Baker Prairie

Purple prairie clover © Mike Fuhr/TNC

Why You Should Visit
Baker Prairie is all that is left of a once 5,000-acre tallgrass prairie in northwest Arkansas. Visitors can see native grasses and beautiful wildflowers in the spring, summer, and fall.

Location
Within the city of Harrison in Boone County

Size
71 acres, co-owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The preserve features flat to gently sloping terrain in open sunlight. A short interpretive trail has been created.

Sturdy walking shoes, sunscreen/sun hat, and insect repellent are recommended.

Directions

• From the intersection of Highway 65 and Business 65 in Harrison, go west on Industrial Park Road
• Proceed one mile and turn left on Goblin Drive, which bisects the preserve
• Parking is available on the left side of the road in the high school lower parking lot

What to See: Plants
Characteristic grasses include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparuim), and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans).

The spring flora includes:

• Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
• wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides)
• shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia)
• orange puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)

Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), and prairie blazing star (Liatris pychnostachea) bloom throughout the summer. In the fall many species of asters (Aster spp.), sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), and goldenrods (Solidago spp.) paint a beautiful picture on the prairie.

Plants of special concern found at Baker Prairie include:

• royal catchfly (Silene regia)
• Ozark wake robin (Trillium pusillum spp. ozarkanum)
• prairie violet (Viola pedatifida)
• downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
• silky aster (Aster sericeus).

What to See: Animals
The prairie mole cricket (Gryllotalpa major) is one of the largest insects in North America. Adapted for digging, its front legs resemble those of a mole. In early spring, male prairie mole crickets emerge from the soil and dig specialized tunnels at the surface with a chamber near the tunnel entrance. Every night for an hour after sunset, the male produces a mating call that is amplified by the tunnel system - one cricket can be heard over a quarter of a mile away.

This grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) takes its name from the insect-like quality of its song. It requires open, grassy areas for successful nesting. 

The ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata), which can live for 100 years or more, is named for the intricate pattern of radiating yellow lines on its shell. This species survives only in unplowed grasslands. It is threatened by widespread habitat destruction and expanding highways, where the warmth of the pavement attracts turtles into the path of traffic.

Baker Prairie © Maria Melnechuk/TNC

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Baker Prairie is representative of several prairies that once existed on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Mountains. It is the largest known tract of Ozark prairie that occurs on a chert substrate. The prairie harbors several species of plants and animals of special concern in Arkansas. Baker Prairie's timely protection was especially important due to its location within the growing urban area of Harrison. 

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Ongoing stewardship includes fence row removal, woody vegetation removal, regular prescribed burning, and control of non-native plant species, especially tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). A 10-acre old field at the site is being restored using prairie seeds collected from the preserve. Volunteers from Harrison have been instrumental in the stewardship of Baker Prairie for many years. 

Download a printable Interior Highlands fact sheet (PDF).