Another Dane County Surprise

It's pretty cool that almost two years after moving to Madison, we are still "discovering" new and exciting places to visit and experience.

The latest?  Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Middleton.

In the middle of a town adjacent to Madison, Middleton is home to 17,000 - this spring fed wetland is home to a number of different habitats and offers a 3.3 mile walking loop good for runners, bikers, and those out for a walk in the park.

One of the interesting features is the boardwalk that allows you to walk over marshland.  With all the recent rain, the slightly elevated path was a great way to navigate the trail.

In the heart of the park - trees reach to the heavens.  They were majestic in early spring - a return trip in the summer will likely offer welcome shade on warm days.
 

For the first visit, I didn't know if the trail was linear or would circle back to the car.  When I saw a guy on a bike and a runner for the second time heading the same direction, that was the clue we were on a circuit.

From the boardwalks over marshland, into the forest of tall trees, the trail crosses a stream heading for Lake Mendota.

While neighborhoods border the land on three sides - this is most certainly a natural area and a sanctuary for people and animals alike.  Even when you see the homes it still feels like you are close to nature.

There was evidence of beaver activity where trees had been dropped with their sharp teeth.  There were a variety of birds on the wing and in the trees.  There are other mammals beside the beaver and other humans in the park, including members of the weasel family and wild canines like foxes and coyotes.

But the only wild things we had a close encounters with were on the gravel path seeking sun.

There were some slithering Garter snakes I noticed sliding under cover off the path.  But the most cooperative snake found was this one (left) and it ended up almost under my nose.

The snake was less than a foot in front of me and less than 12 inches long.  From checking online, it seems to be a De Kay's Brown snake and the information indicates these are as big as they get with a diet of slugs, worms, snails, and insects.

Good to know hikers aren't on the menu.

The north end of the Conservancy starts to look more like farmland and it is there we found the Pheasant Branch Springs.

The underground aquifer bubbles to the surface - feeding the marsh and eventually Lake Mendota.

The picture makes it difficult to see, but in the bottom shot of disturbed sand is created by the water bubbling up from underground.  I didn't count them, but there must have been more than a dozen bubblers in front of me.

That's a Wisconsin, and primarily Milwaukee, term for water fountains - and this is exactly what those old fashion water fountains look like, minus the sand.

If you prefer, you can make the trip a real nature hike and take in the educational signage along the way; enjoy a walk through creation, or go a little faster with bike or running shoes on one of the prettiest (and ever-changing) paths around.

It's worth the time to experience another beautiful corner of greater Madison.