Recent Blog Posts

by Rae Henneman On January 27th, 2026, Schmeeckle felt the loss of our long-term frog ambassador, Hilde. Hilde was an American Bullfrog that was in our care for over 16 years! Living 7-10 years in the wild, our girl survived well into old age. From her evil stares to her size, she was certainly...

by Barbara Dixson Anyone who turned up at the Spring Celebration the first Sunday in May anticipating the spring Candlelight Hike might have been confused. No lanterns! No one on stage! Instead, a whole new adventure! This year when we met the inhabitants of Schmeeckle in human guise, it was in person. Hiking the...

by Chris Thompson This last couple of months, while looking through the Friends of Schmeeckle Reserve trail cam photos, a new visitor was noticed.  Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a very large weasel?….. well kind of – It’s a Fisher! Fishers are a medium sized member of the weasel family. They...

posted by Barbara Dixson, photos by Steve Faber Steve was out in winter, observing snow shapes and the whimsical creations of ice sculptors. Spring followed, with the magical creations of nature. Beautiful at every time of the year! Long view of the ice sculptors And then closer–an ice living room on Lake Joanis?...

by Chris Thompson Schmeeckle Reserve has recently experienced several white-tailed deer mortalities. To document the ecological process of scavenging and better understand wildlife interactions, the Friends of Schmeeckle Reserve positioned a trail camera near the remains. The camera records the various creatures utilizing the carrion and one animal was an early and constant visitor...

posted by Barbara Dixson, photos by Steve Faber Three of the photos with which Steve Faber has gifted us this time take us back to a quarter year ago, when colors blazed and boardwalks invited easy strolling. From the perspective of this cold, white world, pictured in the other two, the invitation of these...

posted by Barbara Dixson, photos and text by Rae Henneman Though no one can agree what to call this animal, an ermine, stoat, or short-tailed weasel, I think we can all agree that its cuteness is beyond compare. About once a year, the visitor center is graced with the presence of an ermine, though...

by Barbara Dixson At the celebration of the arts contest winners in January, Sonja Kung fell into conversation with Jim Buchholz and Melissa Ruether. Sonja is part of the Nature Buffs book group with six other women, and the idea percolated up to bring the wonderful books they had read together to a corner...

posted by Barbara Dixson, photos by Steve Faber Steve Faber has an eye for beauty. Fortunately for us, he often pauses a moment with his camera in the Reserve and brings a glimpse back for the rest of us. Lake Joanis from the shore A Great Blue Heron stands by the lake. Blue flag...

by Chris Thompson While exploring Schmeeckle Reserve, have you ever noticed large bird houses, about the size of a school backpack (above) in the wetland areas and wondered what those are for? Well, these are possible homes for one of Wisconsin’s tree nesting ducks: the well named – Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). While some other...