Minnesota Seasons - Myre-Big Island State Park


Myre-Big Island State Park

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			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.

Hunting	No hunting.

Ecological Classification	Province	Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
	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

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Park Entrance



Amphibians

	American toad (Bufo americanus) northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

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)

Fungi

	Hawthorn Rust (Gymnosporangium globosum)

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)

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.

	Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis canadensis) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) woodchuck (Marmota monax)

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) Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) curly dock (Rumex 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) 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) late goldenrod (Solidago altissima) 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 dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum var. terebinthinaceum) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) prairie ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata ssp. fasciculata) prairie lettuce (Lactuca ludoviciana) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) purple rattlesnake root (Nabalus racemosus) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota ssp. carota) rattlesnake fern (Botrypus virginianus) 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 (Anemone acutiloba) silky dogwood (Cornus obliqua) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) small-spike false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) 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 (Solidago rigida) stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus) stinging nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) swamp smartweed (Polygonum amphibium var. emersum) 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 lactea var. lactea) 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)

Reptiles

	common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina var. serpentina) eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii)

Visits	3/29/2000 4/22/2000 8/31/2000 5/24/2009 8/25/2011