Mount Pisgah Hemlock-Hardwoods

State Natural Area (No. 15)

Location: Within Wildcat Mountain State Park, Vernon County. T14N-R2W, Section 14. 65 acres.

Access: From the intersection of Highways 131 and 33 in Ontario, go east and south on 33 about 2.5 miles, then southwest on Park Road 0.6 mile to the picnic area. Follow the Hemlock Trail into the site.

Description: Mt. Pisgah Hemlock-Hardwoods features a relict stand of hemlock and yellow birch along the meandering Kickapoo River in the heart of the Driftless Area. The sandstone cliffs are forested with hemlock, white pine, and white oak and support a number of uncommon pre-glacial plant species including Sullivant's cool-wort and the state-threatened moschatel (Adoxa moschatellina). The understory includes huckleberry, blueberry, pipsissewa, and bunchberry. On the north and northeast-facing slope is a hardwood forest of sugar maple and red oak with basswood, white oak, big-tooth aspen, white ash, and white birch. Shrubs include witch hazel, alternate leaved dogwood, round-leaved dogwood, and maple-leaved viburnum. Spring ephemerals are abundant and most of the area supports a mix of both northern and southern plant species. The area harbors numerous rare birds including Louisiana waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla), the state endangered worm-eating warbler (Helmitheros vermivorous), and three state-threatened species - cerulean (Dendroica cerulea) and Kentucky warblers (Oporornis formosus) and Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens). Mt. Pisgah is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1952.