Grootemaat Nature Preserve in Greendale
This 13.7-acre preserve has been owned by the Village of Greendale. As of this writing in spring 2025 the Village of Greendale and Milwaukee County are collaborating on a proposed land exchange that would transfer ownership to Milwaukee County in order to “enhance community parkland and environmental stewardship.”
The parcel is an island of nature in a sea of housing subdivisions. It has a gently rolling terrain with both vernal and year-round wetlands, along with a drainage ditch through the middle. A trail loops around among them all. There is a sprinkling of large, mature hardwoods among younger trees. Abundant ephemeral spring flowers include trillium, jack in the pulpit, mayapples, and spring beauties. The site is designated by SEWRPC as a “Natural Area of Local Significance” and is an example of a southern mesic forest.
There are no amenities.
The entrance is clearly marked at the corner of Ramsey and 43rd Street.
Gallery (click to enlarge)
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- Entrance to the preserve
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- Wetland in autumn
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- White trillium
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- Buttercups grace a wetland
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- Jack in the Pulpit
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- A makeshift bridge across the ditch
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- Mayapples in profusion
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- Flowering tree
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- Moss-lined drainage ditch
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- Pheasant Back mushrooms
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- Pond and sedge meadow
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- Ephemeral wetland in flood
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- Ephemeral wetland unflooded
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- Fallen tree in pond
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- Forest edged with rime
Address
4300 W. Ramsey53221, Greendale, WI, US