Wisconsin

Species

Status

Counties

Habitat

Mammals

Canada lynx
(Lynx canadensis)

Threatened

Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Marinette, Oneida, Price, Sawyer, Vilas, Washburn

While no resident populations are known from Wisconsin, the species occasionally occurs in northern forested areas, and counties listed are those with the highest likelihood of occurrence.

Gray wolf

Canis lupus

Endangered

Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Jackson, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Washburn, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood

Northern forested areas

Northern long-eared bat

Myotis septentrionalis

Threatened

Statewide

Hibernates in caves and mines - swarming in surrounding wooded areas in autumn. During late spring and summer roosts and forages in upland forests.

Birds

Kirtland's warbler
Setophaga kirtlandii

=Dendroica kirtlandii

Endangered

Adams, Bayfield, Douglas, Jackson, Marinette, Vilas, Washburn

Young jack pine stands (5 to 25 years old). Confirmed breeding in Adams county, potential breeding in the other counties.

Piping plover
(Charadrius melodus)

Endangered

Ashland, Brown, Douglas, Manitowoc, Marinette

Sandy beaches; bare alluvial and dredge spoil islands

Piping plover
(Charadrius melodus)

Critical Habitat

Ashland, Douglas, Manitowoc, Marinette

Rufa Red knot

(Calidris canutus rufa)

Threatened

Ashland and Douglas: along Lake Superior

Brown and Oconto: along Green Bay

Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, and Racine: along Lake Michigan

Coastal areas

Whooping crane
(Grus americanus)

**Non-essential experimental population

Adams*, Burnett, Calumet, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau*, Kenosha, LaCrosse, Lafayette, Marathon, Marquette, Monroe*, Oconto, Pepin, Polk, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Trempealeau, Walworth, Washington, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood*

*Whooping cranes have nested in these counties.

Open wetlands and lakeshores

Reptile

Eastern massasauga
(Sistrurus catenatus)

Threatened

Buffalo, Jackson, Juneau, LaCrosse, Monroe, Pepin, Rock, Trempealeau, Walworth

Open to forested wetlands and adjacent upland areas

Mussels

Higgins eye pearlymussel
(Lampsilis higginsii)

Endangered

Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Iowa, Pierce, Richland, Sauk

Lower Wisconsin River

Higgins eye pearlymussel
(Lampsilis higginsii)

Endangered

Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, LaCrosse, Pierce, Trempealeau, Vernon

Mississippi River

Higgins eye pearlymussel
(Lampsilis higginsii)

Endangered

Pierce, Polk, St. Croix

St. Croix River

Sheepnose
(Plethobasus cyphyus)

Endangered

Buffalo, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Iowa, La Crosse, Pepin, Richland, Rusk, Sauk

Chippewa and Wisconsin Rivers

Snuffbox
(Epioblasma triquetra)

Endangered

Outagamie, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara

St. Croix, Wolf, Embarrass, and Little Wolf Rivers and Willow Creek

Spectaclecase
(Cumberlandia monodonta)

Endangered

Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Crawford, Grant, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix

Note: Occurance record for Grant and Crawford counties is historic - last observation 1982

Chippewa, Mississippi, and St. Croix Rivers

Winged mapleleaf
(Quadrula fragosa)

Endangered

Polk, St. Croix

St. Croix River

Insects

Hine's emerald dragonfly
(Somatochlora hineana)

Endangered

Door, Iowa, Grant, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, Richland

Streams and associated wetlands overlying dolomite bedrock

Hine's emerald dragonfly
(Somatochlora hineana)

Critical Habitat

Door and Ozaukee

Critical Habitat Maps (8-page PDF)

Karner blue butterfly
(Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

Endangered

Adams, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Green Lake, Jackson, Juneau, Marquette, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood

Prairie, oak savanna, and jack pine areas with wild lupine

Poweshiek skipperling

(Oarisma poweshiek)

Endangered

and Critical Habitat

Green Lake, Waukesha

Map of Critical Habitat

Native prairie

Rusty patched bumble bee

Bombus affinis

Endangered

Brown, Buffalo, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa, Kenosha, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Monroe, Polk, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha

Note for project proponents: this bee is not known to occur throughout the entire counties. To determine if your project or ongoing action is within an area that is likely to have the rusty patched bumble bee, use our online tool at https://ecos.fws.gov/ipac/

Grasslands with flowering plants from April through October, underground and abandoned rodent cavities or clumps of grasses above ground as nesting sites, and undisturbed soil for hibernating queens to overwinter.

Plants

Dwarf lake iris
(Iris lacustris)

Threatened

Brown, Door

Partially shaded sandy-gravelly soils on lakeshores

Eastern prairie fringed orchid
(Platanthera leucophaea)

Threatened

Dane, Green Lake, Jefferson, Kenosha, Ozaukee, Rock, Walworth, Waukesha, Winnebago

Wet grasslands

Fassett's locoweed
(Oxytropis campestris var. chartaceae)

Threatened

Bayfield, Douglas, Portage, Waushara

Open sandy lakeshores

Mead's milkweed
(Asclepias meadii)

Threatened

Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa

Upland tallgrass prairie or glade/barren habitat

Note: all the Mead's milkweed sites in Wisconsin are reintroduction attempts and occur on protected conservation lands.

Northern monkshood
(Aconitum noveborancense)

Threatened

Grant, Monroe, Richland, Sauk, Vernon

North facing slopes

Pitcher's thistle
(Cirsium pitcheri)

Threatened

Door, Manitowoc, Sheboygan

Stabilized dunes and blowouts

Prairie bush-clover
(Lespedeza leptostachya)

Threatened

Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Pepin, Pierce, Rock, St. Croix, Sauk

Dry to mesic prairies with gravelly soil areas