Mirror Lake Pine Oak Forest

State Natural Area (No. 406)

Location: Within Mirror Lake State Park, Sauk County. T13N-R6E, Sections 29, 30, 31.

Access: From the intersection of I-90/94 and State Highway 12 in Wisconsin Dells, go west on 12 0.5 mile, then west on Fern Dell Road 1.5 miles to the park entrance. Get a park map at the contact station. The natural area is situated in the northwest corner of the park.

Description: Mirror Lake Pine Oak Forest features a mature dry-mesic forest dominated by white pine and oaks, with dry sandstone cliffs, alder thicket, and scattered vernal ponds. The gently undulating sandy uplands west of Mirror Lake support the forest, which is dominated by white pine, white oak, red oak, and black oak. Red pine is co-dominant above the sandstone cliffs flanking the lake and is locally present elsewhere. The sapling layer is composed primarily of white pine, red maple, and a few scattered white oaks. Huckleberry dominates the shrub layer with American hazelnut occurring at various locations. Other characteristic low shrubs and herbs include early low blueberry, swamp dewberry, pipsissewa, creeping snowberry, wintergreen, princess’-pine, spinulose wood fern, narrow-leaved loosestrife, sessile-leaved bellwort, long-awned wood grass, and maidenhair fern. Locally, there are pockets of moister, somewhat richer forest in which red maple is an important component of the forest. The groundlayer contains enchanter’s nightshade, wild sarsaparilla, and Jack-in-the-pulpit. An extensive shrub swamp dominated by speckled alder borders a small perennial tributary of Dell Creek. Characteristic flora includes skunk cabbage, marsh marigold, orange jewelweed, blue marsh violet, American golden saxifrage, and rough bedstraw. Also present is the rare bog bluegrass (Poa palustris). Numerous seepages occur along the tiny, clear, sandy-bottomed stream. Several short, cliff-enclosed dry ravines open to Mirror Lake with vertical rock exposures of nearly 12 meters in height. Nearer to Mirror Lake, red pine becomes more important as a canopy species. Bird life includes ruffed grouse, American woodcock, gray catbird, pileated woodpecker, barred owl, tufted titmouse, pine warbler, brown creeper and the state-threatened cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea). Mirror Lake Pine Oak Forest is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2003.