Editing Mackinac Island (section)

=== Nature ===
[[File:Blue Jay-27527.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A blue jay, a small bird with blue feathers.|A blue jay, one of Mackinac Island's resident birds]]

Mackinac Island contains a wide variety of terrain, including fields, marshes, bogs, coastline, [[boreal forest]], and limestone formations. The environment is legally preserved on the island by the State Historic Park designation. About half of the shoreline and adjacent waters off Mackinac Island, including the harbor (Haldimand Bay) and the southern and western shore from Mission Point to Pointe aux Pins, is protected as part of the [[Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve]], a state [[marine park]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Dan Holden |title=Mackinac Straits |work=Diver Magazine |date=September 1999 |url=http://divermag.com/archives/sept99/mackinac_sep99.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620215815/http://divermag.com/archives/sept99/mackinac_sep99.html |archive-date=June 20, 2006 |access-date=May 23, 2007}}</ref>
As it is separated from the mainland by 3<!--statue-->&nbsp;miles (4.8&nbsp;km) of water, few large [[mammal]]s inhabit the island, except those that traverse the ice during the winter months. Rabbits, fox, raccoons, otters, mink, gray and red squirrels, and chipmunks are all common, as are the occasional beaver and coyote.<ref name="Coyote">{{cite web |title=Coyote Population Begins To Cause Concern on Mackinac Island |last1=Gould|first1=Karen|work=[[St. Ignace News]] |url=http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2006/1026/News/100.html |access-date=April 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502011007/http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2006/1026/News/100.html |archive-date=May 2, 2009}}</ref> [[Bat]]s are abundant on the island, as it has numerous caves that serve as dwellings for them and a large insect population for the bats to prey on.<ref>{{cite book|page=240|title=Adventure Guide to Michigan|last1=Hillstrom|first1=Kevin|last2=Hillstrom|first2=Laurie Collier|year=1998|publisher=Hunter Publishing|isbn=9781556508202}}</ref>

The island is frequented by migratory birds on their trips between their summer and winter habitats, as it lies on a major migration route.<ref>{{cite book|page=60|title=Explore Michigan: Mackinac|last1=Cantor|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=9780472031115}}</ref> [[Eagle]]s and [[hawk]]s are abundant in April and May, while smaller birds such as [[yellow warbler]]s, [[American redstart]], and [[indigo bunting]] are more common in early summer. Near the shoreline, [[gulls]], [[herons]], [[geese]], and [[loon]]s are common. Owls, including [[snowy owl]]s and [[great grey owl]]s, come to the island from the Arctic to hunt in the warmer climate. Other birds, such as [[chickadees]], [[northern cardinal|cardinals]], [[blue jay]]s, and [[woodpecker]]s, live on the island year-round. [[Toads]] have also been found.<ref name="ecology">{{cite web |last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=Ecosystem |publisher=MackinacIsland.org |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/ecosystem.html |access-date=May 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515092706/http://www.mackinacisland.org/ecosystem.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=May 15, 2007}}</ref>

Mackinac Island contains over 600 species of [[vascular plants]]. Flowering plants and wildflowers are abundant, including [[trillium]], lady slippers, forget-me-nots, violets, [[trout lily]], [[spring beauty]], [[hepatica]], [[buttercup]]s, and [[hawkweed]]s in the forests and [[orchids]], [[fringed gentian]], butter-and-eggs, and [[Arisaema triphyllum|jack-in-the-pulpit]] along the shoreline. The island's forests are home to many varieties of trees, such as [[maple]], [[birch]], [[elm]], [[Cedrus|cedar]], [[pine]], and [[spruce]].<ref name="ecology"/>

{{wide image|MarquetteParkMI.png|900px|[[Marquette Park (Mackinac Island)|Marquette Park]] on Mackinac Island|alt=A panoramic view of a park. To the left is a rocky cliff. A wide green space, named Marquette Park, can be seen in the foreground. Ships are docked in a harbor in the background, and another island is visible in the distance.}}