The Prairie Enthusiasts Field Trip

Spring Flowers at Schurch-Thomson Prairie

May 26 (Tuesday), 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM            

Come for an evening hike to see big displays of spring wildflowers at The Prairie Enthusiasts’ Schurch-Thomson Prairie.  Shooting stars should be in full bloom in spectacular displays of 10’s of thousands, along with other late-spring prairie flowers such as the striking cream wild indigo, puccoons, and alumroot.  We will also see prairie plantings and inter-seedings of various ages.  Schurch-Thomson Prairie is a 193-acre unit of TPE’s 570-acre Mounds View Grassland preserve and it is adjacent to the privately owned Underwood Prairie (Hanley Family Trust), for which TPE has a management agreement to manage and restore prairie on approximately 20 acres.  The hike will include extensive grassland bird habitat filled with bobolinks, meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, upland sandpipers, and Henslow’s sparrows, so bring binoculars, for many birds become very active towards dusk.  In fact, evening is the ideal time to hear the cryptic call of the State Threatened Henslow’s sparrow.  Be prepared for a long hike. 

Trip Leader:  Rich Henderson (608-845-7065 or tpe.rhenderson@tds.net)

Directions:  From the intersection of US Hwy 18-151 and County F (south of Blue Mounds in western Dane County), take F approximately 5 miles south, then turn right onto Reilly Road.  Proceed to parking lot and kiosks at the end of the road (past the barn). (Note: A half mile south of F from 18-151, pay close attention to the road signs, for F turns to the right & the straight ahead road becomes County Z.  Stay on F.)  Enter “Reilly Rd, Barneveld, WI” in map app.