Hogback Prairie

State Natural Area (No. 334)

Location: Crawford County. T8N-R4W, Sections 4, 5, 6. T9N-R4W, Sections 31, 32, 33. 971 acres.

Access: From the intersection of State Highway 179 and Bridge Street in Steuben, go north on Bridge Street 0.5 miles across the Kickapoo River, then west and north on Hughes Road 2.0 miles, then west on Citron Valley Road 0.8 miles to an information kiosk is located east of the road. Park west of the road near the outbuildings.

Description: Hogback Prairie is situated on an impressive geological formation - a narrow, steep-sided limestone-capped ridge that rises 300' above the Citron Valley, a former oxbow of the nearby Kickapoo River. The hogback's western and eastern slopes support dry prairie vegetation from the ridge's crest down to its bases. There is also a small segment of north-facing prairie. The multiple aspects of the prairie have resulted in an unusual mix of plants, blending typical dry prairie species such as side oats grama, little blue-stem, purple prairie-clover and hoary vervain with species such as needle grass and mountain mint that are more characteristic of moister prairies. The variety of slope aspect has also contributed to the existence of an excellent population of the state-threatened Hill's thistle (Cirsium hillii). Other rare species include Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii), ottoe skipper (Hesperia ottoe), Richardson's sedge (Carex richardsonii), and purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurescens). To the south the ridge widens and the prairie grades into oak woods and an overgrown savanna with several savanna indicator plant species. Management activities such as controlled burning and brush removal are helping restore the integrity of the savanna and prairie. The terrain is steep and chiggers are abundant - take necessary precautions. Hogback Prairie is owned by the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002.