Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest State Natural Area

Located at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Lower Lemonweir Rivers, Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest is an expanse of floodplain forest of silver maple, river birch, green ash, swamp white oak, hackberry, and cottonwood. The extensive forest is laced with swales, running sloughs, and oxbow lakes. The forest is maturing and developing old-growth structure attributes such as large trees, standing snags, tip-ups, and downed course woody debris. The understory is diverse with an assemblage of native grasses and sedges, gray-headed coneflower, and wood nettle. Thickets of buttonbush and dogwood border many of the open swales.

The site provides important breeding and migratory habitat for many rare and declining bird species including both the cerulean and prothonotary warblers, yellow-billed cuckoo, and red-shouldered hawk. Other species are wood duck, osprey, broad-winged hawk, black-billed cuckoo, wood thrush, ovenbird, and scarlet tanager.

Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2003.

Source: WDNR