A Local Gem: Six Months Out

I happened upon a gem of a place in late summer 2019: a 56-acre natural area surrounded by residential property and commercial development. While I've lived near it my entire 35+ years in the Madison area, I'd never explored it. Discovering it felt like found treasure.

I posted about the Edna Taylor Conservation Park in June last year, but I'd never posted about my original (August 2019) impressions until now. As we're climbing out of a deep subzero freeze from the wobbly polar vortex, it seems fitting to project six months out from February to the warm, fertile conditions of August.

The verdant park includes wetlands, woodlands, oak savanna sections, and more. Interestingly, despite the fact that it's a sizeable property, one would hardly know it exists when traveling the perimeter...until venturing in beyond the wooded entrance and exploring the riches beyond.

Edna Taylor, a writer, teacher, and dairy farmer, owned a large portion of the property and sold it to the city of Madison to help create the conservation park. It includes six linear Indian effigy mounds and one panther-shaped mound, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. PortalWisconsin.org does a great job of describing this special place, which is free to all visitors.

Among other things, it's a great place to do butterfly surveys.







Old, tattered monarchs and healthy, thriving, and mating monarchs on Sweet Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) and other plants.

Silver-spotted skippers on Bull Thistles (Cirsium vulgare).



And viceroys on fields of grasses.

There are so many reasons for any person to appreciate this special place. For me, beyond its richness with natural resources and natural beauty, its habitats and conditions are similar to those in my backyard garden: oak, maple, and shagbark hickory trees, woodland edges, rolling hills...the list goes on. So, it's a great place to take note of plants likely to thrive in my own garden.



Soon after traversing the land bridge between wetlands shown in the first photo on this post, one encounters an upland path that winds around beautiful woodland-edge meadows. In early August, the masses of Showy Tick-Treefoil (Desmodium canadense) were thick, bright, and dramatic.



Several species of native sunflowers, including Thin-Leaved (Helianthus decapetalus), were beginning their late-summer show.



The understated and edible Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) popped in here and there along the hiking paths.



Several Rudbeckia species including Orange Coneflower (R. fulgida) graced the woodland edges and open areas with their sunny faces.



One plant I was surprised to see in shade was Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). I was aware it would grow in partial shade, but I was surprised to see so much of it in heavy shade. Because of this, I added this plant to my garden; alas, the rabbits seem to like it, too.



I've always enjoyed Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), so I was happy to see it. I think my garden might be a little too shady for this one, but maybe at some point I'll add it.



Among my favorite plants of the late summer in this part of the world are the Silphiums. This photo of a Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) recalls many happy, warm hikes.



This plaque near the entrance to the main hiking trail at the park provides a brief synopsis and tribute to Edna Taylor herself.

What a wonderful resource for residents and visitors to the area. But I'm certain many aren't even aware of this amazing park's existence. I look forward to many more hikes and discoveries in this special place.

Transitions, Edges, and Challenges

A few days ago, I headed to the Edna Taylor Conservation Park near Monona on the east side of Madison. Embarrassingly, I hadn't discovered this property until last summer, even though I lived just a few blocks away when I first moved to the area many years ago, and I currently live only a few miles south.

It's really an incredible park, combining wetland, savanna, and prairie habitats. Most of the park is semi-open woodland, similar to my garden, so I find much inspiration in the plants that thrive there.



In addition to noting plants currently taking center stage at the park, I also visited the park to survey butterflies for master naturalist citizen science reporting. I didn't see as many as I'd expected on this trip, but one, and then two, red-spotted purples delighted me as they nectared and floated around a patch of Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum). I'm not sure I'd encourage this plant in my garden, but the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators were certainly enjoying it.



I sure would like to get Canada Anemone (A. canadensis) going in my garden. I tried broadcasting seed without success, so maybe I should try plants. But then rabbits would probably eat them. (As I'm writing this, I just watched a rabbit take down a Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)--a plant they're not supposed to like...one I planted last summer and one of several the rabbits have eaten recently. Before you suggest rabbit repellents, frankly, I've tried them all, and the only thing that works here is caging, but I can't cage my entire garden.)



Anyway...on to this beautiful bee on Potentilla (I'm not sure which species). The pollen on the bee's legs matches the pollen on the flower's anthers.



Ah, yes, New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus). I tried this, and of course it was caged, but it never took off. Maybe I should try it again, in a different spot.



A cute little hoverfly on tall grass (I think this is a Bromus species).



A large Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum spp.) near the stream. Yes, I could find a place for these in my garden.



The highlight of my hike, in addition to the butterflies, was seeing a large number of native Blue Flag Irises (Iris virginica var. shrevei) in bloom. They truly are graceful and lovely.

As I battle the rabbits, and struggle with my "edge" garden, I'm trying to appreciate the biodiversity that happens in transition habitats--where prairies meet woodlands, wetlands meet dry woods, sun meets shade. These are tough conditions. Plants that thrive here must adapt to wet years and dry years, dappled and unpredictable light, and competition from a wide range of plants. We can learn a lot from these adaptable plants.