CRYSTAL CAVE

Ready to go “spelunking”? In case you didn’t know—that’s another word for cave exploring. Here are some cool facts Claire and company discovered at Crystal Cave in Pierce County:

• The temperature in Crystal Cave pretty much stays about 48 degrees all year-round.

• Wisconsin has several different kinds of bats, including the eastern pipistrelle, the little brown bat, the big brown bat, and the northern myotis. They usually enter caves to hibernate around October.

• Stalactites are the icicle-like formations that hang down from the ceiling. Stalagmites come up from the floor. A way to remember this is “tites hold tight” to the ceiling; stalagmites “might get there some day.” When stalactites and stalagmites grow to meet each other, they form soda straws, which are hollow inside!