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Spring blooms abundant along area trails

Photo at left: Click for recent photos from the the Ice Age Trail.

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Spring wildflowers are wonderful at this time of the year and continuously change as early bloomers fade and later bloomers take their place. I have joined other wildflower hikes and led some of my own during the past week.

The best display has been along the Devil’s Staircase Segment of the Ice Age Trail at the north end of Riverside Park in Janesville. I hiked there with five other weekly walkers on Tuesday morning.

Except for marsh marigold, all of the spring wildflowers we have seen on all of our walks were seen there, and then some. The trail is along a beautiful hundred foot sandstone cliff along the Rock River. The entire hillside is peppered with a mixture of beautiful wildflowers.

Another favorite spot for wildflowers is at a couple small wet woods in Prince’s Point State Wildlife Area. north of Whiewater.

Cold weather was with us on Tuesday and I had to wear gear that covered my ears and hands. Seven of us hiked the Ice Age Trail from U.S. Highway 12 south to the power lines for our regular Tuesday walk.

Norwin Watson took over my walk the next day. It warmed up and the sun came out drawing 33 to walk the trails.

Along the trails, the group met up with a group from Northland College in Ashland who were enjoying the wildflowers on the Ice Age Trail and camping out at Ottawa Lake Campgrounds. Birds-foot violets highlighted the flowers seen this day.

Happy trekking, Russ

Activities

• Wildflower hikes, 10 a.m., Saturdays through June 4: Meet at the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest Headquarters on Wisconsin Highway 59 between Palmyra and Eagle to join Ron Kurowski, KMSF-SU Naturalist, on his weekly spring wildflower hikes. Contact: KMSF HQ, (262) 594-6200.

• Monthly Meeting Walworth/Jefferson County Chapter of Ice Age Trail Alliance, 7 p.m., May 17: Meet at US Bank, Elkhorn. Contact: Carol Prchal, (262) 495-8502.

• Earth Day-type activities in the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit, 9 a.m. to noon, May 20: The event will include tree planting, hiking on the IAT, and garlic mustard pulling. The event involves th Fourth-graders for Purdy School in Fort Atkinson. Volunteers help will be very welcome. Contact: Hedda Patzke for location, (262) 763-6275.

• Trail maintenance, 9 a.m., May 21: Meet at U.S. Highway 12 trail crossing for maintenance and clearing trail. Contact: Bill Kangaroo at (608) 883-2825.

• Bike/hike/camp/relax, May 20-22: Camp the whole weekend or join for a day as we hike, bike, perhaps kayak and explore the wonders of Perrot State Park on the Mississippi River. Great wildlife viewing and the Great River bike trail. Tentative plan is to bike the Sparta-Elroy trail on Sunday. Contact: Gary Klatt, (262) 473-4973.

Weekly Walks

We meet at 4 p.m. Tuesdays and 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Highway 12 Ice Age National Scenic Trail crossing located about four miles east of Whitewater.

We include two or more walks of different distances on Wednesdays, and also do this on Tuesdays when desired.

All ages are welcome.

Note that a state park pass is required to park a car at the Highway 12 meeting place.

A daily or yearly pass may be purchased at the meeting place provided correct change is available.