Spring Butterfly Trek – Crex Meadows

Crex Meadows to the Namekagon Barrens State Wildlife Areas

Where: Start at Crex Meadows (Grantsburg, WI)

When: Sunday, May 20, 2018 (9:00AM to 4:00PM)

Leader: Dean Hansen, MNNPS Member and Butterfly Enthusiast

For the past ten years, butterfly enthusiast Dean Hansen has led a day-long trip to look for spring butterflies in the jack pine/oak barrens in northwest Wisconsin’s Burnett County.

The trip will start at the Visitor’s center at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area just north of Grantsburg, WI, and end up on the Namekagon Barrens in far northwest Burnett County. This entire Barrens area, which extends to the northeast in a wedge across four counties, is very sandy, lightly populated, and with square miles of county land to explore. And there is a fine component of the spring butterflies to see.

The dry plant communities of the Barrens feature lots of lupines, blueberries, bearberries, and New Jersey tea. A beautiful bog with cotton grass and wild cranberries will also be explored to experience its unique habitat. All of these native plants are the specific host plants for the larvae of various species of butterflies.

What might be seen? Four species of “blues”, four species of elfins, five species of dusky winged skippers, and a host of others butterflies. Several of these species are in flight only in mid-May to early June, and if one doesn’t see them then, one won’t see them the rest of the year.

We will start at Crex Meadows Visitor’ Center at 9 AM and end up somewhere on Gomuluk Fire Lane on the Namekagon Barrens about 4 PM. Most of the viewing is within 100’ or less of the road, so don’t let any mobility issues keep you from joining us. We will car pool from the Crex Meadows Visitor Center area.

Field trips are open to MNNPS members only and pre-registration is required. To register, send an email to: Ken Arndt <ken.arndt@mnrinc.us>

This field trip is full, registration is for a waiting list only.