Vegetation composition of prairie creation, old-field, and meadow sites in Hamilton, Ontario (2020)

Vegetation composition was surveyed in early June 2020 at five sites in the Hamilton, Ontario region, Canada. Surveys were conducted within fixed 50 x 50 m plots corresponding spatially to standardized bee survey locations sampled between 2014 and 2016. Vegetation was sampled using replicated 1 m2 quadrats randomly selected within each plot, with 15 quadrats per site and 75 quadrats in total. All vascular plants and bryophytes within quadrats were identified to species or morphospecies, and percent cover was estimated using the Pfister cover class scale. Additional plant species observed within survey plots but outside quadrats were also recorded to supplement site level species richness. For data publication, percent cover values are reported as midpoint estimates derived from Pfister cover class bins. The dataset provides standardized site level vegetation composition and structure following the completion of bee sampling and represents realized vegetation state at the time of survey.