Minnesota Seasons - Beaver Creek Valley State Park


Beaver Creek Valley State Park

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			Houston County




Size	1,187 acres

Maps	Minnesota DNR Summer Map

Park Office	N43 38.664 W91 34.737

Hiking Trails	8 miles

Ecological Classification	Province	Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
	Section	Paleozoic Plateau
	Subsection(s)	The Blufflands
	Land Type Association(s)	Alluvial Plain Altura Ridgetops Brownsville Slopes Caledonia Ridgetops Elba Slopes

Native Plant Communities¹	Algific Talus: Dolomite Subtype Black Ash - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Blue Beech) Seepage Swamp Dry Bedrock Bluff Prairie (Southern) Elm - Basswood - Black Ash - (Blue Beech) Forest Mesic Limestone - Dolomite Cliff (Southern) Mesic Sandstone Cliff (Southern) Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Red Oak - White Oak - (Sugar Maple) Forest Southern Dry Cliff Southern Mesic Cliff Sugar Maple - Basswood - Red Oak - (Blue Beech) Forest

Ownership	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Links	Minnesota DNR

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Birds	Three bird species with protected status in Minnesota are found here: Special concern – acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea), Louisiana waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla) Other birds seen in this park, along with those birds listed below, include blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea), tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) Minnesota DNR Bird Checklist

	American black duck (Anas rubripes) American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) American robin (Turdus migratorius) black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) veery (Catharus fuscescens) white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Fungi

	scarlet cup (Sarcoscypha austriaca)

Insects and Arachnids

	American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) Green Blowfly (Lucilia sp.) margined carrion beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense) mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Mammals	Coyote (Canis latrans) can be seen here.

	eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants	Other plants found here, along with those listed below, include Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), and onerow yellowcress (Rorippa microphylla). Black ash (Fraxinus nigra), black walnut (Juglans nigra), and boxelder (Acer negundo) are some of the other trees found here.

	American basswood (Tilia americana) American cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) American elm (Ulmus americana) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blue vervain (Verbena hastata) bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus var. nitidus) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. canadensis) Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) common burdock (Arctium minus) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum) eastern prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) Greek valerian (Polemonium reptans var. reptans) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) ironwood (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) paper birch (Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota ssp. carota) rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) scouring rush horsetail (Equisetum hyemale var. affine) sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. acuta) showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) showy orchis (Galearis spectabilis) silvergreen bryum moss (Bryum argenteum) spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata var. maculata) Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica var. virginica) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) white oak (Quercus alba) wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris) yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris var. palustris)

Reptiles	Two reptile species with protected status in Minnesota are found here: Special concern – American five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) Threatened – timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

	eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)

Source: Minnesota County Biological Survey
Visits	5/22/1999 4/3/2009 4/11/2009