Eagle Eye, so named for a slit in the rocky ridge, features a mosaic of natural communities including dry prairie remnants, oak woodland, oak savnna, and a trout stream, all occurring on a narrow, curving ridge that rises 250 feet above the surrounding landscape in eastern Vernon county, northwest of Viroqua. The site is located…
Tag: Oak Woodland
Fair Meadows, SNA #416 (224/675)
Fair Meadows encompasses a variety of habitats including oak woodland and savanna, wet prairie, and sedge meadow. It is home to the federally threatened and Wisconsin endangered eastern prairie white-fringed orchid. A privately owned natural area, Fair Meadows is generally only open to the public on field trips through conservation organizations and that is how…
Romance Prairie, SNA #418 (213/675)
Romance Prairie features a dry prairie remnant and overgrown oak savanna and forest overlooking Cox Creek and the nearby town of Romance. The site is located nearly 6 miles east of Genoa on STH 56 and approximately 1/2 mile east of the North Fork of the Bad Axe River. The DNR site references an access…
Hogback Prairie (208/675)
The focus of Hogback Prairie is a ridge with a narrow crest and steep slopes of equal gradient. Dry prairie is found on the eastern and western slopes, while oak woods and an overgrown oak savanna are found to the south. The natural area is composed of 5 separate parcels accessible by local roads. Three…
Limery Ridge Savanna (205/675)
Limery Ridge Savanna features savanna and dry prairie communities on one of the last remaining undeveloped bluffs in Wisconsin along the Mississippi River. Below the bluff is a southern mesic forest. The site is located along STH 35, aka the Great River Road, but there is no designated parking area. Additionally, it turns out that…
Lulu Lake, SNA #138 (86/674)
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…
Kettle Moraine Oak Opening, SNA #229 (84/674)
Kettle Moraine Oak Opening features oak openings amidst an oak woodland with dry prairie remnants. Access is easy with a large parking area on CTH H. From there, the Bald Bluff hiking trail leads throughout the site and doubles as a segment of the Ice Age Trail (IAT). This is one of 7 SNA’s in…
Snow Bottom, SNA #262 (82/674)
Snow Bottom certainly packs a punch in terms of natural community diversity in a small area. Though there are 3 parcels to this site, only 2 are accessible as one is landlocked. The western parcel is accessed off of Cedar Rock Road, while the eastern parcel can be reached from a parking area on Bowers…
East Bluff, SNA #98 (57/674)
East Bluff is one of four SNA’s found within Devil’s Lake State Park, the largest and third oldest state park in Wisconsin. Though it is one of the most popular parks, few people probably realize they are hiking through SNA’s. The irony for me is that when looking for another state park to take photos…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 