JBtheExplorer
Native Gardener
This past week, I spent a few days camping along a prairie. Of course, I had to share my adventure with you all.
The weather was hot and humid, and I had no access to air conditioning, so most of my days were spent sitting under trees. Just about all of my hikes were in the mornings and evenings.
The Scuppernong Prairie is "the largest wet prairie east of the Mississippi River". It used to be tens of thousands of acres in size before humans destroyed most of it. Now it's around 3,000 acres in size. It was home to bison, elk, and prairie chickens. Now, it isn't able to support any of those animals, but still supports all sorts of animal and plant species.
Milkweed is very common in the prairie. I spotted around four or five species of milkweed. Of course, Monarch butterflies were everywhere, too.
A few areas had nice populations of Michigan Lilies in full bloom.
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels are very popular in and around the prairie. They're a lot of fun to watch.
All sorts of birds rely on the Scuppernong Prairie habitat. I saw Eastern Bluebirds, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Wood Ducks, and a lot more.
Sandhill cranes are a very common specie in the area. They aren't too worried about humans. I've had them walk up near me a few times over the years. They've always been one of my favorite birds, and they were definitely the highlight of this trip.
On the southeast edge of the prairie lies a cabin from the 1850's. It was pretty cool to see with the prairie as a backdrop.
I also hiked a portion of the Ice Age Trail which goes through the Kettle Moraine Low Prairie State Natural Area and the Scuppernong Prairie State Natural Area. Unfortunately, along the portion I hiked, trees and shrubs were taking over the prairie and there was very little to visually see, but I did come across this nice overlook.
A separate trail cuts off from the Ice Age Trail and leads to an area known as Brady's Rocks. The area is known for having multiple fern species, including a few rare and uncommon ones.
It's also worth mentioning that I visited Paradise Springs Nature Trail, which is a short paved loop trail that shows a spring-fed trout pond. Here's a shot of the trout pond looking out of the old spring house.
The dam.
Trout pond.
The weather was hot and humid, and I had no access to air conditioning, so most of my days were spent sitting under trees. Just about all of my hikes were in the mornings and evenings.
The Scuppernong Prairie is "the largest wet prairie east of the Mississippi River". It used to be tens of thousands of acres in size before humans destroyed most of it. Now it's around 3,000 acres in size. It was home to bison, elk, and prairie chickens. Now, it isn't able to support any of those animals, but still supports all sorts of animal and plant species.
Milkweed is very common in the prairie. I spotted around four or five species of milkweed. Of course, Monarch butterflies were everywhere, too.
A few areas had nice populations of Michigan Lilies in full bloom.
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels are very popular in and around the prairie. They're a lot of fun to watch.
All sorts of birds rely on the Scuppernong Prairie habitat. I saw Eastern Bluebirds, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Wood Ducks, and a lot more.
Sandhill cranes are a very common specie in the area. They aren't too worried about humans. I've had them walk up near me a few times over the years. They've always been one of my favorite birds, and they were definitely the highlight of this trip.
On the southeast edge of the prairie lies a cabin from the 1850's. It was pretty cool to see with the prairie as a backdrop.
I also hiked a portion of the Ice Age Trail which goes through the Kettle Moraine Low Prairie State Natural Area and the Scuppernong Prairie State Natural Area. Unfortunately, along the portion I hiked, trees and shrubs were taking over the prairie and there was very little to visually see, but I did come across this nice overlook.
A separate trail cuts off from the Ice Age Trail and leads to an area known as Brady's Rocks. The area is known for having multiple fern species, including a few rare and uncommon ones.
It's also worth mentioning that I visited Paradise Springs Nature Trail, which is a short paved loop trail that shows a spring-fed trout pond. Here's a shot of the trout pond looking out of the old spring house.
The dam.
Trout pond.
