About • Location • Activities • Ecology
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Overview |
Leif Mountain is a The Nature Conservancy preserve in Kandiyohi County. Its 800 acres protect a diverse mix of habitats including wet, mesic, and dry prairies, oak forest, cattail marsh, and three lakes. There are three parking areas on Leif Mountain (see map above) giving access to three very different areas, and visitors should consider exploring all three. The south parking area is on 47 acres that includes about 20 acres of wet and mesic prairie, a 1-acre pond and cattail marsh, and a 2-acre pond. The remainder of this section is cattail marsh. A narrow dry land bridge leads to a wooded peninsula jutting into the marsh south of Section Twelve Lake. Access from the south area to the rest of the preserve is blocked by the lake and by cattail marsh. The southwest parking area is on 27 acres. It includes two native plant communities, 2½ acres of Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) and 1½ acres of Mesic Prairie (Southern), and 5 acres of mixed woodland and wet and mesic prairies. The remainder of the area is cattail marsh. The west parking area is on about 340 acres. It includes two unnamed lakes, 80 acres of Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern), 13½ acres of Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest, and a mix of mesic prairie, wet prairie, and cattail marsh. The high quality forest has common and rare woodland species not found other places on the preserve. Several species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on Leif Mountain, including American White Pelican, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, regal fritillary, and American ginseng. |
History |
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Management |
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Comments |
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Activities |
Hiking, nature photography, Birding |
Hiking Trails |
No maintained trails |
Hunting |
No hunting |
Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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Ecological Province | Prairie Parkland Province |
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Ecological Section | North Central Glaciated Plains |
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Ecological Subsection | Minnesota River Prairie |
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Land Type Association | Gilchrist Moraine |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest Cattail Marsh (Prairie) Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) Mesic Prairie (Southern) Sedge Meadow |
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* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
South Parking |
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The Nature Conservancy Sign |
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West Parking |
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Prairie and Marsh |
Pond | |
Section Twelve Lake from the South |
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Section Twelve Lake from the Southwest |
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Cattail Marsh from the South |
Cattail Marsh from the Southwest |
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Southwest Mixed Prairie |
Wooded Peninsula |
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West Prairie |
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Slideshows |
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Other Videos |
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Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
8/3/2011 9/3/2016 |
Amphibians |
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northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) |
Bacteria, Viruses, and Other Pathogens |
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apical chlorosis of Canada thistle (Pst) (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tagetis) |
Birds |
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American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) |
Fungi and Lichens |
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Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa) Common Greenshield Lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata) Gold Dust Lichen (Chrysothrix candelaris) Mossy Maze Polypore (Cerrena unicolor) |
Insects and Arachnids |
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autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) common green darner (Anax junius) dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis) eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme) sword-bearing conehead (Neoconocephalus ensiger) western honey bee (Apis mellifera) white snakeroot leaf miner (Liriomyza eupatoriella) |
Mammals |
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American beaver (Castor canadensis) eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) |
Plants |
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Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List |
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Plants frequently found in: Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest MHs38b Cattail Marsh (Prairie) MRp83b Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) UPs13b |
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alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa) American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus) American common reed (Phragmites australis ssp. americanus) American elm (Ulmus americana) American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya) American plum (Prunus americana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) American woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca ssp. americana) balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) Bebb’s willow (Salix bebbiana) big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) Bigelow’s bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix var. bigeloviana) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) blue giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) Blue Ridge carrionflower (Smilax lasioneura) blue vervain (Verbena hastata) bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bracted vervain (Verbena bracteata) broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia) bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense) Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis) Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis) Canadian tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense) candle anemone (Anemone cylindrica) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) clammy groundcherry (Physalis heterophylla) clustered black snakeroot (Sanicula odorata) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common duckweed (Lemna minor) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common plantain (Plantago major) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common selfheal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) dark green bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) devil’s beggarticks (Bidens frondosa) dotted blazing star (Liatris punctata var. punctata) downy Parlin’s pussytoes (Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax) early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) field pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) field sagewort (Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata) fireberry hawthorn (Crataegus chrysocarpa var. chrysocarpa) flat-topped aster (Doellingeria umbellata) Flodman’s thistle (Cirsium flodmanii) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica var. siphilitica) Great Plains ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) green foxtail (Setaria viridis var. viridis) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida) heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera) hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) large yellow lady’s slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens) large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) large-leaved avens (Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum) late goldenrod (Solidago altissima) lesser clearweed (Pilea fontana) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa) marsh muhly (Muhlenbergia racemosa) mat muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) nodding bur marigold (Bidens cernua) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern bugleweed (Lycopus uniflorus) northern plains blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis) northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) northern water plantain (Alisma triviale) panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum) peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides) perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides ssp. acanthoides) pointed-leaved tick-trefoil (Hylodesmum glutinosum) poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya var. pycnostachya) prairie cordgrass (Sporobolus michauxianus) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides) prairie lettuce (Lactuca ludoviciana) purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) purple rattlesnake root (Nabalus racemosus) purple-stem aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) redtop (Agrostis gigantea) reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) roadside agrimony (Agrimonia striata) rough barnyard grass (Echinochloa muricata) rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica) rough oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra) sandbar willow (Salix interior) showy goldenrod species complex (Solidago speciosa complex) sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula) silky aster (Symphyotrichum sericeum) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) slender willow (Salix petiolaris) smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) smooth scouring rush (Equisetum laevigatum) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) soft-stem bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) spotted Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum) spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos) spotted lady’s thumb (Persicaria maculosa) starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus) sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) swamp betony (Pedicularis lanceolata) swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata) timothy (Phleum pratense ssp. pratense) twoleaf miterwort (Mitella diphylla) upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata) variegated yellow pond lily (Nuphar variegata) Virginia groundcherry (Physalis virginiana var. virginiana) Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia) western marbleseed (Lithospermum occidentale) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides) white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) white vervain (Verbena urticifolia) whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)
Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Actaea rubra ssp. rubra (red baneberry) Agastache foeniculum (blue giant hyssop) Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot) Agrimonia striata (roadside agrimony) Agrostis gigantea (redtop) Alisma triviale (northern water plantain) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed) Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut) Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem) Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone) Anemone cylindrica (candle anemone) Antennaria neglecta (field pussytoes) Antennaria parlinii ssp. fallax (downy Parlin’s pussytoes) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (field sagewort) Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage) Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed) Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis (Canadian milkvetch) Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum) Bidens cernua (nodding bur marigold) Bidens frondosa (devil’s beggarticks) Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula (sideoats grama) Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) Campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower) Carduus acanthoides (plumeless thistle) Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos (spotted knapweed) Cirsium flodmanii (Flodman’s thistle) Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood) Crataegus chrysocarpa var. chrysocarpa (fireberry hawthorn) Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort) Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (large yellow lady’s slipper) Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover) Desmodium canadense (Canadian tick-trefoil) Doellingeria umbellata (flat-topped aster) Echinacea angustifolia (narrow-leaved purple coneflower) Echinochloa muricata (rough barnyard grass) Elymus hystrix var. bigeloviana (Bigelow’s bottlebrush grass) Equisetum laevigatum (smooth scouring rush) Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed) Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane) Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (common boneset) Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) Eutrochium maculatum (spotted Joe Pye weed) Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (American woodland strawberry) Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw) Gentiana andrewsii (bottle gentian) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum (large-leaved avens) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Glycyrrhiza lepidota (wild licorice) Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed) Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian’s sunflower) Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus (stiff sunflower) Helianthus tuberosus (Jerusalem artichoke) Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra (rough oxeye) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Hylodesmum glutinosum (pointed-leaved tick-trefoil) Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar) Lactuca ludoviciana (prairie lettuce) Lemna minor (common duckweed) Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort) Liatris aspera (rough blazing star) Liatris ligulistylis (northern plains blazing star) Liatris punctata var. punctata (dotted blazing star) Liatris pycnostachya var. pycnostachya (prairie blazing star) Lithospermum occidentale (western marbleseed) Lobelia siphilitica var. siphilitica (great blue lobelia) Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle) Lycopus americanus (American bugleweed) Lycopus uniflorus (northern bugleweed) Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Mitella diphylla (twoleaf miterwort) Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) Muhlenbergia racemosa (maidenhair spleenwort) Muhlenbergia richardsonis (mat muhly) Nabalus racemosus (purple rattlesnake root) Nuphar variegata (variegated yellow pond lily) Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam) Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine) Pedicularis lanceolata (swamp betony) Persicaria amphibia (water smartweed) Persicaria maculosa (spotted lady’s thumb) Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Phleum pratense ssp. pratense (timothy) Phragmites australis ssp. americanus (American common reed) Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed) Physalis heterophylla (clammy groundcherry) Physalis virginiana var. virginiana (Virginia groundcherry) Pilea fontana (lesser clearweed) Plantago major (common plantain) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Potentilla norvegica (rough cinquefoil) Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil) Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris (common selfheal) Prunus americana (American plum) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Ratibida pinnata (gray-headed coneflower) Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead) Salix amygdaloides (peachleaf willow) Salix bebbiana (Bebb’s willow) Salix interior (sandbar willow) Salix petiolaris (slender willow) Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) Sanicula odorata (clustered black snakeroot) Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (soft-stem bulrush) Scirpus atrovirens (dark green bulrush) Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort) Setaria faberi (giant foxtail) Setaria pumila ssp. pumila (yellow foxtail) Setaria viridis var. viridis (green foxtail) Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower) Smilax lasioneura (Blue Ridge carrionflower) Solidago altissima (late goldenrod) Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod) Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod) Solidago hispida (hairy goldenrod) Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod) Solidago ptarmicoides (prairie goldenrod) Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod) Solidago speciosa complex (showy goldenrod species complex) Sonchus arvensis (perennial sow thistle) Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) Spiranthes magnicamporum (Great Plains ladies’ tresses) Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed) Sporobolus michauxianus (prairie cordgrass) Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry) Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides (white heath aster) Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth blue aster) Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (panicled aster) Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster) Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum (purple-stem aster) Symphyotrichum sericeum (silky aster) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue) Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail) Typha x glauca (hybrid cattail) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Verbena bracteata (bracted vervain) Verbena hastata (blue vervain) Verbena stricta (hoary vervain) Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) Viola sororia (common blue violet) |
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