Lorance Creek

Lorance Creek
© TNC

Why You Should Visit
Lorance Creek Natural Area is an easily accessible preserve located just minutes from downtown Little Rock along a wide, slow-moving stretch of Lorance Creek. Interpretive signs along the trail describe the history and natural features of the area. Quiet and peaceful during the day, Lorance Creek comes to life during evening and at daybreak with a chorus of bird and frog songs.

Location
Pulaski and Saline counties

Size
525 acres. Includes property owned by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and The Nature Conservancy, and additional lands under conservation management agreement.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Lorance Creek is open to the public. A fully accessible, paved foot path and elevated boardwalk allow visitors access to the swamp interior.

Insect repellent is suggested. Bring binoculars to view the many bird species present at Lorance Creek.

Directions

From Little Rock, take Interstate 530 (Hwy 65) south approximately 10 miles
Exit at Bingham Road
Turn left (east) on Bingham Road, pass over I-530/Hwy 65
Continue through a residential area
At the "Y" in the road, bear right on Border Lane
Parking area is approximately 100 yards on the right.

What to See: Plants
On the boardwalk, one is shaded by bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) trees. Swamp blackgum (Nyssa biflora), a rare tree in Arkansas, is fairly common in the upper portion of the swamp.

The area is interconnected by a network of small streams and seeps that support a rich wetland flora of over 300 species, including:

arrow arum (Peltandra virginica)
bur-reed (Sparganium americanum)
Louisiana hop sedge (Carex louisianica)
royal fern (Osmunda regalis)

Rare plants occurring at the site include hardhack (Spiraea tomentosa), Devil's bit (Chamaelirium luteum), and Carolina ash (Fraxinus caroliniana). Carolina ash is at the northern edge of its range.

List of plants at Lorance Creek

What to See: Animals
More than 100 bird species and 25 amphibian and reptile species are known from the site, including two rare species in Arkansas, the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) and bird-voiced tree frog (Hyla avivoca). Neotropical migrants, such as the prothonotary warbler, can be seen in the spring and summer.

List of animals at Lorance Creek

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Development in the surrounding uplands impacts water quality and threatens the natural area and its rare species. The Lorance Creek site was purchased by The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission in 1989. Since then the Conservancy has purchased adjacent uplands to buffer the core preserve from impending urbanization.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Lorance Creek is managed as a nature preserve for the rare animals and plants that live there. Stewardship activities include prescribed burns in upland woodlands, non-native species removal, and continued inventory for additional rare animal and plant species.