NATURE: The Prairies of Minnesota

Text and Photography by John Pennoyer

Most of Minnesota’s prairies are located in the western part of the state. I can only imagine what our ancestors would have seen as their covered wagon trains passed through this part of Minnesota and other prairie states. Prairie flowers such as “blazing star,” various coneflower species, Bergamot, and many other native prairie flowers would paint the prairie with a rainbow of color. Prairie grasses—Big Bluestem, Indian grass and others, swayed in the prairie wind for as far as the eye could see. And yes, some birds and animals are specific to this type of habitat. Some of the old Western movies showed thousands of bison on the prairies. Now the only bison on state or federal land are a captive herd at Blue Mounds State Park. Sharptail grouse and prairie chickens are still on the prairie and offer limited hunting possibilities. During pioneer times, as more and more people moved west, communities sprang up and many prairies were converted to agriculture and farm land. Today, we can still enjoy what the pioneers saw, the prairie lands are just not as expansive.

Around fifteen years ago, I wanted to expand my horizons in my nature photography. Most of my images were of scenes, birds, and animals that are commonly found in the north woods of Lake Country. During my research I discovered Roscoe Prairie, which is a Scientific and Natural Area in central Minnesota, within fifty miles of my home.

On my first visit, I arrived about one-half hour before sunrise. As I looked at the eastern sky it was beginning to turn the beautiful colors of a glorious sunrise. On this cool July morning my pants were soaked as I walked through the dew-covered prairie grasses. I expected to take one or two photos and then head for home, but as the sun began to rise, I could see numerous dew-laced spider webs. Looking even closer, I found dew-covered dragonflies on the prairie grasses. I also discovered dew-covered monarch butterflies that were on the beautiful prairie blazing star. My one or two images became almost one hundred.

Although prairies have always been in Minnesota, it was hard for me to believe that not only did it take me so long to discover them, but the prairie certainly has a beauty of its own. I knew that my photography had been expanded to show people not only the mighty north woods with the lakes and rivers that we have, but also the beauty of the prairies that at one time covered much of the state.

The federal government, State of Minnesota, and local communities have designated some land as prairies. These prairies could be as large as a couple thousand acres or as small as a few acres in size. Of course, many folks are also converting some of their backyards into their personal prairies by planting prairie grasses and prairie-type flowers.

Although I still consider myself a Lake Country north woods type of person, visiting a prairie for a few days every year is still a special time for me. With prairies now being scattered almost throughout the state, there may be a prairie or two close to where you live or at least in a part of the state that you travel to frequently.

If you happen to be close to a prairie, pull over and take a few hours or a few days to appreciate another piece of Minnesota. For me, they are no longer the “flatlands,” but another part of Minnesota’s landscape that has a beauty of its own.

Finding a Local Prairie

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (www.dnr.state.mn.us) website is one that I go to frequently for many different types of information. For prairies, click on natural resources, then click on prairies. This will give you some great information on Minnesota’s prairies. Also on this website, search on Scientific and Natural Areas and it will guide you to many SNA-designated prairies.

One of my other favorite websites is The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org). Search on Minnesota Prairies and you will find information and locations of many Nature Conservancy prairies.