Canyon Park Cabin

The botany of Canyon Park is definitely part of the attraction. There are little ecosystems throughout and the plant life varies noticeably. There are the sandy edges of the cliffs. The swampy areas in the canyon that can change overnight. The steep sides of the canyon vary from loose soil to bare rock. Some of the cliff sides have water on them and reflect brightly in the sunlight. The springs run constantly and the pond never stops. Each habitat is different and supports a different plant set.

In 1995 we were pleased to receive a note and a long list from Mr. Woerpel. He commented that he remembered seeing lady slippers just north of the big bluff on the east side of the canyon. But it has been many years though, maybe I just wasn’t there at the appropriate time.

The list itself is a copy of the typed field notes (with the common names penciled in) from an original survey of plant life at Canyon Park conducted UW-Madison.  In 1958, researchers from the UW, W. Adamson, E. Temby and J. Gates, undertook a study of the flora at canyon park. There also some records from 1968 and data was gathered in 2000 by A. Hipp.

It’s nice to have the list and it’s really cool to be able to look at it online. You can go to the WBIS, the Wisconsin Botanical Information System and find information pertaining to plant life all over the state. If you follow these few steps you can see what type of plants exist(ed) at Canyon Park.

Go to Wisconsin Herbaria Plant Specimen Database (link provided below) advance search and fill out the form like this:

Location: Canyon

Township: 6

Range: 4

County: Iowa

Click on search!

This should bring up the database for the canyon.

http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora/specimen/index.asp?type=1