The village of Lilydale once occupied the east bank floodplain of the Mississippi River, but this unfortunate location subjected the town to repeated flooding and eventually the town relocated to the bluffs above the floodplain. The park retains the name of Lilydale, named for the abundance of lilypads that dot the surface of Pickerel Lake during the summer. This 636 acre park is covered by floodplain forest. A careful observer, however, will spot urban tree and shrub species, such as spruces and lilacs, mixed in with typical floodplain forest trees. These seemingly out-of-place species hint at the area’s urban history.
