- Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve
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View of Chaparral Prairie
Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve is located in Adams County, Ohio, United States, near the city of West Union. The prairie is a remnant of what was once a larger prairie ecosystem caused by the Holocene climatic optimum, a climatic change that created a warmer and drier climate more suitable for prairie species. As the climate cooled and precipitation increased in modern times, the prairie organisms found refuge on the dry, rocky openings in this part of the state. Native American fires may have also played a role in maintaining this landscape. Today, controlled burns are used at Chaparral Prairie to keep woody species at bay.
Chaparral Prairie supports the most extensive population of rattlesnake-master in the state. Prairie dock and spiked blazing star are also unusually abundant at this site, as well as eleven state-endangered species, including Blue False Indigo. Post oak, blackjack oak, and eastern redcedar are the most common trees surviving in the prairie, and little bluestem is the dominant prairie grass. The rare Edward's hairstreak butterfly has also been observed.
This 67-acre (270,000 m2) preserve is open to the public, and contains a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) trail with bulletin board, interpretive signs and a parking lot.
External links
- Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve at ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
- Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve at American Byways
Protected areas of Ohio Federal National parksCedar Point • Ottawa • West Sister IslandState Adams Lake • Alum Creek • A. W. Marion • Barkcamp • Beaver Creek • Blue Rock • Buck Creek • Buckeye Lake • Burr Oak • Caesar Creek • Catawba Island • Cleveland Lakefront • Cowan Lake • Deer Creek • Delaware • Dillon • East Fork • East Harbor • Findley • Forked Run • Geneva • Grand Lake St. Marys • Great Seal • Guilford Lake • Harrison Lake • Headlands Beach • Hocking Hills • Hueston Woods • Independence Dam • Indian Lake • Jackson Lake • Jefferson Lake • John Bryan • Kelleys Island • Kiser Lake • Lake Alma • Lake Hope • Lake Logan • Lake Loramie • Lake Milton • Lake White • Little Miami • Madison Lake • Malabar Farm • Marblehead Lighthouse • Mary Jane Thurston • Middle Bass Island • Maumee Bay • Mohican • Mosquito Lake • Mt. Gilead • Muskingum River • Nelson Kennedy Ledges • Paint Creek • Pike Lake • Portage Lakes • Punderson • Pymatuning • Quail Hollow • Rocky Fork • Salt Fork • Scioto Trail • Shawnee • South Bass Island • Stonelick • Strouds Run • Sycamore • Tar Hollow • Tinkers Creek • Van Buren • West Branch • Wingfoot Lake • Wolf Run
Beaver Creek • Blue Rock • Brush Creek • Dean • Fernwood • Gifford • Harrison • Hocking • Maumee • Mohican-Memorial • Perry • Pike • Richland Furnace • Scioto Trail • Shade River • Shawnee • Sunfish Creek • Tar Hollow • Yellow Creek • Zaleski
State nature
preservesAcadia Cliffs • Adams Lake Prairie • Audubon Islands • Augusta-Anne Olsen • Aurora Sanctuary • Baker Woods • Evans Beck Memorial • Betsch Fen • Bigelow Cemetery • Blackhand Gorge • Bonnet Pond • Boord • Brown's Lake Bog • Burton Wetlands • Caesar Creek Gorge • Lou Campbell • Carmean Woods • Cedar Bog • Chaparral Prairie • Christmas Rocks • Clear Creek • Clear Fork Gorge • Clifton Gorge • Howard Collier • Compass Plant Prairie • Conkle's Hollow • Copperrider-Kent Bog • Crabill Fen • Cranberry Bog • Crane Hollow • Crooked Run • Culberson Woods • Davey Woods • Davis Memorial • Marie J. Desonier • Drew Woods • Dupont Marsh • Eagle Creek • Emerald Hills • Erie Sand Barrens • Etawah Woods • Flatiron Lake Bog • Fowler Woods • Frame Lake Fen • Gahanna Woods • Gallagher/Springfield Fen • Goll Woods • Goode Prairie • Gott Fen • Greenbelt • Greenville Falls • Gross Memorial Woods • Hatch-Otis • Halls Creek • Headlands Dunes • Hueston Woods • Hutchins (Highland) • Irwin Prairie • Jackson Bog • Johnson Ridge • Johnson Woods • Karlo Fen • Kendrick Woods • Kessler Swamp • Kiser Lake Wetlands • Kitty Todd • Knox Woods • Kyle Woods • Ladd Natural Bridge • Lake Katharine • Lakeside Daisy • Lawrence Woods • Little Rocky Hollow • Mantua Bog • Marsh Wetlands • McCracken Fen • Mentor Marsh • Milford Center Railroad Prairie • Miller • Morris Woods • Mud Lake Bog • Myersville • Newberry • North Pond • North Shore Alvar • Novak Sanctuary • Old Woman Creek • Owens/Liberty Fen • Pallister • Pickerington Ponds • Portage Lakes Wetland • Prairie Road Fen • William C. McCoy • Raven Rock • Rhododendeon Cove • Rockbridge • Rome • Rothenbuhler Woods • Saltpetre Cave • Sears Woods • Seymour Woods • Shallenberger • Sharon Woods Gorge • Sheepskin Hollow • Sheick Hollow • Sheldon Marsh • Shoemaker • Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker • Smith Cemetery • Spring Beauty Dell • Spring Brook Sanctuary • Springville Marsh • Stage's Pond • Strait Creek Prairie • Stratford Woods • Swamp Cottonwood • Edward Thomas • Tinker's Creek • Travertine Fen • Triangle Lake Bog • Trillium Trails • Walter Tucker • Tummonds • Warder-Perkins • Whipple • White Pine Bog Forest • Zimmermand Prairie
State
scenic riversBig Darby Creek • Chagrin River • Conneaut Creek • Cuyahoga River • Grand River • Greenville Creek • Kokosing River • Little Beaver Creek • Little Darby Creek • Little Miami River • Maumee River • Mohican River • Olentangy River • Sandusky River • Stillwater River
Regional Ashtabula County Metroparks • Cleveland Metroparks • Columbus Metro Parks • Erie MetroParks • Five Rivers MetroParks • Geauga Park District • Hamilton County Park District • Johnny Appleseed Metro Parks • Lake Metroparks • Lorain County Metro Parks • Metroparks of Butler County • Metro Parks, Serving Summit County • Metroparks of the Toledo Area • Mill Creek MetroParks • Trumbull County MetroParks •
Ohio Department of Natural Resources (web) Categories:- Protected areas of Adams County, Ohio
- Nature reserves in Ohio
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