Twin Valley Prairie SNA

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			Norman County




Size	339 acres total 250 acres (SNA)

Maps	Printable Map with GPS coordinates

Parking	West Parking (County Road 28) N47 11.266, W96 21.867 South Parking (County Road 39) N47 10.823, W96 21.249

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	Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Northern) Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Prairie) Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern) Mesic Prairie (Northern) Wet Prairie (Northern) Wet Saline Prairie (Northern)

Ownership
	This site is owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed in part by the Minnesota DNR

Links	Minnesota DNR The Nature Conservancy

Comments	Cooperative Management The SNA (yellow on the street map above) is part of the larger The Nature Conservancy preserve (red), which goes by the same name. It is bordered on the east by Neal WMA. In 2014, a 160-acre section was transferred to the Minnesota DNR and is now part of Neal WMA.

Visits	8/17/2010 8/1/2013


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West Parking


South Parking


Wood Routed Sign


Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern)


Wet Saline Prairie (Northern)


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MinnesotaSeasons.com Observations


Birds	Large numbers of Sandhill Cranes gather here during their migration south every year.

	Four bird species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:
	Threatened	Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)

	Special concern	Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa fedoa) Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

	Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

	Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)

Insects and Arachnids	Two insect species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:
	Endangered	Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae)

	Special concern	regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia)

	American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

Mammals	Two mammal species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:
	Special concern	moose (Alces americanus) prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

	plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

Plants	Two plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:
	Special concern	blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum)

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

	Plants frequently found in: Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Northern) MRn83a Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Prairie) MRp83a Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern) UPn12b Mesic Prairie (Northern) UPn23b Wet Prairie (Northern) WPn53c Wet Saline Prairie (Northern) WPn53d

	Common Name Scientific Name big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis) candle anemone (Anemone cylindrica) chicory (Cichorium intybus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) curly dock (Rumex crispus) field sagewort (Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata) field sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis) Flodman’s thistle (Cirsium flodmanii) fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia var. graminifolia) gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) leadplant (Amorpha canescens) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii) mountain death camas (Anticlea elegans var. glaucus) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) narrow-leaved meadowsweet (Spiraea alba var. alba) narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides) prairie rose (Rosa arkansana) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) sandbar willow (Salix interior) showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) silverleaf scurfpea (Pediomelum argophyllum) smooth scouring rush (Equisetum laevigatum) spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus) swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata) tall cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta) tall meadow rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) timothy (Phleum pratense) toothed evening primrose (Oenothera serrulata) Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) western ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata ssp. corymbosa) white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Amorpha canescens (leadplant) Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) Anemone canadensis (Canada anemone) Anemone cylindrica (candle anemone) Anticlea elegans var. glaucus (mountain death camas) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (field sagewort) Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon) Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage) Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed) Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed) Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis (Canadian milkvetch) Bromus ciliatus (fringed brome) Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) Cichorium intybus (chicory) Cicuta maculata (spotted water hemlock) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Cirsium flodmanii (Flodman’s thistle) Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood) Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover) Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover) Drymocallis arguta (tall cinquefoil) Echinacea angustifolia (narrow-leaved purple coneflower) Equisetum laevigatum (smooth scouring rush) Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane) Euthamia graminifolia var. graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) Fragaria virginiana (common strawberry) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Glycyrrhiza lepidota (wild licorice) Helianthus maximilianii (Maximilian’s sunflower) Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus (stiff sunflower) Liatris aspera (rough blazing star) Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus (bird’s-foot trefoil) Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Oenothera serrulata (toothed evening primrose) Pediomelum argophyllum (silverleaf scurfpea) Phleum pratense (timothy) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) Rosa arkansana (prairie rose) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Rumex crispus (curly dock) Salix interior (sandbar willow) Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium (little bluestem) Setaria pumila ssp. pumila (yellow foxtail) Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod) Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod) Solidago ptarmicoides (prairie goldenrod) Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod) Sonchus arvensis (field sow thistle) Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass) Spiraea alba var. alba (narrow-leaved meadowsweet) Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed) Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dasycarpum (tall meadow rue) Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard) Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) Vernonia fasciculata ssp. corymbosa (western ironweed) Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s root) Zizia aptera (heart-leaved golden alexanders) Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)