Trempealeau River Meadow is a large sedge meadow and marsh complex in Buffalo County.  Park on Wolfe’s Dugway Road and walk east into the site.  There is a small degraded prairie before a short forested drop in elevation leading to the sedge meadow.

This was another site where rubber boots would have come in handy.  Most of the area was dry enough for exploration for ease but there were pockets that were certainly damper than the rest.  Overall, Trempealeau River Meadow had a similar feel and botanical inventory as the outer portions of Tamarack Creek Bog, with spotted Joe-pye weed being the dominant flowering species.  With that in mind, I was a bit disappointed not to find purple-fringed orchid, but this is quite a large natural area (443 ac.) and it could certainly be hiding here somewhere.  I would put this site on the return visit list so that a deeper exploration could be made.  As it was on this day, our required departure time for the trip home was fast approaching and this prompted a shorter than preferred hike.

Meadow

Meadow

Sunflower

Meadow

Meadow

Meadow

Nectaring Swallowtail

More of my photos (and full-res) from Trempealeau River Meadow can be viewed here.

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