Allequash Lake and Pines State Natural Area

Situated on gently rolling to rough terrain is a mature second-growth dry mesic forest surrounding the south basin of Allequash Lake. The forest is dominated by medium to large red oak with white pine, sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, and balsam fir. The understory is composed of maple and fir saplings, beaked hazelnut, maple-leaved viburnum, clubmosses, and ferns. Other herbaceous groundlayer species include Pennsylvania sedge, bunchberry, wild strawberry, Canada mayflower, partridgeberry, gay-wings, elliptic shin-leaf, twisted-stalk, American starflower, and false Solomon's-seal. Allequash Lake is a drainage lake with clear, alkaline water. About 60-70% of the south basin is less than five feet deep and supports extensive beds of emergent, floating-leaved, and submergent aquatic plants. Important species include wild rice, large-leaf pondweed, common pondweed, Richardson's pondweed, Robbin's pondweed, flat-stemmed pondweed, northern water-nymph, coon's-tail, common bladderwort, white water-lily, and water-shield. Stands of cat-tail and bulrushes are also present. Numerous birds make use of the lake and abundant aquatic vegetation including migrating waterfowl, black tern, wood duck, sora, and osprey. Other breeding birds of the area include broad-winged hawk, belted kingfisher, eastern wood pewee, least flycatcher, winter wren, veery, hermit thrush, Nashville warbler, magnolia warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, pine warbler, black and white warbler, ovenbird, and scarlet tanager. Allequash Lake and Pines is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.