Golden Prairie
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| Golden Prairie | |
|---|---|
 National Natural Landmark plaque | |
  Map of the U.S. state of Missouri showing the location of Golden Prairie | |
| Location | Barton County, Missouri, USA |
| Nearest city | Golden City |
| Coordinates | 37°21′45″N 94°9′0″W / 37.36250°N 94.15000°W |
| Area | 630 acres (250 ha) |
| Established | 1970 |
| Governing body | Missouri Prairie Foundation |
| Designated | 1975 |
Golden Prairie is a 630-acre (2,500,000 m2) tallgrass prairie named for its proximity to Golden City in the U.S. state of Missouri. The core 320-acre (1,300,000 m2) area is a National Natural Landmark.
The rolling landscape of Golden Prairie developed from Mississippian sandstones, shales, and cherty limestone. It contains examples of dry-mesic sandstone prairie, chert prairie, hardpan prairie, prairie swales and a "segment of a prairie headwater stream".[1]
State-endangered species found at Golden Prairie include the prairie mole cricket, the regal fritillary butterfly, and the Arkansas darter.[2] The federally-endangered prairie chicken, formerly common on the prairie, has not been observed for several years.[3]
Other grassland birds found at Golden Prairie include northern bobwhite, short-eared owls,[1] dickcissels, eastern meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, and Henslow's sparrows.[2]
Among the over 340 vascular plants at the site are the characteristic tallgrass prairie plant species big bluestem and prairie dropseed, but rarer plants such as royal catchfly (Silene regia) can also be found.[2]
