Dorothy Lake State Natural Area
Lake and State Natural Area in Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dorothy Lake State Natural Area is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-designated State Natural Area featuring forested end moraine topography, with many steep-sided ridges and depressions. This results in a diverse mosaic of natural communities, including forests, swamps, fens, lakes, and streams.[3]
| Dorothy Lake State Natural Area | |
|---|---|
| |
  Location within Wisconsin  Location within the United States | |
| Location | Chippewa County, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 45°13′28″N 91°18′6″W[1] |
| Area | 95 acres (38 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 1,145 ft (349 m)[1] |
| Established | 2010[2] |
| Owner | Chippewa County[2] |
| Website | Official website  |
| Wisconsin State Natural Areas | |
Location and access
Dorothy Lake State Natural Area is located in northern Chippewa County approximately 9 miles (14 km) west of Holcombe. Access is via a forest trail off of Deer Fly Trail, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of County Highway M.[4]
Description
The namesake of the natural area, Dorothy Lake, is a 5.2 acre soft-water seepage lake, and contains a large, diverse assemblage of invertebrates, as well as three rare plant species. Three smaller, unnamed lakes surround Dorothy Lake, one of which contains a high-quality floating poor fen border. The uplands surrounding the lakes and wetlands contain northern mesic and dry-mesic forests, of primarily white pine (Pinus strobus), red pine (Pinus resinosa), and red oak (Quercus rubra). Rare plant species that can be found on the site include Blunt-Lobe Grape Fern (Botrychium oneidense), Prickly Hornwort (Ceratophyllum echinatum), White Adder's Mouth (Malaxis monophyllos), Farwell's Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum farwellii), Bog Bluegrass (Poa paludigena), and Hidden-Fruited Bladderwort (Utricularia geminiscapa).[2][3]
Gallery
Boggy moat at one end of one of the unnamed lakes
Unnamed lake south of Dorothy Lake
Unnamed lake north of Dorothy Lake
