Lake Wingra

Map of Lake Wingra

Above: Map of Lake Wingra as reference for images taken for the photo blog.

Lake Wingra is a spring fed lake in Madison, Wisconsin. Lake Wingra is bordered by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum on the south and west and the City of Madison on the remaining shoreline. Henry Vilas Zoo, Wingra Boats, Wingra Park, Edgewood College and the Monroe Street and Nakoma neighborhoods are located on the Lake's northern and northwest shorelines.

This photo blog doesn't really get a theme or start an (almost) daily record until December 4, 2018. Nonetheless, the earlier blog entries do offer a seasonal view of the lake and, of course, the blog will eventually get around full cycle (Winter Solstice 2018 to Winter Solstice 2019). Start Photo Blog.

A quick look at one Lake Wingra location taken at the same spot over a year by month.

Note: Most (not all) images are clickable to view a larger size. Also, some of the images are of reference value only. i.e., blurry photos of a Great Blue Heron or a furry muskrat. These images are simply for the photo blog's daily record.

Key reference points include:

Wingra Park/Wingra Boathouse
Cattails: The cattails I refer to are where a delta is forming at the storm water outfall that drains acres of upland development, bringing sediment and nutrients into the lake. The storm water flows under Pickford Street and under the eastern side of Ho-Nee-Um Pond – exiting at the cattails.
Ho-Nee-Um Pond: An manmade lagoon (Constructed between March 15, 1938 and October, 1939).
Council Ring Spring (Upper Council Ring Spring).
Dancing Sands (Ho-Nee-Um Spring/Boiling Council Ring Spring):
The Oak Savanna (Wingra Oak Savanna): Between Monroe Street and Ho-Nee-Um Pond.
Marion-Dunn Pond & Prairie (a/k/a Glenway Pond): A storm water retention pond that drains a 260-acre, primarily residential watershed. In the past, beaver have lived on the small island in the pond.
Duck Pond (a/k/a Gorham Spring/Spring Trail pond): Consists of several springs and springlets. The Duck Pond entrance by Monroe Street was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
Stevens Pond: The water supply is derived by springlets located near the western corner of the pond and by spring seepage, which, like the springlets, was opened up when the pond was dug. Originally it was thought that water would have to be divereted from the Duck Pond. Completed by the CCC in 1936. Stevens Pond has a lot of beaver activity as noted by the numerous trees felled by the beaver.
Retaining Pond: In the E. Ray Stevens Pond and Aquatic Gardens area of the Arboretum on the corner of Nakoma Road and Manitou Way. Outfow feeds into the Secret Pond that flows into Lake Wingra.
UW Arboretum's Viburnum Garden: Located east of the Nakoma Road and Manitou Way intersection, this 3-acre garden features more than 80 species and varieties of Viburnum and 110 species and varieties of arborvitae.

NOTE: Council Ring Spring and Ho-Nee-Um/Dancing Sands Spring are known collectively as the Marston Springs, Topp or Lime Kiln Springs. Lime Kiln for the lime kiln once located nearby and Marston for Marston Farms and the limestone quarry that provided the original stepping stones down to the springs.