Morgan Coulee Prairie State Natural Area

This 54-acre property is a jewel; one of the last large-scale, mostly undisturbed dry prairies left in this part of the state. Morgan Coulee Prairie extends more than a half-mile along a steep, southfacing bluff in a coulee opening onto the Rush River Valley. The large prairie is broken with scattered islands of bur oak savanna dominated by open grown oaks and shallow wooded draws. Grasses found here include big and little blue-stem, side-oats and prairie drop-seed. Wildflowers, called forbes, include asters, milkweeds, bergamot and western sunflower. Shrubs include hazelnut, bettersweet, smooth sumac, and dogwoods. Darting among the flowers are Reakert’s blue butterflies.

Directions: From Maiden Rock, go north on 385th Street 3.3 miles, then east on 200th Avenue (Morgan Road) .2 miles to the southwest corner of the site.

Gazetteer: Page 59, D-6.

Phone: 608/685-6222.

Web site: Morgan Coulee Prairie State Natural Area

Signature Species: Eastern Bluebird, Field Sparrow and Eastern Kingbird.

Seasonality: Open all year.

Parking: Parking along the road.

Nearest food & lodging: Bay City, 9 miles east.