Pheasant Branch

   I've made a couple trips to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy north of Middleton. Both days
offered up natures best.
   The paths are well groomed, many are covered with pea gravel. Just off the parking lot is a huge
area of restored prairie, at this time of year these trails are lined by last years dried remains. We choose to take the gravel path that lead to where the old farm house had stood since the mid 1800's. The signage here was full of great information about the history behind this conservancy. Here we got our first taste of what was to come.

 
  The path then took us on an easy ascent to the top of the hill, at each slight turn
we saw something of interest. Like the still golden stems of little bluestem waving in the wind.

 

   There are many new homes with back yards that attach to this treasure, in many ways it made us  jealous. Near the top of hill there are several paths leading off in different directions but they all eventually looped back. We could see for miles where ever we looked. It was a bit hazy but the Madison skyline was in the background beyond Lake Mendota. ( I have been here in the summer and there were sailboats gliding across the shining blue water).
   

    There are several Native American mounds here.
Some of them have been dated to about 2000 BC.
The others are much newer about 500 years old. They are believed to have been
built by the Winnebago and Ho-chunk tribes.

         Another view of the water shed from the top of the hill.
   A wonder filled finish to the hike is a stop at where a spring bubbles out of the bottom of the hillside. There is a deck above the magical pool of water filled with mini geysers of sand rising to the surface. There are steps that will take you down to the edge for a closer look. This is the first spring in a series that creates the creek.

On the first day there, we spotted a wood chuck collecting leaves to line it's den hidden under the massive roots of an oak tree. Perhaps later in the summer we'll see it's young playing at the waters edge.

 

    Remember to click on a photo to enlarge the group.