Anoka Ecosystems:
Dry Prairie
Dry prairies are grasslands which are dominated by prairie species with less than 10% tree cover and less than 50% shrub cover. Dry prairies occur on sandy or gravelly substrates, except for steep slopes where they can have any type of substrate, and commonly have patches of exposed soil. This ecosystem is a type of Upland Prairie, and occurs primarily around other types of prairies, though some patches may occur in the deciduous forest-woodland zone of Minnesota.
The dry prairie is dominated primarily by grasses, which are often short and usually consist of little bluestem, prairie dropseed, porcupine grass and side-oats grama. Taller grasses may include big bluestem and Indiangrass. However, dry prairies can have a diverse composition of flowers and vary between different areas. Common forbes in Anoka include rough blazing-star, stiff goldenrod, purple prairie clover, yarrow, thimbleweed and several others. Dry prairies are often subject to blowouts, which are areas which, by wind erosion, have been shaped into bowl-like hollows.
Dry prairies historically occurred in patches across the Anoka Sandplain, though they were commonly mistaken for oak woodlands by land surveyors. Today, these ecosystems occur in many of the same places, though in much smaller sizes. In Anoka County, only a few remnant patches remain and larger sand gravel types exist in Cedar Creek Natural History area and Helen Allison Savanna Natural Area. This increasingly rare community is home to several rare species including the loggerhead shrike, eastern spotted skunk, bullsnake and the western hognose snake.
Sources:
"Minnesota Land Cover Classification System: User Manual." Version 5.3 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Central Region, 2004.
"Minnesota's Native Vegetation: A Key to Natural Communities" Version 1.5 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, 1993.
Wovcha, D, Delaney, B, Nordquist, G. Minnesota's St. Croix River Valley and Anoka Sandplain: A Guide to Native Habitats Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1995.
