Cady’s Marsh is a bit or a misnomer.  Although some marsh is present, the focus of preservation at the site is an interesting mix of prairie types (wet/dry) and sedge meadow.  It is a site that I have been to twice and still feel I need to see again to see it at its peak.  It is somewhat of a departure from the typical rocky Sauk County SNA sites.  An access road along the edge of the site gets you further from the highway but no closer to the interesting parts of the site.  On a return visit in early April, there was little to see aside from last season’s growth and even some snow remaining on the ground.  I intend to revisit this site in the summer of 2016.  An interesting historical note is mentioned on the DNR’s site: Cady’s Marsh was one of the last strongholds for the endangered prairie chicken in Sauk County.  Now the subject of intense conservation efforts in central Wisconsin, the prairie chicken once roamed far and wide across portions of the state.  What is left at Cady’s Marsh, is an example of the type of habitats they prefer, prairies and meadows with opportunities for food and some protection from predators.

Wet Prairie

Wet Prairie

Common Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Wet Prairie

Cady’s Marsh Wisconsin State Natural Area #72 Sauk County

Greater Goat’s Beard (Tragopogon dubius)

More of my photographs of Cady’s Marsh can be viewed here.

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