Haymeadow Creek

State Natural Area (No. 479)

Location: Within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Vilas County. T42N-R11E, Sections 16, 18, 19, 20. 957 acres.

Access: From the intersection of Highway 32 and County B in Land O’Lakes, go south on 32 2.25 miles, then east on County E 2.7 miles, then south on Blong Road 1.2 miles. The site lies north and southeast of the road.

Description: Haymeadow Creek features a large, wet meadow interspersed with elevated islands forested with jack pine, red pine, and white pine. Wet areas contain a thin sphagnum carpet with a ground layer of few-seeded sedge and northern blue-flag iris. The northeastern portion of the site contains a dry mossy opening that supports the rare Canada mountain rice-grass (Oryzopsis canadensis). Surrounding the meadow is northern wet forest with a mix of black spruce, tamarack, and northern white cedar. The understory includes species such as bracken fern, Labrador-tea, bunchberry, trailing arbutus, Canada mayflower, wintergreen, and blueberry. The entire complex is important habitat for a number of bird species including gray jay, boreal chickadee, Connecticut warbler, Lincoln’s sparrow, and yellow-bellied flycatcher. Other species include yellow-rumped warbler, Nashville warbler, olive-sided flycatcher, Northern parula, white-throated sparrow, and winter wren. Osprey and bald eagle are also known to use the area. Haymeadow Creek is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.