Buttonbush Pond Overlook

Buttonbush Pond is home to a variety of frogs and turtles, along with beavers and the occasional egret or duck. Occasionally there will be fish in the pond, but in drier years the pond will dry up. It is surrounded by oak and hickory forest and can be reached by hiking the Prairie Creek Woods Trail.

Both along the trail and at the pond visitors will be treated to views of several reintroduced native species of wildflower, grass, sedge and rushes. At the overlook to the pond a bench provides respite from the hike and provides visitors the chance to sit quietly for a few minutes, or hours, to listen to the croaking of the many green frogs that inhabit the area and watch the dragonflies and damselflies flit around.

It isn’t known if the pond is naturally occurring or man-made, although evidence of the topography suggests man-made. Because of its location, the water in the pond doesn’t come from Prairie Creek, but instead comes from rain and infrequent flooding. As a result, the nutrient rich water in the pond is covered in algae during July and August.