| Wind Pudding Lake State Natural Area | |
|---|---|
Wind Pudding Lake | |
| Location | Oneida,Wisconsin,United States |
| Coordinates | 45°45′39″N89°37′57″W / 45.76083°N 89.63250°W /45.76083; -89.63250 |
| Area | 340 acres (140 ha) |
| Established | 1983 |
Wind Pudding Lake State Natural Area is aWisconsin Department of Natural Resources-designatedState Natural Area featuring the 180-acre Wind Pudding Lake, its associated wetlands, and some of its surrounding uplands. The lake 180 acres (73 ha)[1] is noteworthy for its separate basins, each having distinctive characteristics. The eastern basin is the deepest, at 35 feet (11 m), and has a primarily sand/gravel bottom. This basin contains a well-developed population of sterile-rosette aquatic vegetation, with several species considered either rare, or with a restricted range within the State of Wisconsin, such as the plantain shoreweed (Littorella uniflora). The central and western basins are much shallower and muck-bottomed, with extensive areas covered by a mat of floating peat, which supports a dense growth of aquatic vegetation, including sundew (Drosera intermedia), purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea), yellow-eyed grass (Xyris montana), and the rare Robbin's spike-rush (Eleocharis robbinsii). \The western basin does have some development, with several houses, while the rest of the lake is undeveloped.[2][3][4]
Wind Pudding Lake is located within theNorthern Highland-American Legion State Forest, in north-centralOneida County, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest ofLake Tomahawk. To reach the lake via public lands, follow Bass Rd. south, off Bluebird Ln. After 0.2 miles (0.32 km), the road forks - the right fork leads to the central basin, while the left fork leads to the eastern basin.[5]