Osceola

Iowa's natural heritage, the tall-grass prairie,  once covering over 85 percent of the State and virtually all of Osceola County, has nearly been lost to agriculture because of the rich, fertile soils associated with the prairie.  Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of Iowa's original prairie exists today

The word prairie is a French work meaning "meadow".  Almost three hundred years after the first French explorers described them, these prairies are only a memory.

A prairie is a climax successional stage of a millennium of silent struggle between plants competeing for life.  It is a living place that is truly wild and free,  The complexity and diversity of plant associations in the prairie community is still being studied with awe.
Man, with all his agricultural genius and sophisticated machines, cannot duplicate it.
The plants, which were once the basis of food and the sole source of medicine for the Plains Indians , have only begun to be studied.
Native prairies are quickly becoming one of Iowa's scarcest natural resources.  Fortunately, here in Osceola County, five remnant prairies have veen preserved.  During the summer growing season, tall warm-season native grasses and over 200 species of wildflowers provide a kaleidoscope of colors in these unique natural areas.  They are rich in wildlife and make excellent hiking and nature study areas.   
For a more detailed description go to: www.watchablewildlifenwia.org.      

Location

Three and one-half miles West of Ocheyedan.

Features

104 acres of virgin, dry-mesic prairie.  Wildlife species include upland sandpiper, bobolink,, dicksissel and much bird life.  Plants include the Federally threatened prairie bush clover, green milkweed and many others.  One might be surprised and find a Blanding's turtle or see a Dakota Skipper butterfly.

Operating Hours & Seasons

Open all year long.  Hunting is allowed in season.

Closures

Motor vehicles and horses are prohibited.