Pecan Grove State Preserve

Pecan Grove State Preserve is a 23-acre remnant of bottomland forest noted for a grove of pecan trees, an uncommon species in Iowa. It is located five miles west of Muscatine in Muscatine County. The property was purchased by the Iowa Conservation Commission in 1973 and dedicated as a biological state preserve in 1978. Pecan Grove is located in Muscatine Slough, an ancient channel of the Mississippi River near the northern end of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain landform region. Muscatine Slough was formerly a large area of bottomland forest, but has been extensively cleared, drained, and farmed. The preserve contains a small remnant of bottomland forest with a grove of native pecan trees. Dominant trees of the preserve include box elder, green ash, mulberry, and black walnut. Other natural areas in the vicinity include Wildcat Den State Park and Red Cedar Wildlife Area and Wiese Slough Wildlife Area.