Native Plant Community Classification Survey
The DNR's Native Plant Community Classification is used throughout Minnesota for vegetation management, conservation and land-use planning. The DNR is in the process of updating the classification and would like your input by taking this short survey.
| A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota (2023). Minnesota's unique geography—deciduous forests, northern boreal forests, and western tallgrass prairie—has led to a diverse and unique bee fauna. MBS staff with peers at the University of Minnesota, Washington State University (Pullman), National University of Singapore, the Conservation Research Institute and the National Wildlife Foundation, have compiled this game-changing monograph detailing Minnesota's astonishing native bee diversity: a total of 508 species in 45 genera!Abstract |  | |
| Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota (2018). Written by MBS botanist Welby Smith with photography by Richard Haug, this is the first comprehensive, fully illustrated field guide to Minnesota’s nearly 250 species of sedges and rushes. With its finely detailed photographs and descriptions, Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota enables quick and reliable identification of these often difficult-to-distinguish species. As an in-depth introduction or a handy field guide, the book is the first complete, comprehensive reference on these important plants of Minnesota, an invaluable resource for specialists, naturalists, and wild plant lovers.Purchase from University of Minnesota Press |  | |
Minnesota's Bryophytes (2014) Bryologist Joannes A. Janssens' Noteworthy Mosses & Liverworts of Minnesota Part I: Illustrated Field Keys, Noteworthy Mosses & Liverworts of Minnesota Part II: Species Fact Sheets, Field Guide to Mosses & Liverwort of Minnesota's Calcareous Fens, and Illustrated Glossary to the Field Guides of the Mosses & Liverworts of Minnesota feature highly-detailed photographs, technical illustrations, maps of known ranges, habitat descriptions, aids to identification, and comparisons to similar taxa for nearly 100 of Minnesota's moss and liverwort species. The guides are available in web-delivered pdf format for personal viewing and printing. Download |  | |
Amphibians and Reptiles Minnesota (2014). Amateurs and professionals alike will find this book a comprehensive source and a user-friendly guide, invaluable for discovering, identifying, and learning about any of Minnesota's fifty-three amphibian and reptile species from the common American Toad to the little seen Western Ratsnake. This handbook takes readers through the steps for studying these species in the field.Purchase from University of Minnesota Press |  | |
| Native Orchids of Minnesota (2012), written by MBS botanist Welby Smith, is an updated and revised edition of the only comprehensive guide to Minnesota orchids, with four new species, two new varieties, new maps, and new illustrations. Though often considered exotic and rare, orchids can be found across climates and continents–and Minnesota is no exception, with forty-nine wild orchids. Native Orchids of Minnesota features detailed drawings and color photographs that make reliable identification practical even for beginners–a guide and a resource for the serious naturalist, the weekend botanist, and the connoisseur of natural beauty.Purchase from University of Minnesota Press Native Orchids of MN (272 kb) \ |  | |
| Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota (2008), written by MBS botanist Welby Smith, provides authoritative, accessible, and up-to-date information on the state's native and naturalized woody plant species. This fully illustrated book features more than one thousand color photographs of fruit, flowers, bark, and leaves for every species, as well as more than one hundred illustrations by botanical artist Vera Ming Wong; more than five hundred distribution maps, including state and North American range maps; and complete descriptions of each species’ habitat, natural history, and ecology. The book is written for everyone from scientists, to teachers, to people interested in horticulture and gardening.Purchase from University of Minnesota Press |  | |
| Red Lake Peatlands/Patterned Peatlands (poster, 2008) presents a brief overview of the ecology and significance of Minnesota's northern patterned peatlands. Minnesota's northern peatlands are one of the state's most extensive ecosystems and one of the most unusual landscapes in the United States. Available online (9 mb) |  | |
| Native Plant Communities and Rare Species of the Minnesota River Valley Counties (2007) provides information on the native plant communities and rare species present in the counties along the Minnesota River from its origin in western Minnesota to its confluence with the Mississippi. Many of the most important areas of native habitat in south-central and southwestern Minnesota are within the Minnesota valley, including bluff prairies, fens, floodplain forests, and rock outcrop communities. This report and associated maps are designed for resource managers, local units of government, and citizens interested in land-use planning along the Minnesota River corridor. Available online (34 mb) |  | |
| An Evaluation of the Ecological Significance of the Headwaters Site (2007) by MBS plant ecologists Chel Anderson and Ethan Perry describes the rare natural features of the Headwaters Site in Lake and St. Louis counties and summarizes the conservation actions most relevant for maintaining these features. The 38,000-acre Headwaters Site is at the origin of four rivers, including the St. Louis, and contains some of the most important peatlands and unfragmented upland forest areas in northeastern Minnesota. Available online |  | |
| A Handbook for Collecting Vegetation Plot Data in Minnesota: The Releve Method (2007) describes the current practices of DNR plant ecologists for collection of vegetation plot data using the releve method. Releves have been widely used in Europe for vegetation description and classification and increasingly are being adopted for vegetation study in North America. The DNR maintains a database containing electronic versions of releves and other very similar kinds of vegetation plot data collected across Minnesota beginning in the 1960s. This handbook supplants the first handbook describing the methods DNR plant ecologists use for collecting releve plot data, A Handbook for Collecting Releve Data in Minnesota, which was compiled by J. C. Almendinger in 1987. Booklet Version Formatted to print double-sided, horizontally on 8.5" x 11" paper, fold in half, and staple along the spine to make a 5.5" x 8.5" booklet. Single-Page Version Formatted for electronic viewing, one page per sheet. More online |  | |
| An Evaluation of the Ecological Significance of Ninemile Lakes & Ridges Area (2006) by MBS plant ecologist Michael Lee describes the rare natural features of the Ninemile Lakes and Ridges Area in Lake County and summarizes the conservation actions most relevant for maintaining these features. The scenic and rugged 10,000-acre Ninemile Lakes and Ridges Area has undeveloped lakes, numerous rare plants, and large blocks of old-growth forest. Available online |  | |
| Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands Provinces (2005) is part of a three-volume series intended to promote better understanding of the patterns and processes that characterize and influence Minnesota’s vegetation. This field guide contains keys for the identification of native plant communities in the Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces of northwestern Minnesota, and fact sheets with information on community composition and structure, landscape setting, soils, and natural history. Summaries of ecological systems highlight the ecological processes that shape the vegetation of the region. The field guide is intended for anyone interested in the variety and ecology of Minnesota’s native vegetation. The hierarchical construction of the plant community classification and its linkage to ecological map units are specifically designed to meet the needs of land managers, field surveyors, and researchers working at a variety of scales. Purchase from University of Minnesota Bookstore |  | |
| Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005) is part of a three-volume series intended to promote better understanding of the patterns and processes that characterize and influence Minnesota’s vegetation. This field guide contains keys for the identification of native plant communities in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province of central and southeastern Minnesota, and fact sheets with information on community composition and structure, landscape setting, soils, and natural history. Summaries of ecological systems highlight the ecological processes that shape the vegetation of the region. The field guide is intended for anyone interested in the variety and ecology of Minnesota’s native vegetation. The hierarchical construction of the plant community classification and its linkage to ecological map units are specifically designed to meet the needs of land managers, field surveyors, and researchers working at a variety of scales. Purchase from University of Minnesota Bookstore |  | |
| Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003) is part of a three-volume series intended to promote better understanding of the patterns and processes that characterize and influence Minnesota’s vegetation. This field guide contains keys for the identification of native plant communities in the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province of northern Minnesota, and fact sheets with information on community composition and structure, landscape setting, soils, and natural history. Summaries of ecological systems highlight the ecological processes that shape the vegetation of the region. The field guide is intended for anyone interested in the variety and ecology of Minnesota’s native vegetation. The hierarchical construction of the plant community classification and its linkage to ecological map units are specifically designed to meet the needs of land managers, field surveyors, and researchers working at a variety of scales. Purchase from University of Minnesota Bookstore |  | |
| Minnesota's Bearing Tree Database (1996) describes the DNR's database of the bearing-tree records collected in Minnesota by public land surveyors. This report also provides information on the use of these data for study of the vegetation present in Minnesota at the time of the Public Land Surveys (1847–1908). 23 pg. booklet. Download (184KB) |  | |
| Minnesota's St. Croix River Valley and Anoka Sandplain: a Guide to Native Habitats (1995) by MBS plant ecologists Daniel Wovcha and Barbara Delaney and mammalogist Gerda Nordquist provides detailed accounts of the native plant communities in the St. Croix River Valley and Anoka Sandplain region of east-central Minnesota, including descriptive text, photographs, line drawings, distribution maps, and lists of characteristic plants and animals. The book also presents a detailed history of the landscape of the region from the glacial age to the present, and a guide to 35 sites where readers can go to explore the region’s native habitats. (Note: this book is out of print, but possibly available in local libraries or for purchase through the University of Minnesota Press) OUT OF PRINT |  | |
| Minnesota's Native Vegetation: A Key to Natural Communities, Version 1.5 (1993) describes the plant community classification used by the Minnesota Biological Survey and the DNR’s Natural Heritage Program from ca. 1990 to 2003. This classification is now obsolete but the publication describing it is made available here for archival purposes. For information on the native plant community classification currently used by the DNR, see the three volumes above in the series Field Guides to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota. Download (184KB) |  | |
| Natural Vegetation of Minnesota at the Time of the Public Land Survey 1847-1907 (1988) is a brief overview of the major vegetation types present in Minnesota’s prairie, deciduous forest, and conifer forest regions at the time of the Public Land Surveys from the mid-1800s to early 1900s. This brochure includes a simplified version of Francis J. Marschner’s map of Minnesota’s vegetation based on Public Land Survey records. Download |  | |
Articles
Stories by MBS Staff published in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine:
| Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2023). MBS zoologist Jeff LeClere tells us about this highly-adaptable little salamander of forested wet areas...and the threats it faces in a changing Minnesota. | |
| The Big Reveal (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2020). In 2019, the Minnesota Biological Survey program began wrapping the fieldwork in a decades-long assessment of the state’s ecological health. The results are both sobering and hopeful—not to mention pretty darn cool. A DNR plant ecologist pulls back the curtain on this important project. | |
| Blue-spotted Salamander (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2018). MBS zoologist Jeff LeClere describes this secretive salamander of Minnesota's mature woodlands. | |
A Bounty of Wild Bees (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, July-August 2015). Researchers are learning more about these energetic pollinators and their role in prairie and grassland conservation. | |
| Life in the Landscape (1.5mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, November-December 2013). Scientists of the Minnesota Biological Survey collect data, specimens, and memories. | |
| Small White Lady's-slipper (1.5mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, July-August 2013). MBS botanist Janeen Ruby provides a profile of this tiny Minnesota orchid. | |
| Rock Pools on the Prairie (6.7mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2009). MBS plant ecologist Fred Harris describes his finds while surveying the rock outcrop pools of southwestern Minnesota. These outcrop pools form in depressions in ancient bedrock on the Prairie Coteau and along the Minnesota River Valley and are home to 15 of Minnesota's rarest plant species. | |
| Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) (1.2mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2009). MBS ornithologist Steve Stucker provides this profile of the habits and status of this tiny bird, which has been declining across its breeding range since 1990. Minnesota is a stronghold for golden-winged warblers with an estimated 42 percent of the species' global breeding population. | |
| Mapping Home Ground (6mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, November-December 2008). An essay by Nancy Sather on how growing up in the prairie-forest border landscape of northwestern Minnesota influenced her later work surveying the region as an MBS plant ecologist. | |
| Wildly Adaptable Trees (5mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, September-October 2008). MBS botanist Welby Smith (with Jan Wolff) looks at the adaptive traits of several of Minnesota's prominent tree species and the ways in which these trees have responded to changes in the ecology of the state's forests over the past 150 years. | |
| Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) (1.2mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2008). MBS ornithologist Steve Stucker describes the appearance, range, habitat, and status of this grassland bird, which has become uncommon in Minnesota because of the widespread loss of Minnesota's native prairies. | |
| Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) (1.2mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2010). MBS zoologist Jeff LeClere describes Minnesota's largest salamander, a Species in Greatest Conservation Need due to its apparent decline in much of its range in North America. | |
| Elusive Orchids (3.5mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, July-August 2007). MBS plant ecologist Erika Rowe gives an account of searching for (and discovering!) new populations of Minnesota's tiniest orchid, bog adder's-mouth (Malaxis paludosa). | |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) (1.3mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). MBS ornithologist Steve Stucker profiles of one of Minnesota's once-common flycatchers which is now experiencing a sharp decline in numbers and has been labeled a Species in Greatest Conservation Need as listed in MNDNR's Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025. | |
| Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) (1.3mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). A Minnesota Profile of this forest-dwelling salamander, unknown in the state until its discovery by MBS in 1994. | |
| Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) (1.8mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). MBS mammalogist Gerda Nordquist provides this field note on the rare northern bog lemming, a State Species of Special Concern. | |
| Regal Fritillary (Speveria idalia) (1.5mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). One of Minnesota's most striking prairie butterflies is profiled by MBS entomologist Robert Dana. The species has suffered catastrophic decline in much of its range and is a state-listed Species of Special Concern in MN. | |
| Big Brown Bat (Ectopistes fuscus) (1mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). MBS mammalogist Gerda Nordquist's Minnesota Profile of one of Minnesota's most-recognizable bat species. | |
| Prairie Wild Rose (Rosa arkansana) (1mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, May-June 2000). MBS plant ecologists Daniel Wovcha and Robert Dana provide this profile of one of four wild roses native to Minnesota. | |
| Tallgrass Aspen Parkland (8mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, January-February 1999). An unsung wilderness presents a vast opportunity for conservation. | |
| Last Stands of Big Woods (7mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, July-August 1998). Forests of elm, sugar maple, basswood, and oak once covered more than 2,000 square miles of south-central Minnesota. Today just 2% of these forests remain, and most stand in the path of urban development. | |
| Taking Stock of Plants, Animals, Ecosystems (3mb) (Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 1988). The Minnesota County Biological Survey is an ambitious plan to identify county by counting the rich biological diversity of our state's flora and fauna. | |
| A Six-step Approach for Identifying and Prioritizing Potential Research Natural Areas, Superior National Forest (Natural Areas Journal, October 2007), co-authored by MBS plant ecologist Chel Anderson, details the procedures that MBS has been applying to help target searches for native plant communities and rare plant species in the large forested landscapes of northern Minnesota. | |
This information is available in an alternative format upon request. Contact the DNR Information Center.