Felton Prairie SNA

Blazing Star Unit

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			Clay County




Size	160 acres

Maps	Printable Map with GPS coordinates

Parking	N47 3.844, W96 24.654

Hiking Trails	No maintained trails

Hunting	No hunting

Ecological Classification	Province	Prairie Parkland Province
	Section	Red River Valley
	Subsection(s)	Red River Prairie
	Land Type Association(s)	Barnesville Beach Complex

Native Plant Communities¹	Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern) Mesic Prairie (Northern)

Ownership

Links	Felton Prairie Felton Prairie SNA Minnesota DNR The Nature Conservancy

Comments	Overview The four units of Felton Prairie SNA are made up of five parcels of land owned by the Minnesota DNR, The Nature Conservancy, and Clay County. Fifteen protected bird species, six protected butterfly species, and five protected plant species have been seen on at least one of the units of this SNA. The Blazing Star Unit is owned by The Nature Conservancy. Marbled Godwit, a special concern species, nests on this unit. Blanket flower, another special concern species, is found on this unit. Getting There From County Road 34, turn south on 190th St. N., an unimproved township road. Drive over the cattle crossing and continue south on the two-track road one mile to a gated fence and the Blazing Star Prairie sign. There is a cattle pen and a gate across the township road just beyond the cattle crossing. On a visit in 2012 the gate was open and I followed the instructions above. On a visit in 2014 the gate was closed so I parked at the Bicentennial Unit and walked northwest to the Blazing Star Unit.

Visits	8/22/2009 8/19/2012 6/29/2014


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Wood Routed Sign


Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern)


Mesic Prairie (Northern)


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MinnesotaSeasons.com Observations


Amphibians	boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

Birds	Fifteen bird species with conservation status in Minnesota and one tracked species have been seen on at least one of the units of this SNA:
	Endangered	Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii) Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii)

	Special concern	Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

	Tracked	Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

	Minnesota DNR Bird checklist Minnesota’s Pine to Prairie Birding Trail National Audubon Society – Felton Prairie IBA

	Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)

Insects and Arachnids	Six insect species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on at least one of the units of this SNA:
	Endangered	Assiniboia skipper (Hesperia comma assiniboia) Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) Powesheik skipperling (Oarisma powesheik) Uhler’s arctic (Oeneis uhleri varuna)

	Special concern	Pawnee skipper (Hesperia leonardus pawnee) regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia)

	monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Mammals	One mammal species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen on at least one of the units of this SNA:
	Special concern	prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

	plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

Plants	Five plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found on this unit:
	Special concern	blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) blunt sedge (Carex obtusata) dry sedge (Carex xerantica) small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum) spikeoat (Avenula hookeri)

	Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (Bell Museum of Natural History) Plant List

	Plants frequently found in: Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern) UPn12b Mesic Prairie (Northern) UPn23b

	Common Name Scientific Name alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa) autumn willow (Salix serissima) balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) bracted spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata) Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis) common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) curly dock (Rumex crispus) downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta) downy painted cup (Castilleja sessiliflora) dwarf false indigo (Amorpha nana) field sagewort (Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata) Flodman’s thistle (Cirsium flodmanii) giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) grooved yellow flax (Linum sulcatum var. sulcatum) ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus var. crassicarpus) harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) leadplant (Amorpha canescens) Leiberg’s panic grass (Dichanthelium leibergii) marsh vetchling (Lathyrus palustris) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii) mountain death camas (Anticlea elegans var. glaucus) narrow-leaved meadowsweet (Spiraea alba var. alba) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) pale agoseris (Agoseris glauca var. glauca) porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) prairie peppergrass (Lepidium densiflorum var. densiflorum) prairie rose (Rosa arkansana) prairie sagewort (Artemisia frigida) prairie smoke (Geum triflorum var. triflorum) prairie spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis) prairie turnip (Pediomelum esculentum) prairie willow (Salix humilis var. humilis) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) sandbar willow (Salix interior) scarlet beeblossom (Gaura coccinea) silky aster (Symphyotrichum sericeum) silverleaf scurfpea (Pediomelum argophyllum) smooth brome (Bromus inermis) smooth scouring rush (Equisetum laevigatum) spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) tall meadow rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) toothed evening primrose (Oenothera serrulata) tower mustard (Turritis glabra) violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea) white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis ssp. canadensis) wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum) yellow star grass (Hypoxis hirsuta) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Agoseris glauca var. glauca (pale agoseris) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Amorpha canescens (leadplant) Amorpha nana (dwarf false indigo) Anemone canadensis (Canada anemone) Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed) Anticlea elegans var. glaucus (mountain death camas) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (field sagewort) Artemisia frigida (prairie sagewort) Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage) Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis (Canadian milkvetch) Astragalus crassicarpus var. crassicarpus (ground plum) Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum) Bromus inermis (smooth brome) Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) Castilleja sessiliflora (downy painted cup) Cicuta maculata (spotted water hemlock) Cirsium flodmanii (Flodman’s thistle) Conyza canadensis (Canadian horseweed) Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover) Dichanthelium leibergii (Leiberg’s panic grass) Equisetum laevigatum (smooth scouring rush) Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane) Gaillardia aristata (blanket flower) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Gaura coccinea (scarlet beeblossom) Gentiana puberulenta (downy gentian) Geum triflorum var. triflorum (prairie smoke) Helianthus maximilianii (Maximilian’s sunflower) Hesperostipa spartea (porcupine grass) Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass) Lathyrus palustris (marsh vetchling) Lepidium densiflorum var. densiflorum (prairie peppergrass) Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum (wood lily) Linum sulcatum var. sulcatum (grooved yellow flax) Lithospermum canescens (hoary puccoon) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) Oenothera serrulata (toothed evening primrose) Oxalis violacea (violet wood sorrel) Pedicularis canadensis ssp. canadensis (wood betony) Pediomelum argophyllum (silverleaf scurfpea) Pediomelum esculentum (prairie turnip) Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Rosa arkansana (prairie rose) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Rumex crispus (curly dock) Salix humilis var. humilis (prairie willow) Salix interior (sandbar willow) Salix serissima (autumn willow) Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod) Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod) Spiraea alba var. alba (narrow-leaved meadowsweet) Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry) Symphyotrichum sericeum (silky aster) Thalictrum dasycarpum (tall meadow rue) Tradescantia bracteata (bracted spiderwort) Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis (prairie spiderwort) Turritis glabra (tower mustard) Zizia aptera (heart-leaved golden alexanders) Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)

Reptiles	One reptile species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen on at least one of the units of this SNA:
	Special concern	western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)