Plants of Prairie Creek
Click on an image to find out more about the plant.
Tallgrass Prairie is the most endangered ecosystem in North America. In the 1800s, there were vast tracts of prairie in Minnesota. Now, less than 1% remains.
Dry Hill Oak Savanna is listed as critically imperiled by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In 2010, there were only 13 occurrences of this ecosystem documented in the Natural Heritage Information System in the state.
If visitors have photos of birds or animals taken at Prairie Creek WMA, please share them with Craig Koester.
Pictures on these pages are arranged alphabetically. All were taken on the site to give an impression of the variety of native species that can be found there.
Alexander
(Golden)
Alexander
(Heart-Leaved)
Zizia aurea Both types of Alexanders produce golden flower heads in late spring. The difference is that one is named for its heart-shaped leaves, while the other has narrower leaves with jagged edges. They bloom in late May to early June.
Zizea aptera Both types of Alexanders produce golden flower heads in late spring. The difference is that one is named for its heart-shaped leaves, while the other has narrower leaves with jagged edges. They bloom in late May to early June. (Not to be confused with the invasive wild parsnip, which blooms in later June and early July.)
Heuchera richardsonii
Alum Root
Anemone canadensis Canada Anemone is a native Minnesota wildflower that blooms in May and June and sprouts in moist environments. (Photo taken on 5/31/15)
Anenome
(Canada Anenome)
Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Prairie Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium campestre The blossoms on this flower are about half to three -quarters of an inch in diameter. In color they range from pale blue to white. There are six petals. The leaves are narrow, grasslike blades.
Sisyrinchium campestre The blossoms on this flower are about half to three -quarters of an inch in diameter. In color they range from pale blue to white. There are six petals. The leaves are narrow, grasslike blades.
Andropogon gerardii
Andropogon gerardii
Big Bluestem
Lespedeza leptostachya Federally listed Threatened Species Prairie Bush Clover is a member of the pea family. Mature plants are about 9 to 18 inches tall. It is shown here in August. Pale pink or cream-colored flowers appear later in August. It is found only in small regions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Lespedeza leptostachya Federally listed Threatened Species Prairie Bush Clover is a member of the pea family. Mature plants are about 9 to 18 inches tall. It is shown here in August. Pale pink or cream-colored flowers appear later in August. It is found only in small regions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Lespedeza leptostachya Federally listed Threatened Species Prairie Bush Clover is a member of the pea family. Mature plants are about 9 to 18 inches tall. It is shown here in August. Pale pink or cream-colored flowers appear later in August. It is found only in small regions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Photo taken in October.
Lespedeza leptostachya Federally listed Threatened Species Prairie Bush Clover is a member of the pea family. Mature plants are about 9 to 18 inches tall. It is shown here in August. Pale pink or cream-colored flowers appear later in August. It is found only in small regions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Photo taken in October.
Prairie Bush Clover
Lespedeza capitata Round-headed bush clover is also a member of the pea family, but is far more common than the Prairie bush clover. It has a more rigid stem and produces clusters of flowers. It is shown here in early August.
Lespedeza capitata Round-headed bush clover is also a member of the pea family, but is far more common than the Prairie bush clover. It has a more rigid stem and produces clusters of flowers. It is shown here in early August.
Lespedeza capitata Round-headed bush clover is also a member of the pea family, but is far more common than the Prairie bush clover. It has a more rigid stem and produces clusters of flowers. It is shown here in early August. Photo taken in October.
Bush Clover
(Round-Headed)
Ranunculus rhomboideus This yellow flower is another one of the earliest to bloom in the spring. There is one flower at the end of a hairy stem. The blooms are small, about a third to a half inch in diameter. They may appear when the plant is only two or three inches high, but as the season progresses plant may reach ten inches in height.
Ranunculus rhomboideus This yellow flower is another one of the earliest to bloom in the spring. There is one flower at the end of a hairy stem. The blooms are small, about a third to a half inch in diameter. They may appear when the plant is only two or three inches high, but as the season progresses plant may reach ten inches in height.
Prairie Buttercup
Asclepias tuberosa Photo taken by Emily Hutchins, 6/30/2012
Calystegia sepium Hedge Bindweed is part of the Morning Glory family. It twines over other plants, winding its stem counter-clockwise whatever will give it support.
Butterflyweed
Hedge Bindweed
Zigadenus elegans
Zigadenus elegans
Camas
(Death Camas)
Camas
(White Camas)
Clover
(Red Clover)
Trifolium pratense The Red Clover, is a perennial weed that blooms from June to September. A Red Clover plant has several flower heads on branding stems. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)
Coneflower
(Yellow Coneflower)
Ratibida pinnata
Cockle (white)
Silene latifolia The White Cockle (also known as the White Campion), is a non-native, short-lived perennial weed that blooms from May through September. Their white flowers are odorous and open in the evening and close by noon. (Photo taken on 5/23/2015)
Prairie Crabapple (pink)
Prairie Crabapple
Malus ioensis Prairie crabapple is rare in Minnesota. Its common range is in southern Iowa and Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois. It bears pink blossoms in spring and red fruit in the fall.
Malus ioensis Prairie crabapple is rare in Minnesota. Its common range is in southern Iowa and Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois. It bears pink blossoms in spring and red fruit in the fall.
Apocynum sibiricum
Clasping Dogbane
Cornus sp Known as the "aristocrat" of flowering trees due to its beautiful white blossoms, the White Dogwood, or Cornus florida, is a native flowering tree with a four-season interest. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)
White Dogwood
Scrophularia lanceolata
Scrophularia lanceolata Closeup of Lance-leaf Figwort. Photo taken by Ben Douglas, 6/6/2015
Figwort (Lance-leaf)
Erigeron philadelphicus The Philadelphia Fleabane, or Erigeron philadelphicus, is a native Minnesota wildflower that blooms from May to June and grows in moist soil. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)
Philadelphia Fleabane
Hawthorn
(Fireberry)
Crataegus chrysocarpa The Hawthorn flowers' white blossoms usually bloom in May. In the fall, the Hawthorn produces a red fruit. There are a number of different types of Hawthorn in Minnesota. Fireberry Hawthorns (pictured here) have broad crowns and spikes on their branches. (Photo taken on 5/23/2015)
Hawthorn
Crataegus intricata Hawthorn in bloom.
Crataegus intricata A close-up of the white blossoms of the Hawthorn. In the fall, the Hawthorn produces a red fruit. There are a number of species of Hawthorn in Minnesota. Those on the savanna have a broad crown, giving it a distinctive appearance. They have spikes or "thorns" on their branches.
Crataegus intricata In the fall, the Hawthorn produces a red fruit. There are a number of species of Hawthorn in Minnesota. Those on the savanna have a broad crown, giving it a distinctive appearance. They have spikes or "thorns" on their branches. Photo taken in October.
Downy Gentian
Late Horse Gentian
Gentiana puberluenta Shown blooming in mid-September.
Triosteum perfoliatum Shown in late September. Note the distinctive orange fruit along the stem.
Triosteum perfoliatum Shown in late September. Note the distinctive orange fruit along the stem.
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis
Solidago rigida Stiff goldenrod in early bloom.
Solidago rigida Stiff goldenrod in early bloom.
Canada Goldenrod
False Gromwell
Onosmodium molle
Onosmodium molle
Vernonia fasciculata
Vernonia fasciculata
Prairie Ironweed
Sorghastrum nutans
Indian Grass
Delphinium carolinianum
Delphinium carolinianum
Larkspur
(Carolina Larkspur)
Leadplant
Amorpha canescens Shown here in the early summer, Lead-plant is a semi-woody shrub that can grow from 1-2 feet high. The plant is named for its lead-gray color at certain seasons.
Amorpha canescens Shown here in the early summer, Lead-plant is a semi-woody shrub that can grow from 1-2 feet high. The plant is named for its lead-gray color at certain seasons.
Lilium philadelphicum
Lily
(Wood Lily)
Lobelia siphilitica The Great Blue Lobelia can be found in the wet portion of the prairie. It can range from one to four feet in height. Blossoms appear in late summer.
Lobelia siphilitica The Great Blue Lobelia can be found in the wet portion of the prairie. It can range from one to four feet in height. Blossoms appear in late summer.
Great Blue Lobelia
Brassica rapa The Field Mustard, or Brassica rapa, is a non-native annual weed that blooms from June to July. (Photo taken on 5/16/15)
Field Mustard
Heliopsis helianthoides
Ox Eye
Anemone patens This flower is one of the earliest to bloom in the spring. Its colors range from pale blueish-purple to white. It gets its name because it usually appears around the "pasque" season of Passover and Easter.
Pasqueflower
Phlox
(Prairie Phlox)
Phlox pilosa The Prairie Phlox, or Phlox pilosa, is a perennial native plant that blooms from May to July, peaking in June. When the seeds of the Phlox are ripe, the oval capsule containing them explodes, flinging seeds away from the plant. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)
Ground Plum
Astragalus crassicarpus A low-growing, spreading legume, the Ground Plum, or Astragalus crassicarpus, blooms in May and June with clusters of pea-like blossoms of lavender, purple and white. The thick-walled seed pods typically rest on the ground. (Photo taken on 5/16/2015)
Hoary Puccoon
Lithospermum canescens This bright yellow flower blooms from late spring to early summer. It grows from 5 - 14 inches tall. By midsummer it produces small egg-shaped nutlets that are yellowish white. That is the basis of its scientific name, which means "stone seeds."
Antennaria neglecta The flower gets its name from its grayish white head, which looks like the furry paws of a cat. There are male and female flowers on separate plants. The males are somewhat less furry and have brown stamens in the flowers. The leaves are covered with wooly hairs, which gives them a gray-green color.
Antennaria neglecta The flower gets its name from its grayish white head, which looks like the furry paws of a cat. There are male and female flowers on separate plants. The males are somewhat less furry and have brown stamens in the flowers. The leaves are covered with wooly hairs, which gives them a gray-green color.
Pussy Toes
Ragwort
(Prairie Ragwort)
Packera plattensis The Prairie Ragwort, or Packera plattensis, is a biennial or short-lived perennial that blooms when it is six to twelve inches tall from May to August. It grows generally in dry, sandy prairie. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)
Geum triflorum This early blooming wildflower produces nodding, urn-shaped flowers. Once pollinated, the flower stalk straightens and produces long plumes that look like tufts of smoke. Because of its appearance, it is sometimes called "Old Man's Whiskers."
Geum triflorum This early blooming wildflower produces nodding, urn-shaped flowers. Once pollinated, the flower stalk straightens and produces long plumes that look like tufts of smoke. Because of its appearance, it is sometimes called "Old Man's Whiskers."
Prairie Smoke
Tradescantia occidentalis Prairie Spiderwort blooms in early summer. It typically has only a few flowers open at a time. The petals open in the morning, but they wilt around midday, so the appearance of the plant changes during the course of a single day.
Tradescantia occidentalis Prairie Spiderwort blooms in early summer. It typically has only a few flowers open at a time. The petals open in the morning, but they wilt around midday, so the appearance of the plant changes during the course of a single day.
Spiderwort
Hypericum pyramidatum Great St. John's-wort has blossoms that measure 2 -2.5 inches in diameter. The plant may grow from 2 to 5 feet high.
Hypericum pyramidatum Great St. John's-wort has blossoms that measure 2 -2.5 inches in diameter. The plant may grow from 2 to 5 feet high.
Great St. John's wort
Fragaria vesca The Wild Strawberry, or Fragaria vesca, is a common creeping plant that grows just about anywhere. It can be up to six inches tall. Photo taken in mid-May.
Fragaria vesca The Wild Strawberry, or Fragaria vesca, is a common creeping plant that grows just about anywhere. It can be up to six inches tall. (Photo from 5/16/2015)
Wild Strawberry
Helianthus hirsutus The Hairy Sunflower is characterized by the hairlike fibers on the stem.
Helianthus hirsutus The Hairy Sunflower is characterized by the hairlike fibers on the stem.
Hairy Sunflower
Viola pedatifida The lovely Prairie Violet, or Viola pedatifida, blooms in May. Its skinny leaves differentiate it from the common violet, which also grows on the prairie.
Viola pedatifida The lovely Prairie Violet, or Viola pedatifida, blooms in May. Its skinny leaves differentiate it from the common violet, which also grows on the prairie. (Photo taken on 5/16/2015
Prairie Violet
Oxalis violacea
Violet Wood Sorrel
Tragopogon dubius The Yellow Goat's Beard, or Tragopogon dubius, is a non-native biennial plant that can grow up to 3 feet tall. Goat's Beard blooms from May through September and is found throughout Minnesota. The Goat's Beard isn't as aggressive as most non-native plants but it does invade prairie habitat and can crowd out other native prairie plants. (Photo taken on 5/31/2015)