This spring, Madison Audubon Society planted four acres of sunflowers and two acres of sorghum for wildlife food at Goose Pond Sanctuary.
You are welcome to visit Goose Pond Sanctuary (one mile south of Arlington) to view an impressive display of sunflowers. The sunflowers began blooming on July 21st and should be at peak the last week of July into the first few days of August.
The field contains over 60,000 sunflowers and will provide wildlife with over 6,000 pounds of seed. Goldfinches and mourning doves will find a feast beginning in September. There are mowed trails along the edge of the sunflowers and you are welcome to hike the trail and take photos. With the recent rains the prairie should be ablaze in color and you are also welcome to hike our prairie trails. One of the best prairie trails to hike is at Browne Prairie. The Browne prairie parking lot is about .5 miles west of the sunflower field on Kampen Road.
Goose Pond Sanctuary is one mile south of Arlington. To find the sunflowers - from the intersection of Goose Pond Road and Kampen Road go west on Kampen Road for 200 yards.
NOTE: There is also a Kampen Road intersection with Goose Pond Road where Kampen Road goes east about 200 yards north of the south Kampen Road intersection. Visitors can park along the south side of Kampen Road on the east side of the sunflowers where the trail begins. Dogs are not permitted.
Call Mark or Sue Martin, resident co-managers, at 608-333-9645 with questions.
Photos taken by Mark Martin in 2007 at Goose Pond Sanctuary.
