McKnight Prairie

Overview
Photos
Slideshows
Videos
Sightings


	About

	Ownership


	Links
	McKnight Prairie Conservation History of the McKnight Prairie

	Overview


	History


	Management


	Comments


	Location

	Maps
	McKnight Prairie Map

	Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates


	Size
	33½ acres

	Parking
	N44 30.052, W93 2.095


	Driving Directions
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					Goodhue County
					Southeast Minnesota


	Activities

	Hiking Trails
	There are no maintained trails. A well worn footpath leads from the gap in the fence at the parking area to the ridgetop of West Hill. From there, it follows the ridgetop to the eastern boundary of the site. There are no other trails.

	Hunting
	No hunting


	Ecology

	Ecological Classification
	Ecological Province			Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
	Ecological Section			Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal
	Ecological Subsection			Oak Savanna
	Land Type Association			Hayfield Till Plain

	Native Plant Communities*
	Dry Bedrock Bluff Prairie (Southern)
	* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

	Natural Features
	Ordovician (485.4 to 443.4 million years ago) St. Peter sandstone, glacial erratics, sandy blowouts


Visitor Photos

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Parking




Gap in Fence


Well Worn Footpath


West Hill




Dry Bedrock Bluff Prairie (Southern)


Sandy Areas


East Hill


Hilltop Juniper The “Hilltop Juniper” shown on the map provided by Carleton College (see Maps above) has been blown down or cut down. In 2013, the grayed skeleton of the downed tree was all that remained. There was another juniper tree close to the ridgeline near the eastern border of the site. In September 2013 it was heavily loaded with a good crop of greenish, berry-like cones.
		2013

In April 2018 it was knocked over, uprooted, and dying.
		2018

Camera


	Slideshows


	McKnight Prairie Reservation WoofBC




	VIsiting McKnight Prairie Christopher Tassava

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos


	Dickcissel at McKnight Prairie penelopedia

	About Published on Jun 13, 2012 No description available.



	Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum) Scott King

	About Published on Mar 15, 2013 Female Variegated Meadowhawk filmed at the McKnight Prairie in Dakota County, Minnesota, on April 5, 2012.

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings


Visits
9/2/2013		4/28/2018

Birds


One bird species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:
Endangered	Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

eBird Field Checklist

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Insects and Arachnids

Minnesota Bee Atlas

The Butterflies of McKnight Prairie

McKnight Prairie Ant Species List

McKnight Prairie Orthoptera Species List

black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

common green darner (Anax junius)

eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus)

milkweed tussock moth (Euchaetes egle)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Mammals


One mammal species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:
Special Concern	prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants


Nine plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:
Endangered	winter bentgrass (Agrostis hyemalis)
Threatened	kitten-tails (Veronica bullii) prairie bush clover (Lespedeza leptostachya)
Special Concern	Canada frostweed (Crocanthemum canadense) plains prickly pear (Opuntia macrorhiza) purple sand grass (Triplasis purpurea) rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium) rhombic evening primrose (Oenothera rhombipetala) white wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla)