ASHTON CORNERSÂ â Chances are youâve seen it, though youâve probably never been there.
Situated in the middle of a farm field just off Highway 12 north of Middleton, the Ashton Unit of the Empire Prairies is a 12-acre state natural area with no public access.
But a couple of times each week, John Kessler drives his Ford F-350 up a dirt road to tend the hilltop, a remnant of a vast prairie that once spanned much of Dane and Columbia counties.
âItâs original soil thatâs never been tilled before. Because of that it has a rich assemblage of native plants and several rare plants,â said Jared Urban, state natural area coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources. âItâs kind of like old-growth forest, except old-growth grassland.â