Oronoco Prairie
Scientific and Natural Area

       
County

Olmsted

  Olmsted County
GPS

N44 08.380
W92 29.325

 
Size

80 acres

 
Habitat

Dry gravel prairie and bedrock bluff prairie, boxelder and quaking aspen woodland

Hiking Trails

None


Links

Minnesota DNR


Comments

 


Images Click on an image for a larger view.
  Oronoco Prairie SNA   Oronoco Prairie SNA   Oronoco Prairie SNA    
               

Birds

 

 
 

American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

American robin (Turdus migratorius)

black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis)

eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

field sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)

wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

American goldfinch

 

 

 

 

 

American robin

 

 

 

 

 

mourning dove

     

Fungi

 

 
 

black knot (Apiosporina morbosa)

black knot
     

Insects and Arachnids

 

 
 

American dog tick (Dermacentor variablis)

Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)

Atlantis fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)

common green darner (Anax junius)

common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala nephala)

dog day cicada (Tibicen canicularis)

eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum)

eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus)

great black wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

the neighbor (Haploa contigua)

twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)

common green darner

 

 

 

 

 

monarch

 

 

 

 

 

twelve-spotted skimmer

 

     

Mammals

 

 
 

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

 
     

Plants

Five plant species with protected status in Minnesota are found here:

Threatened – edible valerian (Valeriana edulis var. ciliata), tuberous Indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum)

Special concern – white wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla), Hill’s thistle (Cirsium hillii), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium)

Some of the grasses found here, along with those listed below, are prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium), porcupine grass (Stipa spartea), and two species of panic grass.

Minnesota DNR Plant List

 
 

alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa)

alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American germander (Teucrium canadense)

annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

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

black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina)

black medick (Medicago lupulina)

black oak (Quercus velutina)

black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

boxelder (Acer negundo)

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

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior)

Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Canadian black snakeroot (Sanicula canadensis)

Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis)

candle anemone (Anemone cylindrica)

chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana)

clammy groundcherry (Physalis heterophylla var. heterophylla)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

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 milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

common mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

compass plant (Silphium laciniatum var. laciniatum)

curly dock (Rumex crispus ssp. crispus)

cylindric blazing star (Liatris cylindracea)

downy phlox (Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgida)

eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana)

common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)

false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides var. occidentalis)

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

field pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta)

field sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis)

field thistle (Cirsium discolor)

flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata)

giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida var. trifida)

giant sunflower (Helianthus giganteus)

gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)

gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

great St. Johnswort (Hypericum ascyron)

green foxtail (Setaria viridis var. viridis)

harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

heal-all (Prunella vulgaris)

heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera)

hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium ssp. angulata)

hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana)

hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)

hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)

Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis ssp. pratensis)

kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus)

leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

pale dock (Rumex altissimus)

paleleaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)

plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

prairie blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)

prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)

prairie rose (Rosa arkansana)

purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

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

rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium)

red clover (Trifolium pratense)

rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)

rough-fruited cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)

showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula)

sleepy catchfly (Silene antirrhina)

smooth hedge nettle (Stachys tenuifolia var. tenuifolia)

smooth scouring rush (Equisetum laevigatum)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)

stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus)

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis)

tall goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. scabra)

Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

timothy (Phleum Pratense)

toothed evening primrose (Calylophus serrulatus)

tower mustard (Arabis glabra)

Virginia groundcherry (Physalis virginiana var. virginiana)

Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana)

white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba)

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 wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla)

whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius)

yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

yellowish gentian (Gentiana alba)

alsike clover

 

 

 

 

 

black cherry

 

 

 

 

 

black raspberry

 

 

 

 

 

black-eyed susan

 

 

 

 

 

chokecherry

 

 

 

 

 

common blue violet

 

 

 

 

 

common mullein

 

 

 

 

 

compass plant

 

 

 

 

 

false sunflower

 

 

 

 

 

field pussytoes

 

 

 

 

 

field sow thistle

 

 

 

 

 

heart-leaved golden alexanders

 

 

 

 

 

hedge bindweed

 

 

 

 

 

leadplant

 

 

 

 

 

paleleaf woodland sunflower

 

 

 

 

 

prairie coreopsis

 

 

 

 

 

rattlesnake master

 

 

 

 

 

rough-fruited cinquefoil

 

 

 

 

 

stiff goldenrod

 

 

 

 

 

toothed evening primrose

 

 

 

 

 

white snakeroot

 

 

 

 

 

white wild indigo

 

 

 

 

 

whorled milkweed

 

 

 

 

 

yellow wood sorrel

 

 

 

     

Visits

8/12/2000

9/18/2004

5/16/2005

7/25/2010

   
       
               

 

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