It may be the sweeping views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan, or the sounds and smells of the Summerfest grounds, that draw people to Lakeshore State Park. But there is something just as remarkable – yet much more humble – tucked away within the city’s only state park.
There you can find Milwaukee’s only prairie, filled with native grasses, wildflowers, bees, butterflies and urban wildlife. It’s even a stopover for many migratory shorebirds.
Lakeshore State Park sits on an artificial island, made from bedrock and debris excavated when Milwaukee’s Deep Tunnel was built in the 1980s and 1990s. At first it was known as Harbor Island, helping to protect the Summerfest grounds from erosion and create a safe harbor space for boats to go during bad weather.
In 1998, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources turned it into a state park and created a space for a prairie – a habitat that once covered southern Wisconsin – to thrive.
The prairie in Lakeshore State Park is home to a diverse assemblage of native grasses and flowers with deep roots that help prevent erosion, filter pollution and provide habitat for pollinators and urban wildlife. It is also an important resting place for migratory birds, and a peaceful place to enjoy views of the city and Lake Michigan.
Prairies aren’t often found in urban environments, and it’s a great example of how nature can coexist within a city.
Here’s what to know about Milwaukee’s urban prairie, why it’s important and where else you find prairies in southeastern Wisconsin.
Prairies, oak savanna once covered southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin sits in a transition zone where the deciduous forests in the east meet the grasslands in the west. Before European colonization, it was estimated that Wisconsin was home to more than 2 million acres of grasslands, namely prairie and oak savanna found largely in the southern part of the state.
Nearly all of the habitat was destroyed for agriculture, urbanization and other development, leaving behind a patchwork of grasslands dotted across the landscape.
Prairies are a kind of temperate grassland found in North America that are home to a diverse community of plants made up of native grasses and herbaceous flowering plants known as forbs. Prairies lack trees and other woody stemmed vegetation.
Oak savanna are another kind of grassland habitat where oak trees are scattered within native grasses and flowering plants.
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Deep roots filter pollutants
Much of the plants within prairies are perennial, meaning they continue to grow each year and do not need to be replanted. The continual growth allows the roots of native prairie plants to grow deep underground. In fact, more than half of the biomass of prairie plants are below ground.
Grassland habitats often have been treated as useless, which is why many have been converted to agriculture use. However, these habitats can play an important ecological role – even in a city like Milwaukee.
The extensive root systems help support soil health by holding it together, which prevents erosion and helps to sequester carbon – a key tool in combating climate change by getting carbon out of the air and storing it underground.
Elaine Zautke, park manager with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, points out hoary vervain, a native prairie plant, in Lakeshore State Park on Sept. 20, 2024.
Prairie plants are also like a big “Brita filter,” removing pollutants and helping water penetrate farther into the soil, said Elaine Zautke, Lakeshore State Park manager with the Wisconsin DNR. The roots of big bluestem, for instance, can extend up to 12 feet deep. In turn, less untreated stormwater ends up in nearby water bodies, like Lake Michigan.
“The more we can do to improve the water that is going directly back into the lake, the better off we are when we try to recycle it for drinking water,” Zautke said.
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Native prairie grasses, wildflowers attract pollinators
Cities in the Great Lakes are a haven for birders, as the region sits in between the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways, North America’s two bird super highways. Green spaces in urban environments, like at Lakeshore State Park, can be important stopovers to rest.
The diversity of plants also supports pollinators, like bees, butterflies and other insects as well as urban wildlife.
The common milkweed, a native prairie plant, is visited by large milkweed bugs in the prairie in Lakeshore State Park. Prairies are a kind of temperate grassland found in North America, characterized by a diverse community of plants and a lack of trees.
It’s not just a space that can be enjoyed during the warmer months. Zautke explained that it’s a great place to bird in the winter. The state park is also an accessible spot to ice fish.
Fire will return to Milwaukee’s urban prairie
Fire is essential to maintaining healthy prairie habitats. Deep root systems of native plants help them withstand fire.
During a fire or a prescribed burn, “native plants can shrink up, hunker down and save themselves,” Zautke said. Fires kill off invasive species and stop trees from encroaching on the habitat.
The after-effect is vigorous regrowth, helping bring in pollinators and other wildlife.
According to Zautke, the DNR will have its first prescribed burn in the prairie habitat at Lakeshore State Park in the spring. The timing will depend on the “sweet spot” after the snow melts and the invasives start to grow just before native grasses sprout up.
Elaine Zautke, park manager with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, holds a seed pod from a blue false indigo seed pod on Sept. 20, 2024. The native prairie plant is a bushy perennial with deep blue flowers.
The effort is a part of a grant to help the state reintroduce fire to manage grassland habitats across the state, Zautke said.
“We’re really lucky to finally be able to do one here,” she said.
Other prairies to see in near Milwaukee
Here are other prairies to check out in southeastern Wisconsin.
Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties:
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The Wehr Nature Center in Franklin’s Whitnall Park is home to another Milwaukee County prairie. The prairie is tucked within the park’s woodlands, and accessible via a one-mile loop trail. The same trail also takes you through one of Wisconsin’s oak savannas, which is a forested grassland.
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The UWM’s Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa has 11 acres of prairie in the Monarch Conservancy. The lush habitat provides a resting place as well as food and shelter for migrating monarchs.
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The hiking trails in the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside travel through prairie habitat as well as near the visitor center. The nature center is also home to a restored wet prairie, which has continuously saturated soils. Wet prairies are one of the state’s rarest habitats, now covering less than one percent of their original habitat.
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The Swan Road Prairie in Mequon is 20 acres of prairie restored from land donated by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. The prairie was restored for conservation and flood water management.
Kenosha and Racine counties:
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At roughly 480 acres, the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area in Pleasant Prairie is one of the largest untouched prairies remaining in Wisconsin and the largest unbroken stretch along the state’s Lake Michigan shoreline. The prairie is incredibly biodiverse, containing more than 400 species of vascular plants as well as 26 rare plants, 10 of which are listed as endangered or threatened.
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com or follow her on X @caitlooby.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Discover Milwaukee’s urban prairie on the shores of Lake Michigan