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Arts & Entertainment

Trout Prairie Ponds, From Flood Plain to Paradise

Trout Prairie Ponds is accessible from 4 Mile Rd. just west of the 4 Mile Rd., Hwy. 31 intersections.

Naturalists understand that biodiversity goes hand in hand with habitat diversity. More simply stated, the more varied the habitat in a given area, the more different types of plants and animals you’ll encounter. A recent trip to the Caledonia Conservancy’s Trout Prairie Ponds on 4 Mile Rd. provided ample supporting evidence of the truth of that statement.

Leaving the parking area I walked down a slight hill and immediately found myself amongst the “trout” ponds dug over 60 years ago for raising bait minnows. Pausing for a moment to listen to the welcoming chorus of the forest, I heard northern cardinal, indigo bunting, song sparrow and a particularly vocal warbling vireo. Scanning the pond I observed a hunched over green heron hunting for breakfast, while another squawked from the bushes nearby. Hidden beneath the pond bank a bullfrog called with a deep base “jug-a-rum”.

Walking the prairie area, I had open fields to one side and the river-bottom forests of Root River to the other with birds calling from every direction. I added blue-gray gnatcatcher, Baltimore oriole, cedar waxwing, yellow warbler and common yellowthroat to the growing list. Members of the flycatcher family demonstrated the habitat quality and diversity with phoebe, great-crested flycatcher and pewee all preferring woodlands, while an eastern kingbird was in the open fields hawking insects from a favored perch.

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With few mosquitoes, the area was mine to explore. Entering a grassy glade, I was thrilled to see not just a few, but dozens of near-black damselflies (ebony jewelwings) dancing in the wind. Though not uncommon, this amazingly beautiful and delicate insect is always a delight to see. Spending the first year of its life in larval form in slow moving rivers like Root River, once this damselfly emerges as an adult with wings they will have but four weeks of life remaining.

Coming again to the ponds, painted turtles plopped in to the water one by one as I came too close for their comfort. From the bushes along the pond I could hear the distinctive song of an American redstart, a rather uncommon nesting species in Racine County. A couple of pishes and the female popped into view.

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On the ground I noticed a beautiful and brightly colored syrphid fly that sat nicely for a photograph. Resembling a bee in coloration they are harmless and certainly well worth a close inspection if one is granted.

Climbing the rise back to the parking area, I could still hear the warbling vireo singing his heart out. In reality I knew he was simply making sure the other males knew this was his turf. On my more imaginative side, I fancied he was bidding farewell, thanking me for respectfully visiting his forest and leaving it as intact as when I had entered. I truly believe that if I had not, some day the chorus would no longer be there to welcome me.

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