Did you know that Minnesota was once covered in more than 18 million acres of prairie? After European settlers arrived, that number quickly shrank as the state became more developed. Today, according to the DNR, just 2% of Minnesota’s original prairie is left. Much of it is protected land that you can still visit today. For example, the Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area protects one of Minnesota’s last remaining tallgrass prairies. Visitors come face to face with an increasingly rare landscape that is full of waving grass, wide-open skies, and native wildlife. Read on below to learn more about this interesting landscape.

Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area is a 1,300-acre part of the larger Bluestem Preserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy. The SNA is in Glyndon, Minnesota, just outside of Moorhead.
Dre/Google
The prairie is adjacent to Buffalo River State Park, making it a great place to visit if you're already going to hike or camp there.
Andrew Nyhus/Google
There are no maintained trails at the Bluestem Prairie SNA, but it is still easy to visit. Find a place to wade through the tall grass, and you'll likely find plenty that will make your visit memorable.
Brian Pederson/Google

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For one thing, the prairie is home to many different types of flowers. Small white lady's-slippers are among the rarest, but there are other common wildflowers throughout the prairie as well.
Davis Harder/Google
As you explore, you'll find more than flowers. There are plenty of beautiful butterflies and other insects here. There are also rare species such as prairie voles and prairie pocket mice. You can also spot 115 different bird species here!
Davis Harder/Google
All in all, this is a wonderful place to explore if you're interested in the wide-open spaces that prairies offer.
Ian Lane/Google
This unique landscape is now rare in Minnesota, making the Bluestem Prairie SNA an amazing - and amazingly beautiful - spot to see it up close.
Tony Webster/Google

Have you ever visited a Minnesota prairie? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoy prairie landscapes, you may also be interested in our article about Touch the Sky Prairie in southwestern Minnesota.

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