Harrell Prairie Botanical Area, Protected prairie preserve in Scott County, Mississippi.
Harrell Prairie Botanical Area is a protected grassland in Scott County, Mississippi, covering roughly 160 acres of native vegetation. The land holds a mix of native grasses such as Little Bluestem and Indiangrass alongside diverse wildflowers that have adapted to the local soil and climate conditions.
The Forest Service established this as a designated Botanical Area in 1980, recognizing it as the largest surviving example of the Jackson Prairie Belt. This official protection helped preserve the grassland from being converted to agricultural or developed land uses.
The site serves as a working research location where botanists and conservationists study the native grasses and wildflowers that have grown here for generations. It represents an important effort to protect one of the few remaining examples of this grassland type in the state.
Access to the prairie is available through Forest Service Road 515, where signage marks the boundaries of the protected area. Visitors should stay on marked areas and follow posted guidelines to avoid disturbing the delicate native plants and grasses.
The soil here is alkaline with a pH above 7.5, creating distinctive growing conditions found nowhere else in the surrounding region. This special soil chemistry allows plant species to thrive here that are rare or absent in the pine forests nearby.
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