Carver-Roehl Woods, the subject of this, my 300th blog post, features a southern mesic forest on and around the hillside and rocky overhangs along Spring Brook Creek in Rock County’s Carver-Roehl Park. The park entrance is found on South Carver’s Rock Road just north of East Creek Road. The park road eventually forms a loop…
Tag: Rock County
Lawrence Prairie (281/681)
Lawrence Prairie comprises a dry-prairie primarily preserved for its population of a rare animal. Access is restricted and as such, the location will not be described here. I was fortunate to be able to visit this site as part of DNR volunteer work days. While there, our focus was on removing trash, accumulated in the…
Magnolia Bluff (243/679)
Magnolia Bluff includes southern dry-mesic forest and a small dry prairie on a rocky ridge overlooking eastern Rock County. Found within the eponymous county park, Magnolia Bluff can be reached on Croak Road, south of STH 59. Lower and upper parking areas provide access to the site. Trails lead from the parking areas and loop…
Rock River Prairie, SNA #289 (146/675)
Rock River Prairie features a dry prairie overlooking the Rock River approximately halfway between Janesville and Beloit. A parking area can be found on South Walters Road. This site is a very pretty one topographically with the low undulations of the land continuing off in the distance seemingly ad infinitum. Puncuated by dots of color from…
Kessler Railroad Prairie, SNA #199 (145/675)
Kessler Railroad Prairie encompasses a wet-mesic prairie along a former railroad grade in central Rock County. A small area to pull off the road is avaiable in front of an access gate. A 1.1 mile stretch of prairie lines the old grade including several crossings of ditches and streams via the old trestle ties. Though…
Newark Road Prairie, SNA #113 (144/675)
Newark Road Prairie features a wet-mesic prairie found in southern Rock County. A grassy pull-off with room for perhaps 2 cars is located on the north side of Beloit Newark Road, just west of the intersection with Knutson Road. From the pull-off, a trail of sorts winds its way through the prairie. I am not…
Lima Bog, SNA #219 (131/675)
Lima Bog features one of the largest bogs in southern Wisconsin with flora more characteristic of the northern portion of the state. There is a parking area on East Bowers Lake Road south of the site from which a very uneven jaunt through a forested and rocky divide between two agricultural fields awaits you. Then,…
Avon Bottoms, SNA #36 (55/674)
Avon Bottoms contains a lowland hardwood forest amidst a tangle of sloughs and oxbows in southwestern Rock County. It is a small portion of the 3500+ acre Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area, which also contains Swenson Wet Prairie SNA. The easiest access is via one of two parking areas on Nelson Road, one on either…
Swenson Wet Prairie, SNA #64 (53/674)
Swenson Wet Prairie contains a small wet-mesic prairie and sedge meadow as well as a degraded savanna and old river channels. It is easily found at the corner of CTH T and Smith Rd with a large parking area found off of the latter. It is part of the expansive Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 