Minnesota Seasons - Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area


Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area

County	Washington
GPS	North Parking:N44 48.051 W92 57.876 South Parking: N44 47.396 W92 57.313
Size	237 acres
Habitat	Riverine forest, hill prairie, mesic prairie, sand barrens dry prairie
Hiking Trails	Well-worn footpaths attest to heavy use of the site.

Links	Minnesota DNR

Comments

Images	Click on an image for a larger view.

	North parking


	South parking






Birds	Horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) and orchard oriole (Icterus spurius) nest here. Black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) have also been seen here. Minnesota DNR Bird List

	black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) great blue heron (Ardea herodias) mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) osprey (Pandion haliaetus) wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)


Fungi

	gray false death cap (Amanita citrina f. mappa)


Insects

	black and yellow mud dauber (Sceliphron caementarium) Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) common green darner (Anax junius) coral-winged grasshopper (Pardalophora apiculata) dog day cicada (Tibicen canicularis) eastern daddy-long-legs (Phalangium opilio) migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) monarch (Danaus plexippus) potter wasp (Eumenes fraternus) red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum)


Plants	Four plant species with protected status in Minnesota are found here: Special concern – seaside three-awn (Aristida tuberculosa), purple sand grass (Triplasis purpurea), Hill’s thistle (Cirsium hillii), Louisiana broomrape (Orobanche ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) Other plants that can be seen here along with those listed below, include prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata), prairie larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum ssp. virescens), prairie smoke (Geum triflorum var. triflorum), and winged pigweed (Cycloloma atriplicifolium). Minnesota DNR Plant List

	absinth wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) American basswood (Tilia americana) big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) black bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) boxelder (Acer negundo) bracted spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris) Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. canadensis) Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis var. canadensis) catnip (Nepeta cataria) clammy groundcherry (Physalis heterophylla var. heterophylla) Cleland’s evening primrose (Oenothera clelandii) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium var. millefolium) curly-cup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa) early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) grayleaf red raspberry (Rubus strigosus) green amaranth (Amaranthus hybridus) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) green foxtail (Setaria viridis var. viridis) hairy false golden aster (Heterotheca villosa) heart-leaved four o’clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) Illinois tick trefoil (Desmodium illinoense) Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) large-flowered beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus) leadplant (Amorpha canescens) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium) long-spine sandbur (Cenchrus longispinus) marijuana (Cannabis sativa) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard (Crepis tectorum) narrow-leaved hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) Pennsylvania smartweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) plains snake-cotton (Froelichia floridana var. campestris) prairie rose (Rosa arkansana) prairie sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris ssp. petiolaris) purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) rabbit’s foot clover (Trifolium arvense) rabbit-tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium) red clover (Trifolium pratense) rough blazing star (Liatris aspera var. intermedia) rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica ssp. monspeliensis) rough cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) rough false pennyroyal (Hedeoma hispida) round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) showy partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata) silky aster (Symphyotrichum sericeum) silky prairie clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) smooth scouring rush (Equisetum laevigatum) spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta) starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) stiffleaf false golden aster (Heterotheca stenophylla var. angustifolia) tall cinquefoil (Potentilla arguta ssp. arguta) Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) velvet-leaf (Abutilon theophrasti) Virginia groundcherry (Physalis virginiana var. virginiana) western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) wild grape (Vitis riparia) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) woolly plantain (Plantago patagonica) yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)


Reptiles	Blue racer (Coluber constrictor), a Minnesota special concern species, and prairie skink (Eumeces septentrionalis) can be found here.




Visits	8/12/2000 9/13/2009