Harrell Prairie Botanical Area or Harrell Prairie Hill is a

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and Historical ecology#Anthropogenic fire, anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to th ...

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

located within

Bienville National Forest Bienville National Forest is a United States National Forest in central Mississippi, named for Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It lies in parts of Scott, Smith, Jasper, and Newton counties and has an area of . The forest is headquartered i ...

near

Forest, Mississippi Forest is a city and the county seat of Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,684 at the 2010 census and the population is a minority-majority. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a tot ...

. It is a rare remaining example of the Jackson Prairie Belt in Mississippi. It was declared a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

in May 1976 and a Botanical Area by the Forest Service in 1980.

Description

There are 68 identified prairies in the National Forest, locally called cedar fields, which avoided agriculture development due to their purchase by lumber companies. Harrell Hill contains the "largest and least disturbed" example of the Jackson Prairie in Mississippi. The Jackson Prairie is a disjunct of the Black Belt (or Black Prairie)

physiographic Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

area in Mississippi and Alabama. The

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

s ( pH greater than 7.5) of the Maytag series ensure unique ecosystems unlike the nearby woodlands of

Loblolly Pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pi ...

(''Pinus taeda''). Common

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es include Little Bluestem (''

Schizachyrium scoparium ''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of t ...

''), Indiangrass (''

Sorghastrum nutans ''Sorghastrum nutans'', known as Indiangrass, is a North American prairie grass found in the United States and Canada, especially in the Great Plains and tallgrass prairies. It is sometimes called Indian grass, yellow Indian-grass, or wood gras ...

''),

Big Bluestem ''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot. Taxon ...

(''Andropogon gerardii)''), Broomsedge Bluestem ('' A. virginicus var. virginicus''), Bushy Broomsedge ('' A. glomeratus''), and Switchgrass (''

Panicum virgatum ''Panicum virgatum'', commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55th parallel north, 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico. Switch ...

''). Other

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

s include Yellow Coneflower ('' Rudbeckia pinnata''), Eastern Purple Coneflower (''

Echinacea purpurea ''Echinacea purpurea'', the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or Echinacea, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to parts of eastern North America and present t ...

''), Blazing Star (''

Liatris ''Liatris'' (), commonly known as gayfeather and blazing star is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico and the Bahamas). Some species are used ...

spp.''), False Boneset (''

Brickellia ''Brickellia'' is a North American genus of about 100 to 110 species of plants in the family Asteraceae, known commonly as brickellbushes. They are found in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Many species are native to the A ...

'' ''eupatorioides'' var. ''eupatorioides''), Green Milkweed (''

Asclepias ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to huma ...

hirtella''), Green Comet Milkweed ('' A. viridiflora''), Purple Prairie Clover (''

Dalea ''Dalea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as prairie clover or indigo bush. Its name honors English apothecary Samuel Dale (physician), Samuel Dale (1659–1739). They are n ...

'' ''purpurea'' var. ''purpurea''), White Prairie Clover ( ''D. candida'' var. ''candida''), Aster (''

Symphyotrichum ''Symphyotrichum'' () is a genus of over 100 species and naturally occurring hybrids of herbaceous annual and perennial plants in the composite family, Asteraceae, most which were formerly treated within the genus '' Aster''. The majority are ...

'' spp.), Tick-trefoil (''

Desmodium ''Desmodium'' is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover, hitch hikers or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time. Species are distr ...

'' spp.), Rosepink (''

Sabatia angularis ''Sabatia angularis'', commonly called rosepink, rose pink, square-stem rose pink or rose gentian, is a biennial flowering plant in the Gentianaceae (gentain) family. It is native to central and eastern North America. Description ''S. angularis ...

''), Smooth Oxeye (''

Heliopsis ''Heliopsis'' is a genus of herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native plant, native to dry prairies in North America, North and South America. The sunflower-like pseudanthium, composite flowerheads are usuall ...

helianthoides''), Little-leaved Mountain Mint (''

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium ''Pycnanthemum tenuifolium'', the narrowleaf mountainmint, slender mountainmint, common horsemint or Virginia thyme, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to central and eastern North America. Description ' ...

'') and Wild Bergamot (''

Monarda fistulosa ''Monarda fistulosa'', the wild bergamot or bee balm,Wild Bergamot
, Edmonton Naturalization Group ...

''). It is also an example of the geophysical transformation of the

Mississippi River delta The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Is ...

Visiting

There are no trails or facilities in the area. There is parking along the side of FS 515 and a sign indicating the area. Many of the flowering species are in bloom in late spring. Since it is a nature preserve, there is a

leave no trace Leave No Trace, sometimes written as LNT, is a set of ethics promoting conservation of the outdoors. Originating in the mid-20th century, the concept started as a movement in the United States in response to ecological damage caused by wilderne ...

policy to protect the rare species.

References

External links

Official site
{{authority control National Natural Landmarks in Mississippi Protected areas of Scott County, Mississippi Nature reserves in Mississippi Protected areas established in 1980 1980 establishments in Mississippi