Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve is a state-protected

Natural Area A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

in southwest

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

, United States. The preserve includes some of the Washington

mima mounds Mima mounds are low, flattened, circular to oval, domelike, natural mounds that are composed of loose, unstratified, often gravelly sediment that is an overthickened A horizon. These mounds range in diameter from 3 to more than 50 m; in he ...

, the origin of which still is not fully understood. The site comprises of

Garry oak ''Quercus garryana'' is an oak tree species of the Pacific Northwest, with a range stretching from southern California to southwestern British Columbia. It is commonly known as the Oregon white oak or Oregon oak or, in Canada, the Garry oak. It ...

woodland,

oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Mediter ...

, and prairie grasslands. Several state and federal

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

depending on the unique prairie conditions can be found in the preserve, including

Mardon skipper ''Polites mardon'', the Mardon skipper, is a butterfly native to the United States northwest coast. Description The Mardon skipper is a small butterfly, less than one inch (25 mm), that belongs to the family Hesperiidae. Its habitat extends ...

zerene fritillary ''Speyeria zerene'', the zerene fritillary, is a butterfly found in the western portions of the United States and Canada. The species was first described by William John Swainson in 1827. Description ''Speyeria zerene'' is a medium-sized butte ...

, Puget blue and

Taylor's checkerspot ''Euphydryas editha taylori'', the Whulge checkerspot or Taylor's checkerspot, is a butterfly native to an area of the northwestern United States and Vancouver Island. Description Taylor's checkerspot is the darkest subspecies of the genus ''Eup ...

. In 1966, the mima mounds were designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Protected areas of Thurston County, Washington Washington Natural Areas Program National Natural Landmarks in Washington (state) Landforms of Thurston County, Washington Protected areas established in 1976 1976 establishments in Washington (state)

See also

References

External links