish, making them ideal sites for streamside and spring salamanders. The upland forest of the Camp Trail’s End tract was not cleared as recently as other areas and is dominated by mature oaks, hickories, and black walnuts. Along the Kentucky River floodplain, silver maple, sycamore, and boxelder are prevalent. Near the mouth of Elk Lick Creek, one may encounter prothonotary warblers, wood ducks, and signs of beaver activity.
While over 90% of the sanctuary is forested, there are open habitats that contribute to Floracliff’s biodiversity. An upland limestone outcrop provides a sunny habitat for hispid false mallow (Malvastrum hispidum), a state threatened species. The thin, rocky soils here also support prickly pear, false pennyroyal, dwarf hackberry, and eastern redcedar. Floracliff staff also manage two grassland areas. On the west side of the sanctuary is an old field dominated by Canada goldenrod, wild bergamot, and common milkweed. Near the Nature Center, a pollinator field has been seeded with a variety of wildflowers and grasses for songbirds, bees, butterflies, and more.
Floracliff’s land is protected by a Kentucky State Nature Preserve dedication and a Kentucky Heritage Land conservation easement. These legal protections safeguard the land from development and resource extraction, but they cannot fully protect the sanctuary from ecological threats. Within the small watershed of Elk Lick Creek are a variety of land uses that can impact water quality, including I-75, a limestone quarry, a water treatment plant, farmland, and residential tracts. To monitor potential impacts of these land uses, Floracliff staff survey the aquatic biodiversity and collect water samples multiple times a year.
The plant communities of Floracliff have been greatly altered by the invasion of exotic plants, especially Amur honeysuckle and garlic mustard. Both were introduced to our region decades ago. In recent years, Callery pear, star-of-Bethlehem, and other invasive plants have found their way to the sanctuary. Much of Floracliff’s ongoing restoration effort is devoted to controlling established invasive plants and monitoring for new invasive threats. In addition to invasive plants, the forest has also been impacted by an invasive beetle, the emerald ash borer. While Floracliff has treated and protected over 100 white and blue ash trees in priority areas, many more have been lost to EAB.
Climate change impacts to the sanctuary are becoming more prevalent due to the increased frequency of strong storms, flooding, drought, and warming temperatures. Strong winds and ice storms are causing tree falls and tree crown damage. Heavy precipitation is causing landslides. Flash floods are displacing aquatic life. Droughts are causing plant stress, and warming temperatures are affecting the seasonal cycles of both plants and animals. As these impacts continue and accelerate, it will be increasingly important to monitor changes, promote biodiversity, and manage the forest for climate adaptation.