Local Flower fields/trails? (Milwaukee, Green Bay: 2015, living, pine)

[Wrenniestars97]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on interesting wildflower fields I can visit that are open to the public or part of a nature trail. I live in the SE part of the state and would love to get into flower photography. I prefer more open, fielded areas as opposed to wooded areas. I wouldn't mind taking a day trip to another part of the state.

[Drewjdeg]

Pope Farm Park/Conservancy in Middleton. The Sunflowers bloom in August.

https://www.popefarmconservancy.org/...unflower-days/

[cheese plate]

If you want to see some ununsual (for the Midwest) flowers, go to the Driftless. A couple suggestions:

Spring Green Preserve State Natural Area - Wisconsin DNR - Spring Green Preserve sand prairie. Called "Wisconsin's desert" by some, there are cacti that bloom late in June, so if you want some nice yellow cactus flowers mixed with other interesting flora, it's about 2 hours from Milwaukee.

Hogback Prairie State Natural Area - Wisconsin DNR - Hogback Prairie is a "goat prairie" that isn't just "goat prairie" on the south side. You can walk along the top of the feature, and check out the valleys below in 360. Lots of interesting flowers that are remnants you don't see outside goat prairies anymore.

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I'm less familiar with SE WI, because outside the morraines, it's less interesting to me...so others may be of more help. I would suggest Lapham Peak Lapham Peak Unit - Wisconsin DNR, which is fairly close to Milwaukee and offers some nice prairie hikes.

Or check out "the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States" at the Horicon marsh Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area - Wisconsin DNR, which is called "Wisconsin's Everglades" by some jerks I'm sure. More of a birding area, but lots of interesting plants as well, as it's a fairly unusual environment.

In general, you'll find prairies in southern WI, but not as many in the northwoods. You can do pine barrens or find rare orchids in Door County (Newport State Park/Mink River Park especially), Kettle Morraine northern unit, or areas within 30 or so miles of Lake Michigan(Green Bay) in Marinette and Oconto counties, before they become pine forests and lakes.

[timberline742]

Hogback is great (saw a nice bullsnake last time I was there), as are some of the bluff prairies such as Rush Creek, but beware... access isn't always the easiest, and some fitness is required.

[Nicci6Squirrels]

You may want to visit the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum in Fond du Lac and the Paine Art Center and Arboretum in Oshkosh.
Also, the Horicon Marsh and Terrell's Island are two good places to visit.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Hogback is great (saw a nice bullsnake last time I was there), as are some of the bluff prairies such as Rush Creek, but beware... access isn't always the easiest, and some fitness is required.

Yeah, and no one is ever there! We've only run into one person (well, and the sheep) up there, and it was a local who had volunteered to clear some brush on the wooded end. You would be the 2nd person I've ever "talked to" who had visited. Almost didn't want to post it due to how nice its obscurity makes it, but whatever. We've accessed it in 4 different ways, but I believe they want you to park by the silo and climb up near the "head" of the formation, though the local recommended well around the other side and into the woods first (there are 2 trails there) and past the ridgetop cornfields (depending on the time of year). The first time, years back, we scaled a trail-less side, and it was a workout and a bit reckless, probably! Be forewarned that they do controlled burns certain times of the year, limiting some access or making it a weird Martian-like environment.

I was going to mention snakes, but didn't want to scare anyone off of those places. There are some big (gopher/bull) snakes in the Driftless in certain areas, not to mention a small population of timber rattlers. In the Spring Green sand prairie, there are gophersnakes down in the prairie, and rattlers up on the bluffs, though depending on the time of year, they will come down to the prairie to hunt. Last time we were there, we saw a huge gophersnake that was bright yellow/black banded (must have just shed) and trying its hardest to "rattle" its tail in the leaves. Biggest snake I've ever seen in the state, thick as heck. The lady was not amused, but it was very cool and the first snake I've seen there on countless visits.

[timberline742]

Well Hogback, purposefully, has bad access. There is no real parking, you just pull off on the backside, or that is what I always did.

The blue racers, personally, are my favorites. They're just beautiful. Rarely I find a hognose, and the last time I was at the Hogback two years ago all I found was a small ringneck snake under a limestone slab, it seemed a little out of place to me.

Watch going up on the bluffs at Spring Green, I don't think TNC cares for that, or they didn't years ago.

[cheese plate]

Right, I stay on the trails at Spring Green - and there's a trail that leads right up to the top (with a magnificent view). There are trails that clearly run along the top of the bluffs, but they are posted as no access. We ignored that once and did the climb up to meet the end of the official trail, because we'd seen others do it, but the more I've read...the more I've stayed on the official trails.

More and more official info has been popping up on Hogback. I believe they want you to park at the "head" next to the silo and access from there now. The local (who pointed to his place on another ridgetop) said that the valley farmers aren't happy about people accessing it at all, but that we should "ignore them and park along the road and hit whatever trail works, this is a STATE natural area for the public to enjoy." We once moved a fairly small rock and about a half dozen racers shot out - they're cool lil buggers.

[timberline742]

oh the racers can get to 4-5 feet though, but stay thin... they tend to have yellower chins as you get toward the Mississippi...

SNAs are tricky though, not all have (or they didn't when I was living there) legit public access... they were supposed to, but it didn't always happen... many times the public access wasn't advertised or marked due to ecologically sensitive areas that promotion of visitation wouldn't be a good idea. I always found Battle Hollow to be tough to get into... there was access, but unfriendly neighbors, and no real parking.

[cheese plate]

Huh, have never seen really big racers I guess. We looked them up when we got home, as they weren't snakes I was familiar with growing up further north. Always wanted to go to Battle Hollow, but could never figure it out, haha! Have a great story regarding a local at Tunnelville I'm going to send to you via msg, as I don't want to get the guy in trouble (he was the coolest!).