Madison+Lake+State+Park

Also, see Madison County Birding Drive
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Madison County
=Madison Lake State Park= 4860 East Park Drive London, Ohio 43140 Madison Lake State Park website Madison Lake State Park map

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Madison Lake SP
Coordinates: 39.8707497, -83.3724976 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Madison Lake State Park
Madison Lake State Park lies within the Darby Plains of Madison County. These plains, before settlement, resembled smaller versions of the Great Plains found in the West. Ohio's original landscape, before being altered by man, was about 95 percent forest with the remaining 5 percent comprised of wetlands and prairies. In Ohio, there were about 1,000 square miles of prairie encompassing the land.

During a dry period, about 4,000 years ago, conditions were favorable that allowed prairies to expand eastward into Ohio. This extension known as the Prairie Peninsula covered an area east of the Missouri River, south of the Great Lakes and north of the Ohio River. In time, the climate became more humid and more favorable for forest growth. The prairie retreated to the Indiana-Illinois border leaving isolated pockets in Ohio.

Few prairies survive in Ohio as agriculture, woody plants and Eurasian weeds have taken their toll. Prairies do still exist along highway and railroad right-of-ways, marsh borders and abandoned cemeteries.

One of the best examples of existing prairie in Ohio is within the Darby Plains of Madison County. Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve near Chuckery contains significant prairie plants including big bluestem, Indian grass, and purple coneflower. Smith Cemetery Prairie, also of Madison County, contains stiff goldenrod, gray willow, and wild petunia.

Animals that favor the habitat of this area include the woodchuck (groundhog), red fox, ring-necked pheasant, 13-lined ground squirrel and numerous songbirds. Kestrels, horned larks, bobolinks and meadowlarks can be spotted in the park. The lake supports populations of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. From Madison Lake State Park website



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media type="custom" key="27811191" || L357762 US US-OH US-OH-097 39.8707497 -83.3724976 Madison Lake SP