I live in northwest Wisconsin. The area is heavily shaped by the effects of the last glacial period which occurred approximately 10,000 years ago. The retreating glaciers left behind a diverse landscape of rolling hills, ridges, lakes, and an abundance of wetlands.
A majority of lakes in the area are known as, Kettle Lakes. These are formed when large chunks of ice broke off and melted in place. The extreme weight of the glacial ice caused a depression in the earth which eventually filled with glacial water. Some of these depressions were not deep enough to become lakes. Instead, they support the widely dispersed wetlands that are common in this area.
The outwash of the melting glaciers carved valleys that became the legendary St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers. Both are now protected by the National Scenic Riverway designation. Because I am a river rat at heart, we’ll discuss these rivers in more detail in future posts.
The post-glacial geography of northwest Wisconsin features water-rich lowlands. It also has forested uplands. The terrain includes both sandy and rocky areas. This creates a diverse and ecologically important landscape. It’s also great for photography and amateur nature science nerds like me.
I want to share this amazing area with you, so I am developing a portfolio of images. These images will be gathered within a five mile radius of my home. The majority of images will come from my walks in the “neighborhood.” The images will be curated into Category titled, 5-Mile Radius.
Some examples of images taken the first week of the new year:
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