Photo by Joshua Mayer
Sauk County.
Lodde's Mill Bluff rises some 300 feet above Honey Creek at its base and contains a shaded cliff community harboring rare and uncommon plants. The bluff is capped with Prairie du Chien dolomite, with cliffs of Cambrian sandstone. Soils are thin but rich in humus. The cool damp cliffs with a north exposure contain a significant flora including Sullivant's cool-wort, slender cliff brake, and bulblet fern. Sunnier, more exposed, cliffs have cliff goldenrod, smooth cliff brake, white camas, and slender lip-fern. On the droughty bluff is an area of dry prairie, which is becoming very brushy and is being shaded out by red cedar. The young forest is dominated by white birch, white oak, bur oak, shagbark hickory, and basswood. The moist north slopes harbor a moderately rich spring flora. Lodde's Mill Bluff is owned by the University of Wisconsin and was designated a State Natural Area in 1967.
Please contact the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum at (608)263-7344 for access permission
Lodde's Mill Bluff is owned by: