The coastal counties of Northwest Indiana are home to diverse
assemblages of plants representing not only the Eastern
Deciduous (Central Hardwood) Forest Flora, but also the Boreal
(North Woods) Flora from a cooler glacial period about 15,000
years ago, the Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora which migrated here
during the interglacial periods, and the Prairie Flora which is
an eastward extension, the Prairie Peninsula, of the vast, dry
prairies that covered areas such as Iowa and Illinois. These
floras helped give Northwest Indiana the highest biodiversity
index in the state.

Aside from their ecological and aesthetic values, many of
these plants have a growing importance in providing
therapeutic compounds for many fields of medicine. Through
its Eco-Diversity Program, the LPCCT has acquired and
established preserves like Wintergreen Woods (a Boreal
ecosystem) to permanently maintain this biodiversity.
The LPCCT has also been instrumental in aiding other entities,
like the La Porte County Park & Recreation Department in their
similar preservation efforts at Red Mill County Park, Creek
Ridge County Parks, and elsewhere in the county. It is the
goal of the LPCCT to establish a preserve to represent each
major ecosystem native to La Porte County.

Check out the amazing number of bird species observed at
Ridgway Wetland Here