Turkey Ridge
Location
County: Phillips County
Forest: Ozark–St. Francis National Forest
District: St. Francis Ranger District
SAF Cover Types:
- SAF type 52: white oak–red oak–hickory
View a searchable map for the Turkey Ridge RNA.
Related Reports and Publications
- Pell, William F. 1980. Site survey of Turkey Ridge RNA. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, AR. 8 p.
- Ison, C. F. 1996. Vascular Flora of St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. Castanea 61(1): 49-61.
Ecological and Physical Description
The last large tract of 50–100 year old white oak-black oak-northern red oak on Crowley’s Ridge, believed to closely resemble the virgin forest. Yellow poplar is only found on Crowley's Ridge in Arkansas. Elev 200 ft. at Storm Creek Lake to 375ft at Crowley’s Ridge.
Annual precipitation averages 51, 52 inches (130.9 cm)
Helena is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the RNA.
Although not a separate, physiographic province, Crowley's Ridge is regarded as a major natural division in Arkansas. Crowley's Ridge is unique in many respects. The orange sands, gravels and blue clays which form its central axis are found nowhere else in eastern Arkansas but exist as continuous formations southwest of the Arkansas River and west of a line between Pine Bluff and Hamburg.
There are undoubtedly a fairly large number of aquatic species that inhabit Storm Creek, Storm Creek Lake and Wells Hollow. In a study of fishes of Crowley's Ridge, seventeen species were found to exist in streams in or near the RNA.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Communities | Forest vegetation occupies all of the area and consists primarily of an overstory of hardwoods, principally white oak (Quercus alba L). Essentially all of the Research Natural Area is the white oak–red oak–hickory forest cover type or SAF type No 52. A few scattered patches of swamp chestnut oak and cherrybark oak occur in the area. |
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| Schisandra glabra (Brickell)Rehder | Climbing magnolia vine | At Risk Species | ✔ | |
| Juglans cinerea L | White walnut | At Risk Species | ✔ | |
| Cornus florida L | Flowering dogwood | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Carpinus caroliniana Walt | American hornbeam | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Ostrya virginiana (Mill ) K Koch | Eastern hophornbean | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Ilex decidua Walt | Possumhaw | Common Shrub Species |
Common Animal Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sciurus carolinensis | Grey squirrel | Common Mammal Species | ||
| S. niger | Fox squirrel | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Sylvilagus floridanus | Cottontail rabbit | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Sylvilagus aquaticus | Swamp rabbit | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Procyon lotor | Raccoon | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Vulpes fulva | Red fox | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Grey fox | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Didelphis virginiana | Opossum | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Mephitis mephitis | Striped skunk | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Spiogale putorius | Spotted skunk | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Dasypus novemcintus | Armadillo | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Odocoileus virginianus | White-tailed deer | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Marmota monax monax | Southern woodchuck | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Meleagris gallopavo | Wild turkey | Common Bird Species | There are approximately 200 species of birds that are transients or residents of the Crowley's Ridge area. |
|
| Colinus virginianus | Bobwhite quail | Common Bird Species |