Places to Explore / Wisconsin
A favorite spring-flower woodland, where hepatica brings shades of white, pink, and violet to the forest floor.
Know before you go: There are no trails within the State Natural Area and no designated parking area. Review the official access information and boundaries before visiting.
Maples, beeches, and spring flowers
Renak-Polak Maple-Beech Woods State Natural Area protects predominantly old-growth southern mesic forest, with wetter woodland along an intermittent stream. Sugar maple, basswood, and beech are characteristic trees. The 107-acre site is owned by the University of Wisconsin–Parkside and was designated a State Natural Area in 1972.
Brian’s photographs move from bare branches and last year’s leaves to fresh green groundcover and a leafy canopy. Between those wider views are the small discoveries that make this place special: a flower just opening, patterned bark, a fern unfolding, or a bird tucked among the branches.
Brian’s favorite spring flower
Renak-Polak is one of Brian’s favorite places to find spring flowers. The color variations in hepatica are a big part of what makes it his favorite spring flower.
These photographs bring together white, pink-toned, pale lavender, and deeper violet-blue blooms. Look closely at the differences from one flower to the next, as well as the buds and leaves around them.
Select any photograph to open the slideshow. Use the arrows to browse, or swipe on a phone. Each gallery has additional photographs you can expand below.
Hepatica has plenty of company in Brian’s photographs: bloodroot, toothwort, Dutchman’s breeches, dwarf ginseng, trilliums, spring beauty, trout lily, and more. Close views show details that can be easy to miss among the leaves.
Wider views put the flowers in their setting: tall trunks, fallen wood, patches of water, and the changing greens of the forest floor. These photographs record past visits, so conditions and blooms will vary.
There is more to notice than flowers. Smooth beech bark, slender buds, fern fronds, moss capsules, and patterned mushrooms add texture to the woodland.
Brian’s photographs include a Barred Owl, Scarlet Tanagers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, an Eastern Bluebird, a butterfly, a crayfish, a toad, and a coyote glimpsed among the trees. These are encounters from past visits, rather than a list of guaranteed sightings.
Plan ahead
This is an undeveloped natural area. There are no trails within the State Natural Area and no designated parking area. Do not assume that a nearby driveway, roadside shoulder, or neighboring path provides authorized access.
Consult the Wisconsin DNR’s current property information and map before going. Respect neighboring land and any posted restrictions. A nearby trail is not a maintained trail through this natural area.
Take care around emerging plants and soft ground. Photograph flowers where they grow, leave plants and fallen wood in place, and give wildlife room.
This collection shows multiple visits and stages of spring. Flowering time, water levels, and visibility change; the photographs are a record of discoveries rather than a current bloom report.
About this page: Photographs and personal observations by Brian Woolman. Site designation, acreage, ownership, and forest description: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Access information reviewed October 2026.