Lulu Lake is an amazing mosaic of natural communities straddling the Walworth-Waukesha County line.  Several parking areas are located around the property including on CTH E, Lulu Lake Road, and Nature Road.  Trails lead throughout the site.  The SNA is owned approximately 2/3 by the DNR and 1/3 by The Nature Conservancy.  Both entities own additional adjacent lands that are non-SNA.

For both of my visits to Lulu Lake, I started from TNC parking area on Nature Road (north of the DNR parking area).  From here, the trail leads toward the namesake lake with an option to proceed around an oak knoll (my original choice) or continue on the access lane.  A second fork in the road lets you choose between heading towards the lake or toward a crossing of the Mukwonago River and surrounding fen.  This was by far my favorite area to explore this past autumn.  Lesser fringed gentian, grass of Parnassus, and nodding lady’s tresses were abundant here.  Other species observed include purple false foxglove, kalm’s lobelia, and numerous goldenrod and aster species.  On future visits, I would like to explore the lake’s western and northern shores and perhaps take a kayak out for a new and different perspective.

Red Fox

Landscape

River & Fen

Grass of Parnassus

Nodding Lady’s Tresses

River & Fen

Fen

Lesser Fringed Gentian

River

More of my photos (and full-res) from Lulu Lake can be viewed here.

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