Welcome, Anoka County Library Summer Adventurers! Join us today on a "Choose Your Own Adventure" - style exploration of the Minnesota prairie! We will learn about native grasses and plants, see beautiful blooming wildflowers, and maybe even meet some new animal friends!

About the prairie: According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), prairies are "extensive areas of flat or rolling grasslands." Trees are sparse, if there at all, and the waving grasses have often been described as looking like the sea. Minnesota's prairies were formed on the soil left by the last glacial episodes. They tend to develop in areas where the weather is warmer and the rainfall is lower, hence why *all* of Minnesota is not prairie.

Prairies have good soil for growing crops, and unfortunately, many were destroyed so that crops could be planted and farmed here. However, great efforts are being made to conserve the prairie, and restore habitats and native species, and protect soil and water.