Great Lakes dunes make up one of Earth’s largest freshwater dune systems. Found near all five of the Great Lakes. the dunes are part of highly dynamic landscapes where plants and animals interact with wind, water, and sand
Coastal dune plant communities begin to form when hardy pioneer vegetation, such as marram grass, traps and holds sand particles carried ashore by wind and water. In time, more plants take root, and they in turn support a wide variety of insects, mammals, and other wildlife. Numerous birds, including endangered piping plovers, have found a summer haven at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the area featured on the stamp pane.
Named for a huge dune formation that vaguely resembles a sleeping bear, the National Lakeshore encompasses thousands of acres on the northeast shore of Lake Michigan and two nearby islands. Among the counties dune formations are spectacular “perched dunes.” sand deposited by wind atop steep coastal bluffs.
