Steve and I love visiting National Wildlife Refuges, there is something about the “possibility” of seeing wildlife that keeps us visiting every one we find.
While out for an afternoon drive, we stumbled on the Trempealeau NWR. We hadn’t planned to do any hiking, so we opted for the Prairies Edge Loop Tour. This self-guided, 4 mile drive takes you through sand prairies, backwater marshes and hardwood forests. This year, spring made a late appearance in Wisconsin and we’ve had copious amounts of rain, so our early June visit was filled with wildflowers high water.
We picked up a brochure at the entrance and began the drive. I was amazed by the riots of yellow and purple flowers…
The brochure pointed out a number of invasive species which have found a home in the refuge. One of these plants is called Leafy Spurge and while it looks pretty, it is taking over large areas…
Wild prairie roses and berry bushes compete for space…
When we saw a gentleman with a very large lens on his camera, we stopped to see what he was looking at. High up in a dead tree was a red-headed woodpecker…
The rains have flooded low lands and the calm winds that day ensured lovely reflections…
We stopped at the visitor center and talked for quite a while with one of the rangers. She was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us ideas for other places to visit while we are here. Afterward, we walked to the observation deck and I knew, we would have to come back one day with our kayaks…
It was neat to try and identify all of the turtles we saw, this plaque was a big help…
I think we saw at least 4 of the varieties!
As we rounded a bend in the road, we were happily surprised to see a deer grazing in the field…
And a thirteen stripe ground squirrel bid us adieu at the end of the loop drive…
It was a peaceful way to spend the afternoon and thanks to the ranger, we now have lots of suggestions for places to explore!
