Lundblad Prairie SNA
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80 Acres Located from Slayton, S on Co Rd 33 (160th Avenue) for 3 miles, then E on 61st Street for 1 mile. Park on S side of road. Murray County Twp 105N Rng 41W Sec 1 Type: Prairie Grasslands ECS Subsection: Coteau Moraines |
Description:
Although the mesic prairie of southern and southwestern Minnesota has been
largely converted to agriculture, Lundblad Prairie SNA offers a rare glimpse of
that pre-settlement landscape. It is one of the largest and best mesic prairie
remnants in southwestern Minnesota. Lying on a gently undulating moraine, the
Lundblad site includes about 40 acres of upland prairie, which is only slightly
higher than the 30 acres of wet prairie, meadow, and cattail marshes; an old field
undergoing restoration lies along the east margin of the site. Big bluestem
dominates the mosaic of switchgrass, prairie dropseed, and Indian grasses
associated with these deep soils; prairie cordgrass is common in the wet-mesic
prairie. Patches of higher salinity are marked by foxtail barley, alkali plantain, and Hall's sedge, a
state-threatened species. The summer prairie tapestry is woven of prairie-clover, goldenrod, aster,
sunflower, wood lilies, puccoon, milkweed, lead plant, and prairie rose, with false indigo highlighting
moister areas. Lundblad Prairie was a gift from The Nature Conservancy.
Bird List 
