Plants

Pipestone National Monument, by virtue of its protected status, has some of the only native tallgrass prairie habitat left in America. Many plants can be seen close up along the Circle Trail and viewed as a stunning mosaic from the road. Over 500 species of plants occur at the Monument, including one federally threatened species (the Western prairie-fringed orchid) and nearly a dozen state-listed rare species.

The staff at Pipestone National Monument make every effort to preserve this valuable resource through the use of controlled burns and removal of non-native or introduced plant species.

 

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  Wildflowers

  Hundreds of wildflowers fill the Monument every spring and summer. They have been used in many ways by Indigenous people for centuries.

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  Grasses

  Some of the dominant grasses in the Monument's tallgrass prairie

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  Lichens

  These resilient organisms can live for thousands of years and currently cover much of the Sioux Quartzite outcroppings at the Monument.

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  Cacti & Desert Succulents

  Visitors are often surprised to see cacti in the southwest Minnesota prairie

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  Freshwater Plants

  Pipestone Creek enables roughly 35 species of freshwater plants to thrive in the Monument