Another classic Wisconsin forest is found at New Observatory Woods. As this is a University of Wisconsin Board of Regent-owned parcel and permission is required from the UW Arboretum to visit, I will not disclose the location. The forest ranges from wet in some areas to more mesic in others. Red oaks are most common…
Olson Oak Woods, SNA #157 (26/674)
Olson Oak Woods represents a quintessential forest in the state of Wisconsin. It contains many white and black oaks as well as a mixture of black cherry, bur oak, red oak, hickory, elm, and basswood. According to the DNR, open-growth oaks dating from the 1750’s and multiple-stemmed oaks from the 1840’s are evidence of former savanna conditions…
Sugar River Wetlands, SNA #299 (25/674)
Wetlands including sedge meadow, fen, and wet prairie can be found at Sugar River Wetlands, certainly one of the more ‘urban’ SNA’s in terms of its proximity to a major population center in the state. Truth be told, it is a rather unusual location and a testament to the foresight of those who sought to…
Mill Bluff, SNA #359 (24/674)
Stunning vistas after a steep climb await visitors to Mill Bluff and its mesas, buttes, and other rock formations. Located within Mill Bluff State Park and bordering the I94, the name Mill Bluff is somewhat of a misnomer. The SNA actually contains 7 bluffs as well as other rock formations, though somewhat oddly, not all…
Lodde’s Mill Bluff, SNA #52 (23/674)
Rising 300 feet above Honey Creek, Lodde’s Mill Bluff contains both a dry prairie and a cooler cliffside with a completely different plant composition. It should first be noted that this site is owned by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and is managed by the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. As such, written permission…
Schluckebier Prairie (22/674)
Schluckebier Prairie is a small remaining remnant (23 acres) of what was once a 14,000 acre “Sauk Prairie” Grassland prior to the arrival of European settlers. German for “drink a beer”, Schluckebier is an odd name for this site; perhaps the settlers used to tip back a few here in the old days. There are…
Honey Creek, SNA #91 (21/674)
Originally protected as a bird sanctuary by the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO), Honey Creek actually protects an array of habitats including a class II trout stream, rocky outcroppings, upland ridges, and boggy areas. Over 80 species of birds nest at this site including rareities such as veery, blue-gray gnatcatcher, yellow-throated vireo, blue-winged warbler, Louisiana…
Bear Creek Sedge Meadow (20/674)
Green was the name of the scene on my visit to Bear Creek Sedge Meadow. This site is is composed of two parcels of land, smaller one is Richland County and a larger parcel just a bit north in Sauk County. I visited both parcels and found the Richland County portion easier to access due…
Pine Hollow, SNA #45 (19/674)
A deep quartzite gorge is the prominent feature at Pine Hollow, which is a large, more diverse version of nearby Pan Hollow. The gorge rises 300′ in places. There are a variety of other habitats present here ranging from a prairie opening to moist cliffs to a sedge meadow. Also present are rockshelters used by…
Pan Hollow, SNA #545 (18/674)
A wide, flat-bottomed gorge is the dominant feature at Pan Hollow. Sans GPS, this is not the easiest site to find as there were no markings or signage of any kind on the lonely country road where it is located. Parking on the roadside and walking across a field leads you into the forest and…
Arena Pines & Sand Barrens (17/674)
Tall pines and sand blows compose the landscape at Arena Pines & Sand Barrens. It is a similar natural community to that present at Gotham Jack Pine Barrens just a few miles away. Here, however, the site does not have Wisconsin River frontage and its associated sand terraces. It is a rectangular parcel of land…
Spring Green Preserve, SNA #102 (16/674)
Known as the “Wisconsin desert”, plants you might not think exist in the state actually thrive in the arid, shifting sands of Spring Green Preserve. The site is easy to find amidst a row of houses just north of US14 in Spring Green. A gravel parking area provides ample room for 10 or so vehicles…
Avoca Prairie & Savanna, SNA #68 (14/674)
The largest natural tallgrass prairie east of the Mississippi River is found at Avoca Prairie & Savanna, just northwest of the town of Avoca and directly across the river from Gotham Jack Pine Barrens SNA. Access to the site can be interesting depending on the time of year that you go. I have travelled to…
Orion Mussel Bed, SNA #298 (13/674)
A diversity of rare mussels and insects inhabit this 4.2 mile stretch of the Wisconsin River along its northern shore. These include the state-threatened rock pocketbook (Arcidens confragosus), monkeyface (Quadrula metanevra), and wartyback (Q. nodulata), and the federally endangered Higgins’ eye (Lampsilis higginsii). Rare invertebrates include the smoky shadowfly (Neurocordulia molesta), elusive clubtail (Stylurus notatus),…
Gotham Jack Pine Barrens, SNA #279 (12/674)
The largest jack pine barrens in Richland County is found here at Gotham Jack Pine Barrens. Located just south of US14, a dead-end road leads to a gated access road with room to park. The easiest, though slightly longer access is to follow the access road southeast and then due south toward the Wisconsin River….
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 