Dells of The Wisconsin River - Unique Ecosystem

Unique Ecosystem

The area of the Dells provides a mixture of plant communities, including northern and southern oak and pine forests, as well as oak savanna, moist cliffs, and dry cliffs.

The cliffs provide unique niches for plants, some of which are very rare in Wisconsin, including:

• Cliff cudweed (Gnaphalium obtusifolium var saxicola ), which is known in only two places on Earth - in the Dells and in the Kickapoo Valley, grows on protected rock ledges.
• Lapland azalea (Rhododendron lapponicum)
• Round-stemmed false foxglove (Agalinis gattingeri)
• Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)
• Fragrant fern (Dryopteris fragrans).

Among the rare animals in the dell are six dragonfly species, including the Royal river cruiser (Macromia taeniolata), six rare mussels and numerous species of birds.