Prairie Creek Woods SNA

Overview
Photos
Slideshows
Videos
Sightings

About • Location • Activities • Ecology

About

Ownership

Minnesota DNR logo

Links

Overview

Prairie Creek Woods SNA lies within Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

History

Management

Comments

Location

Size

93 acres

Driving Directions


Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone. Your Address (street address and either city and state or ZIP code)

				Rice County
				Southeast Minnesota

Parking

Parking on the shoulder at the curve in the road, which the Minnesota DNR suggests, is not safe for you or for other drivers who will not see your car until they are almost upon it. Park instead on the field access, which is on state park property, or park in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and hike to the SNA.

Road shoulder (not recommended)
N44 21.760, W93 5.852

Field access (recommended)
N44 21.777, W93 5.916

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
N44 20.606, W93 6.382

Maps

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

Activities

Hiking

Birding

Nature photography

Cross country skiing

Snowshoeing

Trails

No maintained trails

Hunting and Fishing

Muzzleloader deer only by permit, in conjunction with Nerstrand Big Woods State Park See Hunting and Trapping Regulations (MN DNR) for details.


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*
Southern Mesic Maple-Basswood Forest Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest Southern Terrace Forest Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest
* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

Natural Features


Visitor Photos

Share your photo of this destination.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.


Kirk Nelson


MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos



Park on the field access, which is on state park property


Wood routed sign		Deer exclusion fence


Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest


Intermittent stream

Camera

Slideshows

slideshow


Visitor Videos

Share your video of this destination.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.


Other Videos

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

Share your sightings or comments about of this destination.
	This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.


Patrick Mader

Comments

June 19, 2022

2 young deer; falls is only trickling


Mammals
whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

6/1/2011

Birds

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Indigo Bunting


Fishes
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List


Fungi and Lichens
Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)


Insects and Arachnids
multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

Mammals

eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

eastern chipmunk

Plants


One plant species with conservation status in Minnesota is found here:
Endangered	Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Southern Mesic Maple-Basswood Forest MHs39

Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest MHs38

Southern Terrace Forest FFs59

Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest MHs49

Common Name
Scientific Name

American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana)

American cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus)

black ash (Fraxinus nigra)

black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

bristly greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense)

Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense)

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis)

chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana)

cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

common blue violet (Viola sororia)

common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale)

common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum)

dotted hawthorn (Crataegus punctata)

early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum)

eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum)

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)

garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus)

large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)

Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans)

northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)

red maple (Acer rubrum var. rubrum)

rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)

rosy sedge (Carex rosea)

round-leaved dogwood (Cornus rugosa)

sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)

sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum)

upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata)

Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum)

white trout lily (Erythronium albidum)

wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii)

wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

wild yam (Dioscorea villosa)

winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder)

Acer rubrum var. rubrum (red maple)

Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple)

Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)

Anemone acutiloba (sharp-lobed hepatica)

Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone)

Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)

Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)

Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger)

Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern)

Barbarea vulgaris (winter cress)

Carex rosea (rosy sedge)

Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry)

Cornus rugosa (round-leaved dogwood)

Crataegus punctata (dotted hawthorn)

Dioscorea villosa (wild yam)

Enemion biternatum (eastern false rue anemone)

Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)

Erythronium albidum (white trout lily)

Erythronium propullans (Minnesota dwarf trout lily)

Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)

Fraxinus nigra (black ash)

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)

Galium aparine (cleavers)

Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw)

Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)

Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)

Heracleum maximum (American cow parsnip)

Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf)

Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle)

Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal)

Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)

Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely)

Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (cinnamon fern)

Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam)

Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine)

Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii (wild blue phlox)

Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain)

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)

Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry)

Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry)

Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak)

Quercus rubra (northern red oak)

Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry)

Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry)

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)

Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower)

Smilax tamnoides (bristly greenbrier)

Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion)

Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue)

Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Ulmus thomasii (rock elm)

Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort)

Veronica serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved speedwell)

Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Vitis riparia (wild grape)

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

Binoculars

Created:

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy