The Ridges Sanctuary - An Intimate View

From the air it is obvious how The Ridges Sanctuary got its name. It consists of thirty ridges, which are topped by a wide variety of trees and flora. On the sandy surface of the ridges, there are many beautiful and, in some cases, rare wildflowers. Between these ridges are swales, filled with a variety of grasses, sedges, flowering plants, and water. These ridges were created by wave activity and dune formation along former shorelines of Lake Michigan as lake levels fluctuated over the past 1,400 years. A micro-climate, created by the cool waters of Lake Michigan, has allowed plants typical of boreal forests farther north to continue to thrive here. As a result, The Ridges Sanctuary supports a unique community of nearly 500 different plants. It is the most diverse ecological system in the State of Wisconsin. Doug Sherman has photographed the flowers of the Ridges with the clarity one would expect of a master photographer.