Colorado Tallgrass Prairie

Location:    Boulder County
Size:   269 acres  
Designated:   November 1984
Landowner: City of Boulder

The Colorado Tallgrass Prairie Natural Area consists of eight small parcels located along the broad floodplain of South Boulder Creek. The properties contain the largest known area of the once-extensive xeric and mesic native tallgrass prairies in Colorado. These tallgrass prairie remnants support flora similar to the prairies of South Dakota, Kansas, and the Midwest, including big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and yellow Indiangrass (Sorgastrum nutans). The grassland also supports a wide variety of wildlife from spirited songbirds to elusive mountain lions.