Myre-Big Island State Park

 

Myre-Big Island State Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More photos…

 

 

Area and County

 

 

 

Freeborn County

 

 

 

 

 


Size

2,028 acres

 
 
Maps

Minnesota DNR Summer Map

 
Park Office N43 38.237 W93 18.537
 
Hiking Trails

16 miles
8¼ miles interpretive trail
A ½ mile handicapped accessible trail leads from the picnic area to the campgrounds.

The paved Blazing Star State Trail, still under development, passes through the park.


Ecological Classification

Province

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

Ecological Classification

Section

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

Subsection(s)

Oak Savanna

Land Type Association(s)

Lemond Moraine

Lerdal Moriane

 
Native Plant Communities1

Elm - Basswood - Black Ash - (Hackberry) Forest

Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland

Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest

Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest

Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest


Ownership

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

 
Links

Minnesota DNR


Comments

 


Images  
Park Entrance Myre-Big Island State Park            
               
  Myre-Big Island State Park   Myre-Big Island State Park   Myre-Big Island State Park   Myre-Big Island State Park

Amphibians

 

 
 

American toad (Bufo americanus)

northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

American toad


Birds

A printed bird list is available at the park office.

Minnesota DNR Bird Checklist

 
 

American black duck (Anas rubripes)

American coot (Fulica americana)

American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

American robin (Turdus migratorius)

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

bank swallow (Riparia riparia)

black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

blue-winged teal (Anas discors)

bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater)

bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Canada goose (Branta canadensis)

cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna)

European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

field sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

great blue heron (Ardea herodias)

great egret (Ardea alba)

green heron (Butorides virescens)

green-winged teal (Anas crecca)

hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

lesser scaup (Aythya affinis)

long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

northern shoveler (Anas clypeata)

red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)

ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris)

ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

song sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus)

white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

wood duck (Aix sponsa)

yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata)

American coot

 

 

 

 

American goldfinch

 

 

 

 

American robin

 

 

 

 

blue jay

 

 

 

 

Canada goose

 

 

 

 

double-crested cormorant

 

 

 

 

 

 

European starling

 

 

 

 

gray catbird

 

 

 

 

great egret

 

 

 

 

mourning dove

 

 

 

 

red-winged blackbird

 

 

 

 

wild turkey


Insects and Arachnids

 

 
 

black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

cabbage white (Pieris rapae)

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

common green darner (Anax junius)

dog day cicada (Tibicen canicularis)

eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)

common green darner

 

 

 

 

monarch

 

 

 

 

twelve-spotted skimmer


Mammals

Along with those listed below, northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) are some of the mammals that can be found here.

 
 

American beaver (Castor canadensis)

eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

woodchuck (Marmota monax)

eastern gray squirrel

Plants

A printed list of currently blooming flowers is available at the park office.


Plants frequently found in:

Elm - Basswood - Black Ash - (Hackberry) Forest MHs49a

Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland FDs37b

Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest MHs38c

Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest MHs38

Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest MHs39a

 
 

American basswood (Tilia americana)

American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus)

American elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American germander (Teucrium canadense var. canadense)

American hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa)

amur maple (Acer ginnala)

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus)

bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis)

black bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus)

black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina)

black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

black walnut (Juglans nigra)

black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

blue vervain (Verbena hastata var. hastata)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

bristly foxtail (Setaria verticillata)

bristly locust (Robinia hispida var. hispida)

broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis)

broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia)

brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba var. triloba)

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

butternut (Juglans cinerea)

Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala)

common blue violet (Viola sororia)

common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

common burdock (Arctium minus)

common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale)

common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)

common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum)

common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

common mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

common plantain (Plantago major)

common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

compass plant (Silphium laciniatum var. laciniatum)

Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

curly dock (Rumex crispus ssp. crispus)

curlytop knotweed (Persicaria lapathifolia)

cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

desert false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)

downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis)

downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens var. pubescens)

Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata)

eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum)

eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana)

elm-leaved goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia)

false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides var. occidentalis)

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

field thistle (Cirsium discolor)

garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

giant foxtail (Setaria faberi)

giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida var. trifida)

golden alexanders (Zizia aurea)

grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia var. graminifolia)

gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica var. ludoviciana)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

hairy sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus)

hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium ssp. angulata)

honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

ironwood (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

jumpseed (Polygonum virginianum)

lance selfheal (Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata)

Maryland black snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica)

Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia)

narrow-leaved hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum)

northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

paleleaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)

plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera)

prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya var. pycnostachya)

prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)

prairie ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata ssp. fasciculata)

prairie lettuce (Lactuca ludoviciana)

purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea)

purple rattlesnake root (Prenanthes racemosa)

prairie rosinweed (Silphium terebinthinaceum var. terebinthinaceum)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota ssp. carota)

rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum)

red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra)

red clover (Trifolium pratense)

red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea)

rough bedstraw (Galium asprellum)

rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)

round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata)

sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)

sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. acuta)

silky dogwood (Cornus obliqua)

silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

smooth yellow violet (Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula)

soft agrimony (Agrimonia pubescens)

spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)

spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta)

starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)

stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus)

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis)

sugar maple (Acer saccharum var. saccharum)

swamp smartweed (Polygonum amphibium var. emersum)

tall goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. scabra)

Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

timothy (Phleum pratense)

tuberous Indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum)

upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata)

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)

Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica var. virginica)

Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana)

Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum)

white avens (Geum canadense var. canadense)

white clover (Trifolium repens)

white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida)

white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana)

white spruce (Picea glauca)

white trout lily (Erythronium albidum)

white wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla)

wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa var. mollis)

wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii)

wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)

wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)

wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia var. quinquefolia)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

yellowish gentian (Gentiana alba)

American elderberry

 

 

 

 

big bluestem

 

 

 

 

black cherry

 

 

 

 

black raspberry

 

 

 

 

black-eyed Susan

 

 

 

 

broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade

 

 

 

 

bur oak

 

 

 

 

Canada wildrye

 

 

 

 

common blue violet

 

 

 

 

common evening primrose

 

 

 

 

common false Solomon’s seal

 

 

 

 

common mullein

 

 

 

 

compass plant

 

 

 

 

Culver’s root

 

 

 

 

eastern false rue anemone

 

 

 

 

false sunflower

 

 

 

 

giant foxtail

 

 

 

 

gray dogwood

 

 

 

 

gray-headed coneflower

 

 

 

 

hedge bindweed

 

 

 

 

Morrow’s honeysuckle

 

 

 

 

nannyberry

 

 

 

 

orange daylily

 

 

 

 

paleleaf woodland sunflower

 

 

 

 

prairie ironweed

 

 

 

 

purple prairie clover

 

 

 

 

Queen Anne’s lace

 

 

 

 

red baneberry

 

 

 

 

round-headed bush clover

 

 

 

 

sharp-lobed hepatica

 

 

 

 

smooth sumac

 

 

 

 

smooth yellow violet

 

 

 

 

stiff sunflower (ssp. subrhomboideus)

 

 

 

 

upright carrionflower

 

 

 

 

Virginia spring beauty

 

 

 

 

Virginia spring beauty

 

 

 

 

white wild indigo

 

 

 

 

wild geranium

 

 

 

 

wild parsnip

 

 

 

 

wood anemone

 

 

 

 

yellow wood sorrel


Reptiles

 

 
 

common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina var. serpentina)

eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)

western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii)

common snapping turtle

  1. Source: Minnesota County Biological Survey

Visits

3/29/2000

4/22/2000

8/31/2000

5/24/2009

8/25/2011

   
               

 

Last Updated:

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