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Berry Woods



 		 Berry Woods Image
Berry Woods © TNC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

From Des Moines:

Drive south on Highway 65/69 to Fulton Street.

Turn west onto Fulton Street and drive a mile west to 115th Avenue
Turn south onto 115th Avenue and drive one half-mile to the preserve on the east side of the road (sign: Berry Woods).

Access is through a gate in the fence.rom the town of Fostoria (between Milford and Spencer on US Hwy 71), go west 8 miles on County Road B14 to a gravel road. The preserve is north of B14 and east of the gravel road.

 

Berry Woods was the first preserve owned by the Conservancy in Iowa. It continues to be a great example of central high oak woodland.

Why You Should Visit
Berry Woods is a high-quality mature white oak, red oak, basswood and shagbark hickory woodland that is home to many wildflowers and fungi. Gorgeous wildflower displays in the spring and fall make the site popular for photographers.

Location
4.5 miles northwest of Indianola in Warren County

Size
42 acres

Preserve Visitation Guidelines

What to See: Plants
Common trees at Berry Woods include white oak, red oak, basswood and shagbark hickory. Other plants to see here are wild ginger, spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, toothwort, white trout-lily, showy orchis, wild geranium, liverleaf, false rue anemone, Indian pipe, ironwood, bloodroot and bellwort.

What to See: Animals
There are many birds, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird, eastern wood pewee, catbird, northern oriole, red-headed woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, cardinal, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren and American robin. Other animals include opossum, eastern cottontail and eastern chipmunk.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Berry Woods is the Iowa Chapter’s first preserve. Don L. Berry, the late newspaper publisher and conservationist, deeded this woodland to the Conservancy in 1961 as a memorial to his grandfather and father who had owned and protected the woods for nearly a century. The preserve was dedicated as a biological State Preserve in 1980.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
In addition to the conservation work here, the preserve serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for Simpson College biology classes.