Hemmer Woods Nature Preserve

This old-growth woods is a portion of the forest which originally covered southwestern Indiana. The larger upland section supports oak-hickory forest, with white oak and black oak as dominant trees. There are also large specimens of white ash, red oak, and sassafras, along with pignut, small-fruited and shagbark hickories. The bottomland has sweetgum, tulip, river birch, sycamore, wild black cherry, and mixed oaks. The strong southern influences on this woods are particularly evident in the bottomland area. Hemmer is one of the best examples of a woods with southern affinities in the preserve system. Because of the outstanding natural communities present here, the woods has been registered as a National Natural Landmark.