Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve is located in both Garrard and Jessamine county

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and protects a section of the

Kentucky River Palisades The Kentucky River Palisades are a series of steep, scenic Canyon, gorges and limestone outcroppings that stretch for approximately 100 mi (160 km), along the Kentucky River in central Kentucky in the United States. Geology The Kentuc ...

. The preserve is owned by the

Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. The agency's primary focus is protecting rare and endangered species habitat. It o ...

, and encompasses of cliffs, bluffs, and bottomland. In 2007, the Kentucky State Parks announced the purchase of 90 acres (360,000 m2) adjacent to Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve for the creation of the new Palisades State Park, but that property was subsequently incorporated into the State Nature Preserve. The Palisades harbor many rare species for the Bluegrass due to the unusual landscape. The state endangered plants found on Tom Dorman's cliffs are starry cleft phlox ('' Phlox bifida'' var. ''stellaria''), Eggleston's violet (''

Viola egglestonii ''Viola egglestonii'', commonly known as glade violet, is a species herbaceous plant in the violet family. It is native to a small area of eastern North America, only being found in limestone cedar glades of the Interior Low Plateau and Ridge an ...

''), and

tufted hair-grass ''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts ...

(''

Deschampsia cespitosa ''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts o ...

''); the latter being one of only two populations known in the state. The plants listed as state threatened found here are Kentucky viburnum (''

Viburnum molle ''Viburnum molle'', commonly called softleaf arrowwood, is a species of flowering plant in the moschatel family (Adoxaceae). It is native to the eastern United States, where it restricted to the Midwest and Upper South The Upland South and Upp ...

'') and False melic ('' Schizachne purpurascens''). The rare Yellowwood tree is also found in this preserve. This preserve is open to the public. It features a strenuous two mile (3 km) loop following an old stage coach route to the river.

External links

Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
{{coord, 37.765, -84.627, type:forest, display=title Protected areas of Garrard County, Kentucky Protected areas of Jessamine County, Kentucky Nature reserves in Kentucky