Oshkosh-Larsen Trail Prairies encompasses a series of four wet-mesic prairie remnants located along the Wiouwash State Trail in Winnebago County just east of USH 45.  Park on the roadside at any one of several intersections with county and local roads including CTH G near Allenville (then head north), Oak Ridge Road (then head south), or Maxwell Road (head north and south).  Alternatively, one can bike from anywhere along the Wiouwash State Trail, the southern segment of which runs from Hortonville south to Oshkosh.

Oshkosh-Larsen Trail Prairies was the last stop for my brother and I after touring Manitowoc County and then making a few stops on the way home.  We parked on Maxwell Road and explored both of the nearest parcels north and south of that point.  These were not the most exciting prairie remnants to visit, but I found them to be in far better condition than most of the trail prairies I have explored thus far.  Flowering species of note were hoary puccoon, flowering spurge, tall thimbleweed, and Canada anemone.  After ambling along the trail and through the narrow bands of prairie, the sweltering midday heat led to the end of this weekend of natural area extravaganzas and we commenced the last leg of the trip home.  It might be worth a visit here in late summer-early fall when wet-prairies turn over a new leaf, so to speak.

Wet Prairie

Canada Anemone

Wet Prairie

Wet Prairie & Trail

Tall Thimbleweed

Flowering Spurge

Yellow Star Grass

Hoary Puccoon

More of my photos (and full-res) from Oshkosh-Larsen Trail Prairies can be viewed here.

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