Portland Maples

State Natural Area (No. 372)

Location: Located within the Coon Creek Fishery Area, Monroe County. T15N-R4W, Sections 28, 33. 102 acres.

Access: From the intersection of Highways 33 and 27 in Cashton, go west on 33 0.85 miles, then continue west on October (Endicott) Avenue 0.55 mile, then north on CTH PC 0.2 mile, then west on Oakdale (Endicott) Avenue 2.1 miles. Park along the road and walk south through DNR Fishery Area lands to the natural area.

Description: Portland Maples features two small, but ecologically significant, tracts of southern mesic forest -- a community type that was once wide-spread in this region of Wisconsin. The northeast-facing slope supports a forest dominated by sugar maple. Also present are basswood, red oak, yellowbud hickory, and white ash. The subcanopy consists of sugar maple, ironwood, and eastern hop-hornbeam. The sparse shrub layer contains elderberry, bladdernut, leatherwood, and hazelnut while the groundlayer contains such species as goldenseal, narrow-leaved spleenwort, and Goldie's fern. Other species include lady, rattlesnake and walking ferns, wild leek, bishop's-cap, red baneberry, nodding wake-robin, wild sarsaparilla, bloodroot, and great water-leaf. Along the creek is a floodplain forest of cottonwood, black willow, and American elm along with mesic forest species including black maple. Birds include the state-threatened Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) and scarlet tanager and ovenbird. Portland Maples is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002.