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Wild blue flax is one of many wildflowers blooming in the open grassy areas of Mount Rushmore. (NPS Photo) |
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There is more to Mount Rushmore than meets the eye, use all five of your senses to discover the little know wonders hidden below the sculpture of the four presidents. Mount Rushmore is located in the scenic Black Hills of South Dakota. The Black Hills are also called the "Island in the Prairie", because they are an island of granitic hills surrounded by a prairie sea.
The Black Hills and mixed grass prairies of South Dakota are two different types of biological communities. When two different biological communities meet, like the Black Hills and the mixed grass prairies, the biological diversity increases.
Therefore the Black Hills have great biological diversity and the plant and animal life is abundant and varied. On a typical day at Mount Rushmore you might see several different species of wildflowers, a deer, chipmunks and turkey vultures. If you take a closer look you might find spiders and beetles in the grass or a snake sunning itself on a rock. When you visit remember to use more than just your sense of sight to discover some of the other wonders at Mount Rushmore.
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