Clinton Prairie SNA

160 Acres Located 6 miles W of Clinton on Co Hwy 6. Park on the field entrance by the wood-routed sign. Big Stone County Twp 123N Rng 47W Sec 16 Type: Prairie Grasslands ECS Subsection: Minnesota River Prairie

Description:

Clinton Prairie lies in a gently rolling ground moraine with broad, rounded swells and small, shallow depressions. The calcareous soils on this site were formed of glacial drift of the Des Moines Lobe, and the mesic blacksoil prairie community here is distinctive. While past use as a hay meadow and possibly as pasture have disturbed the prairie somewhat, it is still an important prairie remnant of gently rolling upland blacksoil prairie, now scarce in the region. Most surviving prairie in the area is on different landforms and soils. The rare powesheik skipper is found on many Minnesota prairies, such as this one, yet is extremely limited in range; details of its life history remain unknown. The rare upland sandpiper and the endangered chestnut-collared longspur also occur here among diverse native grasses and flora. Summer is a good time to view butterflies and grasses; from spring through fall, visitors will see a range of prairie birds and invertebrates, including abundant orb spiders in their webs anchored among the grasses. Clinton Prairie was gifted by The Nature Conservancy to the State of Minnesota as an SNA.

Bird List

Plant List