Spring Green Prairie

Visit

• What to See

  Plants: Spring Green is home to many beautiful and interesting plants that thrive in this sandy prairie. Some of these include compass plant, dwarf dandelion, leadplant, puccoon, blazingstar, and Venus looking glass. Though uncommon in Wisconsin, prickly pear cactus is abundant here. It blooms in late June, producing many large yellow flowers.

  Birds: Many species of grassland birds including Eastern and Western meadowlarks; Henslow’s, vesper, savannah, grasshopper, and lark sparrows; and dickcissels. Habitat fragmentation and loss on both their breeding and wintering grounds is causing the decline of many species of grassland birds.

  Other Animals: Likely named after the tiger for their similar predatory habits, the prairie is home to 10 of Wisconsin’s 16 species of tiger beetles. The small creatures are voracious hunters and fast runners. Ten species of wolf spiders have also been found at the preserve, although they are harder to see becausethey hunt at night, either by waiting near their burrows until unsuspecting insects walk past or by venturing out to seek prey. Eastern pocket gophers, which tend to be solitary creatures, dig and form tunnels about one foot below the surface of the soil at the preserve. Their digging enriches the soil by mixing plant material and oxygen.

• Plan Your Visit

  There is a walking trail at the eastern portion of the preserve, which you can access off Jones Road. The sandy trail goes through the prairie paralleling the bluff and eventually climbs up the hill to the top of the bluff where there is a beautiful view back over the prairie and the surrounding landscape. The first part of the trail is a flat, easy walk. Once the trail starts to climb upward, it is fairly steep and a bit rocky in some spots. Hiking sticks would be helpful on this part.

  Please stay on the trail during your visit. To avoid damaging the fragile habitat on the slope, please do not hike straight up or down the bluff and do not paraglide at the preserve.

  Please note that the prairie is very open until you are headed up the bluff where there are trees for shade. In the summer, you will want to bring a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water.

  The Spring Green area is also a great place for bicycling. One of our favorite bike routes is the Spring Green Cactus Cruise, which goes right by our Spring Green Preserve. Grab your bike and your binoculars for a day of biking and bird-watching in this spectacular part of Wisconsin.

• Maps and Preserve Guidelines

  For more information about visiting the preserve, please follow the links below:

  Hunting Information

  Preserve Visitation Guidelines (.pdf)

  Map of Spring Green Prairie (.pdf)

  All our preserve maps are now georeferenced. You can download an app on your Apple or Android device, and it will allow you to view your location, record GPS tracks, add placemarks and find places.