ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
07-16-2021
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
July 16, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Chicago’s Best Weekend Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
WE URGENTLY NEED SCOUTS TO CONTINUE THIS VALUABLE FREE SERVICE!
Click here to learn how you can help share Chicago’s natural beauty with others and to expand the region’s nature volunteer base. We have 1,300 followers. There should be enough people out there who’d love to pitch in.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
This is an exciting time to visit the prairies and savannas, as many beautiful flower shows are simultaneously taking place throughout the region. Again, the best flower show is being held in the oak savanna at Somme Prairie Grove. It is a must-see event! Last week, deep purple leadplant was the star, but it has now faded to mauve. However, as leadplant’s understudy, purple prairie clover (our Plant of the Week) has taken over the leading role and has spread to theaters across the preserve. And don’t get me started on the spectacular shows of mountain mint, wild quinine, and compass plant. So much is happening here! See my shot Wednesday, July 14 under Photo Section.
The gravelly prairies at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen are also featuring purple prairie clover and many other blooms. Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies. Belmont Prairie is producing blasts of orange butterfly weed and a variety of colors, including the lavenders of wild bergamot and mountain mint (both members of the mint family). While we’re on the subject of scents, check out the yellow coneflower seed heads that smell of licorice. And definitely push your nose into purple prairie clover. Speaking of clover, that reminds me of the true story of a rabbit that was running across the yard with a confiscated carrot when it collided with a young entrepreneur squeezing lemons into a pitcher for his lemonade stand. In addition to the hilarious explosion of bunny and child, orange and yellow also collided. The rabbit screamed, “You got lemons on my carrot.” And the kid yelled, “Well, you got carrot on my lemons. And I think you broke my nose!” The kid was taken to the emergency room and fitted with a full head cast with four holes. Upon his return from the hospital, the kid and the bunny became fast friends. Well, at least we can agree that the bunny was fast. It was the bunny’s speed that started this whole mess. When the kid’s face healed after several months of physical therapy and grueling nose-bending exercises to help him learn how to use both nostrils again, the bunny and the kid started a business. They gave it the unlikely name of “Bunny and The Kid.” They sold billions and billions of picoliters of their new refreshing concoction made with the flavors and scents from carrots and lemons. But they only charged a fiftieth-of-a-dollar per glass. And at that price, their business went under. What were they thinking? Any bunny would have charged more. But that’s what you get when you create a business plan off of a bad pun, “Two scents for two cents.” And those are my two cents.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early bright, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all this, along with the promise of a new day.
This is the time when a dramatic wetland plant begins to flower, the aquatic American lotus. The pale yellow blossoms resemble those of a water lily, but they’re much larger—up to eight inches wide atop stems that can reach six feet high. And that isn’t all. The circular leaf is gorgeous and enormous, up to two and a half feet in diameter! See the Photo Section below for images of American lotus (and where to find it) along with the many flowers featured in this report.
If you’re looking for longer walks, try our larger preserves: Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Lake in the Hills Fen, Spears Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/13+): The beauty of the preserve is indescribable. It’s a must-see moment. The knobs located under the open skies to the north are home to scenes filled with an amalgam of color, texture, joy, inspiration, and life. Passionate purples and pinks mix with sparkling whites and startling explosions of orange. Glorious golds begin at your feet and rise toward the clouds. And all this upon a flowing canvas shaped by emerald hearts, mops and bottlebrushes. You’ll find purple prairie clover, leadplant, fabulous filigrees of mountain mint, early goldenrod, wild quinine, butterfly weed, black-eyed Susan, compass plant, rattlesnake master, wild bergamot, prairie dock, and prairie dropseed. Blooms of purple prairie clover have now spread to put on vibrant shows in other parts of the savanna. And on your way to the knobs, you’ll find these same flowers, like towering forests of compass plant, plus several more: yellow coneflower, swamp milkweed, Culver’s root, and flowering spurge. Also take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. In the woodland, you’ll find sweet Joe-Pye weed.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/14+): The flower show is happening in the southmost portion of the prairie with the most dramatic performance coming from wild quinine. New plants are starting to bloom and the color is getting better by the day. White, lavender, and yellow make up the color palette. Along the way, you’ll also experience fresh stalks of Culver’s root, alongside rattlesnake master, yellow coneflower, rosinweed, wild bergamot, and the occasional flowering spurge. You’ll also find a smattering of yellow-petaled black-eyed Susan and towering stalks of compass plant. The purple spiked prairie blazing star is just starting to bloom. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts that glow in the light of a low sun.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (7/12+): This is good time to visit this remnant prairie where several colorful plants bloom at once. I suggest visiting early or late in the day when it’s cooler and when you can experience the glorious green glow—leaves that glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them. The dramatic alabaster blooms of wild quinine instantly gets your attention alongside golden black-eyed Susan. But the shocking orange of butterfly weed steals the show with dramatic surges of vibrancy throughout the prairie. New lavender plumes of wild bergamot are beginning to fill the pink-and-blue void left by scurfy pea. Fading pale purple coneflower and leadplant are still looking pretty good. Yellow coneflower is starting to flower along with mountain mint and rattlesnake master. And I just love looming forests of blooming compass plant.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/14+): The prairies are looking very nice. “Sparkling white” describes the scene as alabaster inflorescences of wild quinine flower across the panorama, joined by glistening blossoms of mountain mint and the ivory Tinker Toy heads of rattlesnake master. You’ll discover a few explosions of the orange butterfly weed and Michigan lily along with the golds of skyward compass plant, black-eyed Susan, the start of early goldenrod, and some early blooming sawtooth sunflower. Lavender tones of wild bergamot are beginning to flower and some prairie blazing star are just starting to show off their purple spikes. If you stand at a high spot, scan the prairie below for the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around the plants that it’s feeding on. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where various trails guide you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (7/14+): The big displays come from large expanse of yellow coneflower and wild bergamot in the western grassland, which outshines the purple prairie clover in the dolomite prairie to the east. Along your hike, you’ll come upon the whites of wild quinine, fragrant mountain mint, and whimsical rattlesnake master. And you’ll find yellows in the petals of compass plant, black-eyed Susan, and the heads of early goldenrod. In low or damp areas, look for the deep pinks of swamp milkweed.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (7/10=): Several flowers are blooming at the official Illinois Nature Preserve inside the fence at the top of the hill, including a fantastic show of bee-loving purple prairie clover at peak bloom. Along the way you’ll find leadplant, early goldenrod, wild quinine, wild bergamot, and compass plant. There’s also a lot flowering along the slope outside the fence and the surrounding preserve. You’ll experience a vast amount of wild quinine growing with wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, muted leadplant, purple prairie clover, a sprinkling of black-eyed Susan, and big displays of rattlesnake master with its molecular flower heads. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/13+): The preserve is a “Go!” thanks to the performance taking place around the transplant kame located east along the southern border. The show features a large cast of actors, including flirtatious bees that move from one flower to another. Flibbertigibbets, they crash and carouse each and every party, group, and gathering: clans of tall and handsome compass plant, cliques of dainty yellow coneflower and aloof vervain, clubs of quinine, and bashes of bergamot. But the best are the celebrations of prairie clover, where bees become giddy with excitement. After all, the purple flowers offers the region’s most refreshing fragrance. Imagine a pile of lemons and carrots. Now, while watching out for bunnies, run over it with an electric lawn mower. Ah, the sweet aroma.
The remainder of the preserve is predominantly green, yet features the aforementioned flowers and a handful of additions, including prairie coreopsis, butterfly weed, rattlesnake master, and the start of marsh blazing star and spotted Joe-Pye weed.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (7/12=): The preserve has its share of flowers, but not nearly as many as the big shows further south. And there are lots of monarch butterflies! The brilliant orange blossoms of butterfly weed are the highlight of the black oak savanna while flowering spurge with its floating white sprays is the star of the sand prairie. Along the way, you should see black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, purple prairie clover, shrubby cinquefoil, the remaining Ohio spiderwort, and the occasional Cleland’s evening primrose.
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/9.): This preserve offers a beautiful expansive view that is best enjoyed at edges of daylight, when it’s now hot and sunny. Enjoy an array of flowers that flow along the vast rolling landscape of the prairie and fen, including the lavenders of wild bergamot, white and purple prairie clover, golden black-eyed Susan and yellow coneflower, pale purple coneflower, and mauve common milkweed that smells like a bunch of over-perfumed old ladies on Bingo night.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/14+): First of all, the preserve is NOT LOCKED. It only looks that way. The chain is just draped over the top of the gate. Just move the chain and enter. Once inside, I suggest walking all of the trails because of how the prairie and flowers vary along the way. If you’re in the Markham area, it’s worth a trip into nature to clear your head. The most prominent flowers are wild quinine and rattlesnake master. There’s also some Culver’s root, golden black-eyed Susan and yellow coneflower, lavender wild bergamot, mauve common milkweed, pink marsh phlox, and ivory tuberous Indian plantain. In the water, look for the deep pinks of swamp milkweed and the gorgeous purple spikes of pickerel weed. And don’t forget to appreciate the oceans of grasses that wave in the warm summer winds.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER
The flowers of purple prairie clover emanate my favorite (nice) smell in Chicago nature, giving off the fresh scent of carrots and lemon. Here, a honey bee flies over to purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve in Elgin. You can also find an abundance at Somme Prairie Grove and Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and in fewer numbers at Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.*
PHOTO SECTION
Purple Prairie Clover and its Remarkably Fresh Scent
As you can see here, a show of purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve can be dramatic. But not this year. Instead, head over to Somme Prairie Grove for a glorious display.*
Yellow Coneflower
Yellow coneflower (aka, gray-headed coneflower) is a pioneer species of the prairie. It colonizes disturbed or degraded habitats until conditions improve, when it allows other plants to move in, leading to a more stable and biodiverse ecosystem. The flowers perch atop slender stems that rise to four feet tall. At that height, it’s easy to take a licorice scented brown cones. Yellow coneflowers bloom throughout the region’s prairies including here in the mesic prairie in the western half of Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*
Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a whimsical Chicago prairie flower with heads that resemble Tinker Toys, or molecular structures, plants you might find in Arizona or Texas. The plant gets its name because Native Americans brewed a tea from the root as an antidote for rattlesnake venom. To prevent bites, some chewed on the root, then spat on their hands before handling a rattlesnake. Of course, I’m interested to know if this really works. What’s more, the research may not even require a flight to the desert. That’s because, believe it or not, the rare and endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake lives right here in the Chicago area. So, if you perform the experiment, please get back to me with the results, either you or next of kin. To experience rattlesnake master, visit Belmont Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Kickapoo Woods and Prairie, Spears Woods, Theodore Stone Preserve, and other local prairies over the next few weeks.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs fills with American Lotus. You can also see it from a distance at Hogwash Slough in Spears Woods.
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs teems with the grand American Lotus. You an reach the wetland by first parking at the far end of Pulaski Woods parking lot and then walking a short distance along the trails.
Butterfly Weed is Ending
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Butterfly weed blooms across the oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. You can also find it at many other preserves including, Somme Prairie Grove, Belmont Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Leadplant is Fading
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the front; and farther out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master.*
Somme Prairie Grove is Overflowing with Beauty and Biodiversity
On Wednesday, July 14, the many flowers of the oak savanna at Somme Prairie Grove sparkled brilliantly in the last light of day.*
Here at Somme Prairie Grove we see the large, deeply lobed leaf of compass plant among a sea of purple prairie clover.*
Purple prairie clover and mountain mint steal the show in this area of Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.
Marram Grass
Near the Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, amidst marram grass and bearberry, the low light of morning revealed shapes in the sand that chronicled the secrets of time and affirmed the existence of wondrous creatures and invisible forces.*
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant begin to bloom atop a stalk that reaches for the sky. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies. *
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Evening Primrose
Cleland’s evening primrose blooms in the purple morning light along the sandy Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*
Culver’s Root is Beginning to Flower
Culver’s root is beginning to bloom en masse at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester.*
Mountain Mint
Inhale the invigorating white flowers of mountain mint that grow here at Spears Woods and at many other preserves on our list.*
Wild Bergamot & Yellow Coneflower are Reaching Peak
“Lavender in color and mint in fragrance” describes wild bergamot. “Whimsical with an aroma of anise” describes yellow coneflower. Both are native to the prairie, and both are healers. Known as pioneer species, they are among the first plants to colonize disturbed or degraded areas. Their presence improves soil quality while allowing other plants to move in, leading to greater biodiversity. You can see and smell these plants at most prairies, including here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
Michigan Lily
Michigan lily can be found at a handful of our showcase preserves, including Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin, compass plant.
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, and casts the distinctive silhouette of golden Alexander.*
Prairie Root System
The root system of some common prairie plants. Note that cylindrical blazing star has the deepest root that reaches over fifteen feet! Click the image for a bigger view.
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
The Beauty on the Knobs May Make You Cry
“The Beauty on the Knobs May Make You Cry”
On July 5th at Somme Prairie Grove, the magnificent blooms upon the knobs of the savanna came to life in the warmth of the morning light.
“The beauty on the knobs may make you cry,” were my words to my nature guru, Steve Packard, as we unexpectedly met along the trail, as we often do. But as I was speaking those words of joy, I was filling up with anxiety wondering how I could make a picture that would deliver on those words. As I traverse the trails around the knobs, my heart fills with joy. And then comes the dread. Intense beauty is an intense struggle.
There’s a big difference between taking a picture of something magical and making a magical picture. Over four long days and sleepless nights, the adventure began at three the next morning and for two more cockcrows.
The savanna may appear open to the skies. And it appears that way to me when I’m just walking around. But when I flip the switch from hiker to photographer, every tree ascends into view. Each trunk, branch, and bough become potential obstructions of the glorious and ephemeral light. Clouds often join the blockade. And don’t get me started on the wind.
Then there’s the brain’s infatuation with vibrant color. And the knobs have all that and more: the purples of leadplant and prairie clover, alabaster sprays of wild quinine, sparkling filigrees of mountain mint, and the small smattering of orange butterfly weed that tries to steal the show while often not being in a great spot for a great shot. And don’t forget the sublime mops of dropseed, the bottlebrushes of mountain mint, and the hearts of prairie dock. My wish was to make one photograph that includes all this. Yet, I should know better. In photography, less is always more. And what’s beautiful to the human eye is rarely beautiful to the camera’s.
Not all wishes can come true. And it’s sometimes for the best. Maybe I’m just there to grant Mother Nature’s wish and, after a little reflection on my part, my wish as well. Yet on the third and final morning mission, our hallowed savanna and sacred star came together to grant my ultimate wish and fundamental goal—proof of my words to Steve, “The beauty on the knobs may make you cry.”
And now I have a new wish. My wish is for you to go out into nature to experience unforgettable moments like this. Hint: They happen every week! And we let you know all about them.
—Mike
If you find this website of Chicago wildflower information useful, please donate to our GoFundMe campaign or purchase my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
07-09-2021
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
July 9, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Chicago’s Best Weekend Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
WE URGENTLY NEED SCOUTS TO CONTINUE THIS VALUABLE FREE SERVICE!
Click here to learn how you can help share Chicago’s natural beauty with others and to expand the region’s nature volunteer base. We have 1,300 followers. There should be enough people out there who’d love to pitch in.
INSPIRING UPDATE THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: Last Wednesday, Amanda Moss read our plea for more scouts, joined our scouting group on Thursday, and scouted Somme Prairie Grove on Friday. Then she scouted Shoe Factory Road Prairie a few days later. Wow! Thank you so much, Amanda! Now that’s what I call “taking action.” If you’re interested in being part of our inspiring team, please let me know.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
The summer flowering is getting back on track thanks to the recent rains. However, the knobs in the oak savanna at Somme Prairie Grove seemed unfazed by the drought. The deep-rooted plants of leadplant (our Plant of the Week), wild quinine, compass plant, and others are a sight to behold. The current bloom is one of the most breathtaking displays I’ve ever seen. See my picture from July 5th under our Photo Section.
The gravelly prairies at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen are now featuring many flowers. Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies. And the biggest blast of orange butterfly weed can be found at Belmont Prairie amidst a panorama of pale purple coneflower and blue scurfy pea. What a glorious sight to behold. And the biggest blast of orange butterfly weed can be found at Belmont Prairie amidst a panorama of pale purple coneflower and blue scurfy pea. What a glorious sight to behold.
In our prairies and oak savannas, you’ll now find the refreshing mints of wild bergamot and mountain mint are early in their bloom alongside yellow coneflower with seed heads that smell of licorice.
Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early bright, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all this, along with the promise of a new day.
If you looking for longer walks, try our larger preserves: Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Lake in the Hills Fen, Spears Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/5=): I cannot describe the wave of emotion that washes over me as I catch sight of the kaleidoscopic knobs. Low mounds under the open skies to the north are home to scenes filled with an amalgam of color, texture, joy, inspiration, and life. Passionate purples and pinks mix with sparking whites and startling explosions of orange. Glorious golds begin at your feet and rise toward the clouds. And all this upon a flowing canvas shaped by emerald hearts, mops and bottlebrushes. You’ll find leadplant, purple prairie clover, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, butterfly weed, mountain mint, black-eyed Susan, compass plant, prairie dock, and prairie dropseed. Blooms of purple prairie clover are now starting to spread from the knobs to put on shows in other parts of the savanna. On your way to the knobs, you’ll find these same flowers and several more, including many marsh phlox, pasture rose, prairie lily, common St. John’s wort, daisy fleabane, white wild indigo, fragrant round plumes of New Jersey tea, and the tall tuberous Indian plantain. Also take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (7/8+): This is good time to visit this remnant prairie where several colorful plants bloom at once. I suggest visiting early or late in the day when it’s cooler and when you can experience the glorious green glow—leaves that glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them. The dramatic alabaster blooms of wild quinine instantly get your attention. And the shocking orange of butterfly weed steals the show with dramatic surges of vibrancy throughout the prairie. New lavender plumes of wild bergamot are beginning to fill the pink-and-blue void left by faded pale purple coneflower and scurfy pea. And golden black-eyed Susan are joined by the freshly flowering yellow coneflower, false sunflower, and looming stalks of compass plant.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (7/7+): Many flowers are blooming at the official Illinois Nature Preserve inside the fence at the top of the hill. And there’s also a lot of flowering along the slope outside the fence and the surrounding preserve. Bees (and other happy pollinators) are joyously abuzz. On the slope leading to the entrance, you’ll experience wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, pale purple coneflower, leadplant, prairie coreopsis, purple prairie clover and its white cousin, a sprinkling of black-eyed Susan, an abundance of wild quinine, and the whitish Tinker Toy flower heads of rattlesnake master. Once inside the preserve, you’ll find nice displays of golden prairie coreopsis, purple prairie clover, leadplant, the beautifully fragrant mints of wild bergamot, and mountain mint,. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills (7/9=): Though there may be some non-native and invasive plants here, there are many native plants to make up for it. Trust me, you won’t have me saying that very much. That’s not our standard at ChicagoNatureNOW!. More restoration work needs to be done, and that usually means more volunteers. But most people are unaware that “Chicago nature” is actually a thing. And if they think they do know, they probably don’t understand the magnitude of the beauty and biodiversity. They think it’s all “just green.” And that’s why we exist. We education people to increase the pool of potential volunteer restoration workers. So, help us scout our showcase preserves. Now for the report:
This preserve has a beautiful expansive view that is best enjoyed at edges of daylight, especially when it’s not hot and sunny. Enjoy an array of flowers that flow along the vast rolling landscape of the prairie and fen, including the lavenders of wild bergamot, white and purple prairie clover, golden black-eyed Susan and yellow coneflower, pale purple coneflower, and mauve common milkweed that smells like a bunch of over-perfumed old ladies on Bingo night.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/6=): The preserve’s prairies are looking very nice. “Sparkling white” describes the scene as alabaster heads of wild quinine flower across the panorama. You’ll discover explosions of orange butterfly weed and sparklers of newly flowering mountain mint and yellow bursts of skyward compass plant. Golden black-eyed Susan are sprinkled about along with curving stalks of white wild indigo and ivory balls of rattlesnake master that are just beginning to flower. If you stand at a high spot, you can scan prairie below for the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around the plants that it’s feeding on. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where various trails guide you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/6+): The flower show is happening in the southmost portion of the prairie with the most dramatic performance coming from wild quinine. New flowers are starting to bloom and the color is getting better by the day. Along the way, you’ll also experience fresh stalks of Culver’s root, along with flowering spurge, rattlesnake master, yellow coneflower, rosinweed, and wild bergamot. You’ll also find the occasional white wild indigo, a smattering of yellow-petaled black-eyed Susan and towering stalks of compass plant, The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts that glow in the light of a low sun.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (UNSCOUTED): We couldn’t get here, but I was given a brief report from a source. I will also combine this info with what happened a year ago. This is my prediction of what you’ll find. There should be butterfly weed, a revived bloom of sand coreopsis, possibly some marsh phlox, blue morning blossoms of Ohio spiderwort, and fragrant pasture rose. Under the sun of the sand prairie and the dunes to the east, keep your eyes peeled for sprays of Cleland’s evening primrose and the spectacular yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. Each flower only lasts a day.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/27+): Thanks to the rains, the flower blooms are rebounding. (Note: Some areas of the trail could be damp or underwater. So come prepared.) Many flowers are sharing in this week’s July Fourth celebration, including pale purple coneflower, yellow prairie coreopsis, leadplant, and newly flowering purple prairie clover. The occasional oranges of butterfly weed, blue hues of vervain, and silvery splashes of wild quinine, and white wild indigo all add flair to the festivities. As you traverse the trails, you’ll discover several colorful vignettes, each with its own personality. You’ll find shows atop the big kame in the savanna, in the gravelly bowl around the fen, and upon the eastern prairie kames.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: LEADPLANT
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the front; and farther out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master. You can find leadplant growing at many other preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and Wolf Road Prairie.*
PHOTO SECTION
Butterfly Weed is Blooming Strong
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Butterfly weed blooms across the oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. You can also find it at many other preserves including, Somme Prairie Grove, Belmont Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Somme Prairie Grove is Overflowing with Beauty and Biodiversity
At Somme Prairie Grove, the magnificent blooms upon the knobs of the savanna come to life in the warmth of the morning light.*
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.
Prairie Coreopsis
In June, the golden rays of prairie coreopsis (or stiff coreopsis) can be found in best preserves, often in dry and gravelly spots. The plant multiplies by spreading rhizome to create colonies. Their bright yellow flower heads bloom at the beginning of summer before tall warm-season grasses obscure them from the sight of pollinating insects. Atop this gravelly hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, deep-rooted leadplant combine with the happy yellow faces of prairie coreopsis as they shine through the dissipating fog.*
Marram Grass
Near the Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, amidst marram grass and bearberry, the low light of morning revealed shapes in the sand that chronicled the secrets of time and affirmed the existence of wondrous creatures and invisible forces.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Compass Plant is Now Blooming
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
Evening Primrose
Cleland’s evening primrose blooms in the purple morning light along the sandy Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*
Culver’s Root is Beginning to Flower
Culver’s root is beginning to bloom en masse at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester.*
Rattlesnake Master is Almost Blooming
Rattlesnake master is a wonderful Chicago prairie flower that looks resembles Tinker Toys or molecular structures, or something you might find in Arizona or Texas. The plant gets its name because some Native Americans brewed a tea from the root as an antidote for rattlesnake venom. To prevent bites, some chewed on the root, then spat on their hands before handling a rattlesnake. Of course, I’m interested to know if this really works. What’s more, the research may not even require a flight to the desert. That’s because, believe it or not, the rare and endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake lives right here in the Chicago area. So, if you perform the experiment, please get back to me with the results, either you or next of kin. To experience rattlesnake master, visit Belmont Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Kickapoo Woods and Prairie, Spears Woods, Theodore Stone Preserve, and other local prairies over the next few weeks.*
Mountain Mint
Inhale the invigorating white flowers of mountain mint that grow here at Spears Woods and at many other preserves on our list.*
Wild Bergamot & Yellow Coneflower are Just Beginning
“Lavender in color and mint in fragrance” describes wild bergamot. “Whimsical with an aroma of anise” describes yellow coneflower. Both are native to the prairie, and both are healers. Known as pioneer species, they are among the first plants to colonize disturbed or degraded areas. Their presence improves soil quality while allowing other plants to move in, leading to greater biodiversity. You can see and smell these plants at most prairies, including here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
07-01-2021
Fourth of July Edition
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
July 1, 2021
Fourth of July Edition
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Chicago Fourth of July Weekend Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
WE URGENTLY NEED SCOUTS TO CONTINUE THIS VALUABLE FREE SERVICE!
Click here to learn how you can help share Chicago’s natural beauty with others and to expand the region’s nature volunteer base. We have 1,300 followers. There should be enough people out there who’d love to pitch in.
INSPIRING UPDATE (7/2/21): Amanda Moss read our plea for more scouts on Wednesday, joined our scouting group on Thursday, and scouted Somme Prairie Grove on Friday. Wow! Thank you so much, Amanda! Now that’s what I call “taking action.” If you’re interested in being part of our inspiring team, please let me know.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
Rain usually puts out the fire. But in the prairies and savannas, recent water-from-the-sky has become a spark for explosions of wildflowers just in time for the July Fourth weekend.
The dry gravelly prairies at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen are now featuring an eruption of our Plant of the Week, the brilliantly yellow prairie coreopsis. Beautiful purple-fingered leadplant and purple prairie clover are flaring up most prominently at these same preserves and at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook. And the biggest blast of orange butterfly weed can be found at Belmont Prairie amidst a panorama of pale purple coneflower and blue scurfy pea. What a glorious sight to behold.
Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies.
For just a while longer, you can still experience the ephemeral blue flowers of Ohio spiderwort that open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. They are now melting hearts around Chicago as they continue their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early bright, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all this, along with the promise of a new day.
If a flower that turns to liquid isn’t weird enough, you can now find porcupine grass with a seed that drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. Look for this grass and its seeds at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.
The pearly white trumpets of foxglove beardtongue are still flowering. The flower doesn’t smell like anything. But in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit! In stark contrast, you can now experience a most wonderful fragrance by dropping to your knees and lowering your nose into the pink blossom of pasture rose. Over several weeks in late spring, it blooms barely inches from the ground. During that time, whenever we’re together, I partake in a sacred ritual. I drop to my knees and bow in reverence, nose to petal. Only once did I experience a downside. As I lowered my nose to the flower, I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip that had come into contact with poison ivy. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (UPDATED 7/2+): Scouted by Amanda, our newest teammate.
The savanna is aflower with blooms that represent a vibrant array of color: purple, blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white. Under areas of open sky, a grand celebration is underway starring purple spikes of newly blooming leadplant alongside glowing orange blooms of butterfly weed, the yellow flowers atop skyrocketing compass plant, an ivory filigree of mountain mint, and the cauliflower heads off wild quinine. Many more flowerers include marsh phlox, pasture rose, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, common St. John’s wort, daisy fleabane, white wild indigo, fragrant round plumes of New Jersey tea, and the tall tuberous Indian plantain. Keep your eyes open for the striking blooms of purple milkweed and the beautifully scented pasture rose. Also take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. Come early or late in the day to experience the green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/29+): This is best time of year to visit this remnant prairie when several colorful flowers bloom at once, led by a spectacular performance of butterfly weed, which is saying a lot given the wonderful display of pale purple coneflower. I’ve never seen so much butterfly weed here. Complementing the pinks of coneflower are the orange of the spectacular butterfly weed, the golden hues of black-eyed Susan, ivory heads of wild quinine, and a beautiful blue veil of scurfy pea. This is your last chance to experience the ephemeral blue blossoms of Ohio spiderwort. Their blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. And the grasses are wonderful, as well, including the drooping heads of prairie brome and the miraculous self-drilling seed of porcupine grass. Click here to watch my video about it.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (6/29+): UPDATE! Many flowers are blooming at the official Illinois Nature Preserve inside the fence at the top of the hill. But there’s also a lot of flowering along the slope outside the fence. On the slope on your way to the entrance, you’ll experience hundreds of pale purple coneflower along with leadplant and prairie coreopsis, purple prairie clover and it’s white cousin white prairie clover, a sprinkling of black-eyed Susan, an occasional yellow coneflower, an abundance of wild quinine, and the whitish Tinker Toy flower heads of rattlesnake master. Once inside the preserve, you’ll find dramatic displays of golden prairie coreopsis and purple prairie clover. You’ll also experience leadplant, marsh phlox, short green milkweed, porcupine grass, and a handful of wild quinine. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/27+): Thanks to the rains, the flower blooms are rebounding. (Note: Some areas of the trail could be damp or underwater. So come prepared.) Many flowers are sharing in this week’s July Fourth celebration, including pale purple coneflower, yellow prairie coreopsis, leadplant, newly flowering purple prairie clover. The occasional oranges of butterfly weed, blue hues of vervain, and silvery splashes of foxglove beardtongue, wild quinine, and white wild indigo all add flair to the festivities. As you traverse the trails, you’ll discover several colorful vignettes, each with its own personality. You’ll find shows atop the big kame in the savanna, in the gravelly bowl around the fen, and upon the eastern prairie kames.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (6/29=): The preserve’s prairies are are still looking very nice with alabaster heads of wild quinine flowering across the panorama. You’ll discover explosions of orange butterfly weed and sparklers of mountain mint and yellow bursts of skyward compass plant. Golden black-eyed Susan are sprinkled about, and bushy climbing wild rose is still sending out its fragrant scent. And you’ll find the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around the plants that it’s feeding on. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where various trails guide you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/29+): The flower show is happening in the southmost portion of the prairie with the most dramatic performance by wild quinine. Along the way, you’ll also experience the occasional white wild indigo, yellow-petaled black-eyed Susan and towering compass plant, pink marsh phlox and pasture rose, and the gorgeous orange prairie lily. Five important plants are just beginning to sparkle for the Fourth of July celebration: rattlesnake master, wild bergamot, flowering spurge, Culver’s root, and rosinweed. They’ll all be putting on bigger shows in the weeks ahead. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts that glow in the light of a low sun.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (6/28=): There is some blooming going on, but the ferns are stealing the show. Granted, it’s not as colorful, but this big, beautiful savanna offers a grand outdoor experience and a trail leading to the cooling waters of Lake Michigan. Click here to help us scout this preserve. Come on Southsiders! You have a lot of great southern preserves, but most of our scouts are from the north and western suburbs. Help us turn turn your neighbors into nature lovers.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (6/29+): First of all, the preserve is NOT LOCKED. It only looks that way. The chain is just draped over the top of the gate. Just move the chain and enter. Once inside, I suggest walking all of the trails because of how the prairie and flowers vary along the way. The preserve is quite green, but if you don’t have a lot of time and you’re in the Markham area, it’s worth a trip into nature to clear your head. The most prominent flower in bloom is wild quinine. There’s also some white wild indigo, golden black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, and tuberous Indian plantain. Along my walk, I startled a mother deer and its fawn. Before I knew it, they disappeared into the prairie shrubbery, forever hidden.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (UNSCOUTED): Again, we need scouts and couldn’t get here. This is my prediction of what you’ll find. There should be butterfly weed, a revived bloom of sand coreopsis, possibly some marsh phlox, blue morning blossoms of Ohio spiderwort, and fragrant pasture rose. Under the sun of the sand prairie and the dunes to the east, keep your eyes peeled for the spectacular yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. Each flower only lasts a day. Along your prairie hike, you should see three special grasses: marram grass, June grass, and porcupine grass. Marram grass grows in the most barren sandy soil closer to the beach. June grass is best experienced early and late in the day when it’s white plumes radiate like small torches. And porcupine grass has seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below.
NOTE: Go early in the day to avoid the boisterous beachgoers.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: PRAIRIE COREOPSIS
Sometime between late June through early July, the golden rays of prairie coreopsis (or stiff coreopsis) can be found in best preserves, often in dry and gravelly spots. The plant multiplies by spreading rhizome to create colonies. Their bright yellow flower heads bloom at the beginning of summer before tall warm-season grasses obscure them from the sight of pollinating insects. Atop this gravelly hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, deep-rooted leadplant combine with the happy yellow faces of prairie coreopsis as they shine through the dissipating fog.*
PHOTO SECTION
Butterfly Weed is Blooming Strong
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Butterfly weed blooms across the oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. You can also find it at many other preserves including, Somme Prairie Grove, Belmont Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Leadplant is Aflower
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the front; and farther out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master.*
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.
Pale Purple Coneflower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine. I just love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproot, allowing it to survive drought and to thrive in gravel and dolomite limestone prairies. In the warm light of rising or setting sun, the flowers turn a stunning orange pink. Here at Belmont Prairie, I picked out this scene from a thousand coneflowers: a miniature, slow-motion rodeo that was taking place upon one prickly flower head. I watched as a tiny ant rode the back of a slinking inchworm.*
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen.*
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
Sometimes the petals of pale purple coneflowers can be pale white. Here, a combination of pink and white coneflowers populate the kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Self-Drilling Seeds
The seeds of porcupine grass are located at the tip of long sharp needles that fall off the plant and then slowly drill themselves into the soil. You can find porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.*
The awn of this porcupine grass seed is tightly twisted, as you can see by the winding yellow and black stripes along its length. The pointy seed head of porcupine grass is bearded, with hairs pointing upward to keep it lodged in the soil.
As a fun experiment, drop the entire fruit into a tall glass of water and remove it after it has mostly straightened out. Dab it dry with a towel, and then stick the seed head into a small pot of dirt or, if in a pinch, a dry sponge. Now watch. Soon, you’ll begin to see the awn wind like a very slow second hand of a backwards-running clock.
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
June Grass
June grass and hoary puccoon glow in the morning light of the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park.*
Marram Grass
Near the Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, amidst marram grass and bearberry, the low light of morning revealed shapes in the sand that chronicled the secrets of time and affirmed the existence of wondrous creatures and invisible forces.*
Ohio Spiderwort is Ending its Ethereal Run
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Pasture Rose is a Must-Smell Flower
Pasture rose grows here in the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. But you can also find it at other preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen and Pembroke Savanna. The fragrance of pasture rose is transcendent—a spiritual experience.*
Purple Milkweed
The striking blooms of purple milkweed can be found in the best prairies and savannas, including Somme Prairie Grove and, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
Compass Plant is Now Blooming
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
06-24-2021
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 24, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Plan the Best Summer Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
-
- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
Now that the rain is quenching the thirst of our prairies, the wildflowers are coming back. Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook is featuring a variety of wildflowers, including our Plant of the Week, the magnificently orange butterfly weed. The best show can be found at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies.
The beautiful pale purple coneflower is still looking quite good. It blooms in large numbers at Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, and the southern slope outside the fence of Shoe Factory Road Prairie.
Purple leadplant is about to prominently erupt at Pembroke Savanna, Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen, At the latter two preserves, a heart-stopping mix of leadplant and golden prairie coreopsis often bloom side-by-side.
For just a while longer, you can still experience the ephemeral blue flowers of Ohio spiderwort that open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. They are now melting hearts around Chicago as they continue their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early bright, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all this, along with the promise of a new day.
If a flower that turns to liquid isn’t weird enough, you can now find porcupine grass with a seed that drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. Look for this grass and its seeds at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.
The pearly white trumpets of foxglove beardtongue are still flowering. The flower doesn’t smell like anything. But in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit! In stark contrast, you can now experience a most wonderful fragrance by dropping to your knees and lowering your nose into the pink blossom of pasture rose. Over several weeks in late spring, it blooms barely inches from the ground. During that time, whenever we’re together, I partake in a sacred ritual. I drop to my knees and bow in reverence, nose to petal. Only once did I experience a downside. As I lowered my nose to the flower, I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip that had come into contact with poison ivy. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/22+): The savanna is aflower with blooms that represent a vibrant array of color: purple, blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white. Currently, the bright orange blooms of butterfly weed steal the show. And the gorgeous yellow blossoms of prairie sundrop follow close behind. Leadplant is just beginning to show purple and will soon be staging dramatic shows across areas of open sky. Many more flowers can be found, including Ohio spiderwort, marsh phlox, pasture rose, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, common St. John’s wort, compass plant, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, New Jersey tea, mountain mint, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, and numerous wild quinine. Keep your eyes open for the striking blooms of purple milkweed and the beautifully scented pasture rose. And the golden flowers of compass plant are now blossoming. There’s still a lot of green out there, so take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures that come from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. Come early or late in the day to experience the green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (6/22+): The preserve’s prairies are presenting one of best shows of the week. And if you visit in the morning, you can experience the ephemeral blue blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Joining the blues are the alabasters of foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, and mountain mint amidst dramatic displays of wild quinine. You’ll discover small explosions of orange butterfly weed, yellow eruptions of prairie sundrop, and newly blooming compass plant. Golden black-eyed Susan are sprinkled about. And you should be able to find a few stray blooms of purple milkweed along the trail. Climbing wild rose is at peak bloom. It looks like a large bush. And you’ll find the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around plants that it’s feeding on. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where your walk will take you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (6/21+): The flower display is growing richer by the day. As you approach the official Illinois Nature Preserve at the top of the hill, you’ll experience hundreds of pale purple coneflower along with newly blooming leadplant and prairie coreopsis, a sprinkling of black-eyed Susan, and numerous wild quinine. Once inside the fence, you’ll find an increasingly abundant display of prairie coreopsis alongside more advanced leadplant blooms. You’ll also experience marsh phlox short green milkweed, porcupine grass, and a handful of wild quinine. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/22+): This is best time of year to visit this remnant prairie when several colorful flowers bloom at once, led by the dramatic performance of pale purple coneflower. Complementing the pinks of coneflower are the orange of the spectacular butterfly weed, the golden hues of black-eyed Susan, ivory heads of wild quinine, and a blue veil of scurfy pea. You also find occasional blooms of purple milkweed, some pasture rose low to the ground, and the ephemeral blue blossoms of Ohio spiderwort that bloom the morning hours. Their blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. And the grasses are wonderful, as well, including the drooping heads of prairie brome and the miraculous self-drilling seed of porcupine grass. Click here to watch my video about it.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/22+): The most dramatic overall display happens in the morning when Ohio spiderwort blossoms open up amidst a dramatic glowing backdrop of glowing aortic prairie dock foliage and alabaster wild quinine and daisy fleabane. Along the way, you’ll also experience the occasional white wild indigo, yellow-petaled black-eyed Susan, pink marsh phlox and pasture rose, and the gorgeous orange prairie lily. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/21+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is still blooming atop the big kame in the savanna and the “switchback” kame to the northeast. To reach the big kame, please use the out-and-back trail to the top. While you’re up there, you’ll have a great view of the oak savanna and the bowl of the fen to the east. Purple leadplant and yellow prairie coreopsis are just starting to flower, and often put on nice shows. But given the drought, we’ll have to wait and see. You’ll also find flashes of orange from butterfly weed, gold from black-eyed Susan, pink from pasture rose, blue from blue vervain and Ohio spiderwort, and white from foxglove beardtongue, wild quinine, and white wild indigo.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: BUTTERFLY WEED
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Butterfly weed blooms across the oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. You can also find it at many other preserves including, Somme Prairie Grove, Belmont Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
PHOTO SECTION
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Self-Drilling Seeds
The seeds of porcupine grass are located at the tip of long sharp needles that fall off the plant and then slowly drill themselves into the soil. You can find porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.*
The awn of this porcupine grass seed is tightly twisted, as you can see by the winding yellow and black stripes along its length. The pointy seed head of porcupine grass is bearded, with hairs pointing upward to keep it lodged in the soil.
As a fun experiment, drop the entire fruit into a tall glass of water and remove it after it has mostly straightened out. Dab it dry with a towel, and then stick the seed head into a small pot of dirt or, if in a pinch, a dry sponge. Now watch. Soon, you’ll begin to see the awn wind like a very slow second hand of a backwards-running clock.
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.*
Prairie Coreopsis
Atop this gravelly hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, deep-rooted leadplant combine with the happy yellow faces of prairie coreopsis as they shine through the dissipating fog.*
Leadplant is Beginning to Bloom
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the front; and farther out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master.*
Pale Purple Coneflower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine. I just love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproot, allowing it to survive drought and to thrive in gravel and dolomite limestone prairies. In the warm light of rising or setting sun, the flowers turn a stunning orange pink. Here at Belmont Prairie, I picked out this scene from a thousand coneflowers: a miniature, slow-motion rodeo that was taking place upon one prickly flower head. I watched as a tiny ant rode the back of a slinking inchworm.*
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen and Belmont Prairie.*
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
Sometimes the petals of pale purple coneflowers can be pale white. Here, a combination of pink and white coneflowers populate the kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Foxglove Beardtongue
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. The flowers have no smell that I can detect. But come autumn, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
The spring prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs puts on a show of foxglove beardtongue.
At Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois, pearl blossoms of foxglove beardtongue catch the morning rays and a new day awakens—one as splendid and picturesque as any place on Earth.*
Ohio Spiderwort is Still Our Morning Star
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Pasture Rose is a Must-Smell Flower
Pasture rose grows here in the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. But you can also find it at other preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen and Pembroke Savanna. The fragrance of pasture rose is transcendent—a spiritual experience.*
Purple Milkweed
The striking blooms of purple milkweed can be found in the best prairies and savannas, including Somme Prairie Grove and, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
Compass Plant is Now Blooming
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
06-17-2021
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 17, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Plan the Best Summer Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
-
- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
The best wildflower experience can be found at Spears Woods in Willow Springs, where a wide variety of prairie flowers are blooming in large numbers, including omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found in any of our mesic prairies.
Our Plant of the Week is pale purple coneflower, and you can find it light pink and occasionally white. It blooms in large numbers at Bluff Spring Fen, Belmont Prairie, and the slopes outside the fence of Shoe Factory Road Prairie, which has now been reopened, and in fewer numbers in the east prairie of Theodore Stone Preserve,
You can still experience the ephemeral blue flowers of Ohio spiderwort that open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. They are now melting hearts around Chicago as they continue their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early bright, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all this, along with the promise of a new day.
If a flower that turns to liquid isn’t weird enough, you can now find porcupine grass with a seed that drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. Look for this grass and its seeds at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.
The pearly white trumpets of foxglove beardtongue are now in full blossom. I love this plant because, in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit! In stark contrast, you can now experience a most wonderful fragrance by dropping to your knees and lowering your nose into the pink blossom of pasture rose. Over several weeks in late spring, it blooms barely inches from the ground. During that time, whenever we’re together, I partake in a sacred ritual. I drop to my knees and bow in reverence, nose to petal. Only once did I experience a downside. As I lowered my nose to the flower, I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip that had come into contact with poison ivy. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (6/15+): This preserve is presenting the finest show of the week despite the drought, especially if you visit in the mornings while Ohio spiderwort is in bloom. Joining these melting blue blossoms are the many whites of foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, and dramatic displays of wild quinine throughout the prairies. Along the narrow prairie trail, you should also see the stunning purple milkweed, sprinklings of black-eyed Susan, and the glorious and happy yellow blossoms of prairie sundrop. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where your walk will take you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/13+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is now blooming atop the big kame in the savanna and the switchback kame to the northeast. To reach the big kame, please use the out-and-back trail to the top. While you’re up there, you’ll have a great view of the oak savanna and the bowl of the fen to the east. As you continue your hike around the bowl, look for the white blossoms of white wild indigo and daisy fleabane along with newly blooming foxglove beardtongue and wild quinine. Ohio spiderwort is blooming in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/15+): The annual performance of pale purple coneflower has begun. And an abundance of scurfy pea is about to fill the prairie with a filigree of blue. And don’t forget that the ephemeral blue blossoms of Ohio spiderwort bloom in the morning hours. Their blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. I just love the grasses, including the drooping heads of prairie brome and the miraculous self-drilling seed of porcupine grass. Click here to watch my video about it.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/15+): This is “Go!” for the morning hours to experience the show of Ohio spiderwort amidst a dramatic glowing backdrop of aortic prairie dock foliage. It’s a “Go, if you’re in the neighborhood,” otherwise. Along the way, you’ll also experience the beautiful whites of the numerous wild quinine and daisy fleabane, and the occasional stalks of white wild indigo and purple meadow rue. Yellow petals are provided by smattering of black-eyed Susan along with small heart-stopping displays of prairie sundrop. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/16+): If you live up north, and you don’t want to come down south, just visit Somme Prairie Grove to enjoy the greenery of the scenery with occasional flashes of floral color. This preserve has a nice feel to it. Throughout the preserve, you’ll find various lush textures and green hue from forbs, sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant with a flower head that’s just starting to turn into purple flowers. I’m about to list a bunch of flowers, but that doesn’t mean that there’s a lot of floral color. The preserve is still ninety-eight percent green. The gorgeous yellow blossoms of prairie sundrop steal the show, this week, with a little bit of competition from newly flowering orange butterfly weed and the few remaining groups of red Indian paintbrush. Flickers of white come from foxglove beardtongue, wild quinine, white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, and the non-native ox-eye daisy. And keep your eyes open for the striking blooms of purple milkweed and the beautifully scented pasture rose. And finally, the golden flowers are blooming on a few compass plants.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (6/14+): The action is really taking place outside the fence and official boundary of the preserve where hundreds of pale purple coneflower bloom on the southern and western slopes. It’s quite green inside the fence, but you’ll find porcupine grass, wild quinine, a couple of early-blooming leadplant, a few prairie coreopsis, downy phlox, and short green milkweed. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: PALE PURPLE CONEFLOWER
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine. I just love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproot, allowing it to survive drought and to thrive in gravel and dolomite limestone prairies. In the warm light of rising or setting sun, the flowers turn a stunning orange pink. Here at Belmont Prairie, I picked out this scene from a thousand coneflowers: a miniature, slow-motion rodeo that was taking place upon one prickly flower head. I watched as a tiny ant rode the back of a slinking inchworm.*
PHOTO SECTION
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Self-Drilling Seeds
The seeds of porcupine grass are located at the tip of long sharp needles that fall off the plant and then slowly drill themselves into the soil. You can find porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.*
The awn of this porcupine grass seed is tightly twisted, as you can see by the winding yellow and black stripes along its length. The pointy seed head of porcupine grass is bearded, with hairs pointing upward to keep it lodged in the soil.
As a fun experiment, drop the entire fruit into a tall glass of water and remove it after it has mostly straightened out. Dab it dry with a towel, and then stick the seed head into a small pot of dirt or, if in a pinch, a dry sponge. Now watch. Soon, you’ll begin to see the awn wind like a very slow second hand of a backwards-running clock.
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
Foxglove Beardtongue
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. The flowers have no smell that I can detect. But come autumn, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
The spring prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs puts on a show of foxglove beardtongue.
At Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois, pearl blossoms of foxglove beardtongue catch the morning rays and a new day awakens—one as splendid and picturesque as any place on Earth.*
Pale Purple Coneflower is Faring Well Despite the Drought
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen.*
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
Sometimes the petals of pale purple coneflowers can be pale white. Here, a combination of pink and white coneflowers populate the kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Ohio Spiderwort is Our Morning Star
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Pasture Rose is a Must-Smell Flower
Pasture rose grows here in the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. But you can also find it at other preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen and Pembroke Savanna. The fragrance of pasture rose is transcendent—a spiritual experience.*
Purple Milkweed
The striking blooms of purple milkweed can be found in the best prairies and savannas, including Somme Prairie Grove and, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
Butterfly Weed is Beginning to Flower at Some Sites
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Butterfly weed blooms across the oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. You can also find it at many other preserves including, Somme Prairie Grove, Belmont Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Purple Meadow Rue Towers in Some Spring Prairies
In June, purple meadow rue towers above the blue morning blooms of Ohio spiderwort at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.
Indian Paintbrush
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Compass Plant is Starting to Flower
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
06-10-2021
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 10, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Plan the Best COVID-19 Walks & Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!
Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.
Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
-
- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period. And Shoe Factory Road Prairie will finally reopen on June 14, 2021 after a lengthy convalescence from public abuse last year. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- McHenry County Conservation District
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Indiana Dunes National Park
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
There aren’t as many offerings at the moment due to the drought. It’s affecting the quality and quantity of our local flower shows, particularly the breathtaking expanse of sand coreopsis at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve that have decided to take the year off. Right now, I really like spending my mornings at Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie, where hundreds of ephemeral blue flowers open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. Yes, if you’ve been following my reports, you know that I’m talking about Ohio spiderwort. They are now melting hearts around Chicago as they continue their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it.
Another plant that’s taking center stage is foxglove beardtongue (our Plant of the Week) with its pearly trumpet-shaped flowers. I love this plant because of its gloriously disgusting and life-affirming aroma. In the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit!
The list of blooming events is short, this week. So if you can’t make it to the best shows, just find a nature experience at any of our showcase preserves. You’ll love it!
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (6/8+): This preserve is presenting the finest show of the week despite the drought, especially if you visit in the mornings while Ohio spiderwort is in bloom. Joining these melting blue blossoms are the many whites of foxglove beardtongue and wild quinine along with a sprinkling of white wild indigo. Thanks to spring’s prescribed fire, the prairie is green and clean, uncluttered by last year’s tan skeletons. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where your walk will take you through woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/9+): This is only a “Go!” for the morning hours to experience the show of Ohio spiderwort amidst a dramatic glowing backdrop of aortic prairie dock foliage. However, the blue flowers will be gone by afternoon, especially if it’s hot. Along the way, you’ll also experience the tall and fluffy purple meadow rue, white wild quinine, daisy fleabane, and small displays of the heart-stopping yellow prairie sundrop. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (6/5+): Due to the drought, the expanses of golden of sand coreopsis are not flowering, this year. And there isn’t much of a flower show, but you can definitely find these flowers to add color to your visit: Ohio spiderwort, sand coreopsis, pasture rose, hoary puccoon, and downy phlox. This preserve is beautiful and enjoyable with or without big displays of flowers. WATCH OUT! THERE’S A LOT OF POISON IVY!
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/8+): I’m recommending this preserve for its morning blooms of the ephemeral Ohio spiderwort. Their blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/5+): If you live up north, and you don’t want to come down south, just visit Somme Prairie Grove to enjoy the greenery. This preserve has a nice feel to it. In the woodland, you’ll experience the occasional white flat-topped flower heads of cow parsnip, which is a little bit poisonous and can irritate the skin. So, no touchy-feely with this plant. Throughout the preserve, you’ll find various lush textures and green hue from forbs, sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. The only color seemed to come from a few beautiful groups of red Indian paintbrush. The flowering cauliflower heads of wild quinine are now blooming along with a smattering of white wild indigo.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: FOXGLOVE BEARDTONGUE
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. In the fall, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
PHOTO SECTION
Ohio Spiderwort is Our Morning Star
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Hoary Puccoon
The golden blooms of hoary puccoon can be found, here, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and many other preserves around the region including Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and more.*
Purple Meadow Rue Towers in Some Spring Prairies
In June, purple meadow rue towers above the blue morning blooms of Ohio spiderwort at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.
Indian Paintbrush
-
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Pale Purple Coneflower is Just Beginning to Flower
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen.*
Sand Coreopsis is Blooming, but in Small Numbers (nothing like in these pictures)
In a celebration of life, blooms of sand coreopsis spread their golden joy along the banks of the Dead River at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.*
The turning earth is the dimmer switch, gradually recasting every dim dewdrop, petal, and blade of grass into a galaxy of blazing bulbs and lustrous lamps. On this late-spring morning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, blooms of golden sand coreopsis and New Jersey tea are set aglow alongside shimmering spider webs that cling to last year’s grasses.*
Blue Flag Iris
Due to the dry spring and the fact that this plant likes to grow in standing water, this isn’t the best year for blue flag iris. During a previous season, a phalanx of blue flag iris towered over the spring wetland at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Blue flag iris blooms in the late-May wetland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs. But you can see it in good wetlands throughout the area.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
06-03-2021Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 3, 2021“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”Plan the Best COVID-19 Walks & Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
-
- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period. And Shoe Factory Road Prairie will finally reopen on June 14, 2021 after a lengthy convalescence from public abuse last year. Check out these websites before you go:- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- McHenry County Conservation District
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Indiana Dunes National Park
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
From what I can tell, the drought is affecting the quality and quantity of our local flower shows, particularly plants that enjoy wet environments like blue flag iris and yellow water buttercup. The ground is very dry and even drier where they burned because there is no dead plant material to lock in the moisture.
The best wildflower show of the week is still the blue-and-white blooms of wild lupine and golden hoary puccoon at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park. You can also see a nice show at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, where sand coreopsis blossoms are beginning to unfold. Peak bloom should be coming soon. This performance of coreopsis is so dramatic that my picture of it was featured in the world famous 2020 Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar.
Nice performances of golden Alexander are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Chiwaukee Prairie, preserves that also feature a wide variety of other blooms and verdant textures. The ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort (our Plant of the Week) are now melting hearts around Chicago as they begin their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it. And the pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue are just starting. I love this plant because, in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit!
NOTE: It is illegal to remove any plant or mushroom, from any preserve in the Chicago region.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (Last scouted on 5/26. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): The show of wild lupine should still look decent combined with the golds of hoary puccoon. Adding to the mix are the blue hues of blue-eyed grass, red-and-yellow blossoms of wild columbine, golden tones of two-flowered Cynthia, and flashes of white from wild strawberry and bastard toadflax. Keep your eyes open, and you may even find the gorgeous red Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore. Along the way, the path crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and activity. If you arrive early or remain late in the day, chances are you’ll be greeted by a beaver slapping its flat tail against the water to alert others of its kind about that human lurking about. This abandoned railroad right-of-way isn’t as intimate as the official narrow trail, but I like the views better. After your hike, consider checking out the lupines at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can be covered in water in some area. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (Last scouted on 5/26. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): Come to see vibrant shows of blue-and-white wild lupine, golden hoary puccoon, and bubble gum pink downy phlox. For the best performances, take the wide gravel trail (Dunes Trail) that heads south from the parking lot. The lupines aren’t nearly as dramatic as at Miller Woods, but this preserve is a dream. The brilliant yellow flowers of sand coreopsis are now in bloom, which will soon create a dramatic show across the preserve. In open shade of the black oak savanna, the buttery yellow blooms of the occasional western goat’s beard are now open for business along with the three-petaled blossoms of Ohio spiderwort, but the flower doesn’t last long. Each morning, a few buds open to reveal resh blue flowers that dissolve in the heat of the day into drops of purple liquid. Along the way, you’ll also find the delightful blue-eyed grass, little white sparkles of sand cress and sandwort, and the red glow of red Indian paintbrush. And while you’re here, consider visiting nearby Chiwaukee Prairie (see review below).
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/31+): This preserve has a nice feel to it. In the woodland, experience the yellow flat-topped umbrellas of golden Alexander along with the occasional flat-topped white flowers of cow parsnip. The latter is a little toxic and can irritate the skin. So, no touchy-feely with this plant. You’ll find a variety of flowering species in bloom under the sun, including golden balsam ragwort, shooting star, ivory buttons of bastard toadflax, the occasional shooting star, the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass, and the heart-stopping red Indian paintbrush. Wow! Along the way, look for the beautiful creamy blooms of cream wild indigo. And don’t forget to appreciate the lush green textures that come from the foliage of forbs, sedges, and grasses, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed and the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock. This is also the time of year to experience blue flag iris and yellow water buttercup, but the drought has prevented them from blooming this year. Native plants are hearty. Both species are alive and well under the soil, waiting for next year to flower.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/2+): This is “Go!” for the morning only to see the tremendous show of Ohio spiderwort (our Plant of the Week) along the southeast edge of the preserve near Wolf Road. However, those flowers will be gone by afternoon, especially if it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find a small mix of other flowers including downy phlox and daisy fleabane. I particularly love the emerging tones and textures of prairie dock, rattlesnake master, and compass plant.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/2+): Like Wolf Road Prairie, this preserve is a “Go!” during the morning hours to experience the ephemeral blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Their purple flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (Last scouted on 5/22. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): Visit for a variety of flowers. The beautiful shooting star is at the end of its run, and golden Alexander is on wide display across the preserve, though fading. Adding to the yellows are hoary puccoon and yellow star grass. Ohio spiderwort is now blooming. You will certainly find some wild lupine along the edges. And occasional fluffy seed heads of common cottongrass help to brighten up the wetlands. If you’re lucky, you just may find patches of yellow Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, you should definitely visit Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, which is easily provides the best nature experience in the region.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: OHIO SPIDERWORT
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
PHOTO SECTION
Wild Lupine is at Peak Bloom
Wild lupine, of species Lupinus perennis, seems to love poor soil. However, in ancient times, it was believed that the lupines were creating the bad soil by wolfing down the nutrients. Hence, the name comes from the Greek word “Lupus,” or “wolf”. In reality, lupine brings nutrients to the soil just like other legumes, such as leadplant, white wild indigo, scurfy pea, and purple prairie clover. Around Chicago, lupine can be found growing in sandy soil under the trees of black oak savannas, including Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Atop this spring dune thrives wild lupine at Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park in Gary, Indiana. While you’re in the park, you also can find them at Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach.*
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, you can find wild lupine blooming alongside golden hoary puccoon and pink downy phlox.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
Hoary Puccoon
The golden blooms of hoary puccoon can be found, here, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and many other preserves around the region including Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and more.*
Shooting Star
If the celestial blooms of shooting star don’t capture your attention, then nothing will. The origin of the name is pretty obvious at first sight, and also for the moniker of “prairie pointer” given to the plant by early pioneers. I once thought that the flowers only grew under the sun of prairies and savannas, like Chiwaukee Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove, until I found them thriving under the dappled canopy at Black Partridge Woods. Cleansing fires benefit this plant because dead vegetation can smother it. The most common pollinator is the queen bumblebee. It uses “buzz pollination” to dislodge the pollen by vibrating its wing muscles (but not the wings).
Though now fading, you can still find shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others blooming at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. You can also find the plant at Black Somme Prairie Grove.*
Sand Coreopsis is Beginning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve
In a celebration of life, blooms of sand coreopsis spread their golden joy along the banks of the Dead River at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.*
The turning earth is the dimmer switch, gradually recasting every dim dewdrop, petal, and blade of grass into a galaxy of blazing bulbs and lustrous lamps. On this late-spring morning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, blooms of golden sand coreopsis and New Jersey tea are set aglow alongside shimmering spider webs that cling to last year’s grasses.*
Golden Alexander
Golden Alexander of species Zizia aurea appears to have large flowers, but what you are seeing is a cluster of miniature one-eighth-inch blooms. The pollen and nectar of the flowers benefit insects with short mouthparts. The plant grows in both high-quality and degraded habitats. The golden blooms can be found brightening up the panoramas at preserves that include Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, and Chiwaukee Prairie.*
In May at Chiwaukee Prairie, golden Alexander blooms amidst the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.*
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass
The sublime blooms of stout blue-eyed grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois. And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Indian Paintbrush
-
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Wild Columbine
Wild columbine reflects the afternoon light at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Blue Flag Iris
Due to the dry spring and the fact that this plant likes to grow in standing water, this isn’t the best year for blue flag iris. During a previous season, a phalanx of blue flag iris towered over the spring wetland at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Blue flag iris blooms in the late-May wetland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs. But you can see it in good wetlands throughout the area.*
Foxglove Beardtongue is Just Starting to Flower
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. In the fall, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Beaver Activity at Miller Woods
On the gravel road that rides a ridge at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park, beavers created this dark thoroughfare as they moved across the ridge from one swale to another.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
05-27-2021Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
May 27, 2021
Memorial Day Edition“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”Plan the Best COVID-19 Walks & Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
-
- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period. And Shoe Factory Road Prairie will finally reopen on June 14, 2021 after a lengthy convalescence from public abuse last year. Check out these websites before you go:- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- McHenry County Conservation District
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Indiana Dunes National Park
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
This is the time when the blooming moves out from shade of the woodlands into the open skies of the prairies and savannas.
The best wildflower show of the week is the jaw-dropping displays of blue-and-white blooms of wild lupine and golden hoary puccoon at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park. You can also see a nice show at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Nice performances of golden Alexander (our Plant of the Week) are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Chiwaukee Prairie, preserves that also feature a wide variety of other blooms and verdant textures.
The ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort are now melting hearts around Chicago as they begin their monthlong show. Click here to read my poem about it.
By the Memorial Day weekend, you may start seeing the pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue. I love this plant because, in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit!
NOTE: It is illegal to remove any plant or mushroom, from any preserve in the Chicago region.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (5/22+): On the day of scouting, the show of wild lupine was at peak bloom and the hoary puccoon looked fabulous. It should still look very nice for the Memorial Day weekend. Adding the mix are the blue hues of blue-eyed grass, red-and-yellow blossoms of wild columbine, golden tones of two-flowered Cynthia, and flashes of white from wild strawberry and bastard toadflax. Keep your eyes open, and you may even find the gorgeous red Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore. Along the way, the path crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and activity. If you arrive early or remain late in the day, chances are you’ll be greeted by a beaver slapping its flat tail against the water to alert others of its kind about that human lurking about. This abandoned railroad right-of-way isn’t as intimate as the official narrow trail, but I like the views better. After your hike, consider checking out the lupines at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can be covered in water in some area. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (5/26+): Come to see a vibrant shows of wild lupine, hoary puccoon, and downy phlox. For best performances, take the wide gravel trail (Dunes Trail) that head heads south from the parking lot. The lupines aren’t nearly as dramatic as at Miller Woods, but this preserve is a dream. Along the way, you’ll also find the delightful blue-eyed grass, little white sparkles of sand cress and sandwort, and the red glow of red Indian paintbrush. And while you’re here, consider visiting nearby Chiwaukee Prairie (see review below).
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/24+): This preserve has a nice feel to it, right now. In the woodland, experience the beautiful display of golden Alexander with its yellow flat-topped umbrellas. Also under the trees are the flat-topped white flowers are cow parsnip, which is a little toxic and can irritate the skin. So, no touchy-feely with this plant. And you’ll find the final blooms of wild geranium and wild hyacinth. You’ll find a variety of species in bloom under the sun, including golden balsam ragwort, shooting star, ivory buttons of bastard toadflax, the occasional shooting star, the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass, and the heart-stopping red Indian paintbrush. Wow! Along the way, look for the beautiful creamy blooms of cream wild indigo. And don’t forget to appreciate the lush green textures that come from the foliage of forbs, sedges, and grasses, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed and the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock. This is also the time of year to experience blue flag iris in the wetland, but it’s been extremely dry, and I didn’t see one flower. The same is true for yellow water buttercup. The area where it grows is bone dry with cracked soil.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (5/22+): Visit for the variety of flowers. The beautiful shooting star is ending its run and golden Alexander is on wide display across the preserve, Also adding to the yellows are hoary puccoon and yellow star grass. The sublime blues of stout blue-eyed grass is also flowering, though it may not be open first thing in the morning. You may find some wild lupine along the edges. And occasional fluffy seed heads of common cottongrass help to brighten up the wetlands. And if you’re lucky, you just may find patches of yellow Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, you should definitely visit Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, which is easily provides the best nature experience in the region.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: GOLDEN ALEXANDER
Golden Alexander of species Zizia aurea appears to have large flowers, but what you are seeing is a cluster of miniature one-eighth-inch blooms. The pollen and nectar of the flowers benefit insects with short mouthparts. The plant grows in both high-quality and degraded habitats. The golden blooms can be found brightening up the panoramas at preserves that include Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, and Chiwaukee Prairie.*
In May at Chiwaukee Prairie, golden Alexander blooms amidst the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.*
Green glow describes leaves that glow a bright green from sunlight shining through them. Here, we see a special kind of green glow that results in a shadow play, as sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive silhouette.*
PHOTO SECTION
Wild Lupine is at peak bloom
Wild lupine, of species Lupinus perennis, seems to love poor soil,. However, in ancient times, it was believed that the lupines were creating the bad soil by wolfing down the nutrients. Hence, the name comes from the Greek word “Lupus,” or “wolf.” In reality, lupine brings nutrients to the soil just like other legumes, such as leadplant, white wild indigo, scurfy pea, and purple prairie clover. Around Chicago, lupine can be found growing in sandy soil under the trees of black oak savannas, including Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Atop this spring dune thrives wild lupine at Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park in Gary, Indiana. While you’re in the park, you also can find them at Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach.*
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, you can find wild lupine blooming alongside golden hoary puccoon and pink downy phlox.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
Hoary Puccoon
The golden blooms of hoary puccoon can be found, here, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and many other preserves around the region including Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and more.*
Shooting Star
If the celestial blooms of shooting star don’t capture your attention, then nothing will. The origin of the name is pretty obvious at first sight, and also for the moniker of “prairie pointer” given to the plant by early pioneers. I once thought that the flowers only grew under the sun of prairies and savannas, like Chiwaukee Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove, until I found them thriving under the dappled canopy at Black Partridge Woods. Cleansing fires benefit this plant because dead vegetation can smother it. The most common pollinator is the queen bumblebee. It uses “buzz pollination” to dislodge the pollen by vibrating its wing muscles (but not the wings).
Though now fading, you can still find shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others are blooming in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. You can also find the plant at Black Somme Prairie Grove.*
Ohio Spiderwort and its Melting Flowers
In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and ferns cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass
The sublime blooms of stout blue-eyed grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois. And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Indian Paintbrush
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Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Wild Columbine
Wild columbine reflects the afternoon light at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Blue Flag Iris
Due to the dry spring and the fact that this plant likes to grow in standing water, this isn’t the best year for blue flag iris. During a previous year, a phalanx of blue flag iris towered over the spring wetland at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Blue flag iris blooms in the late-May wetland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs. But you can see it in good wetlands throughout the area.*
Foxglove Beardtongue is Just Starting to Flower
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. In the fall, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
These are the large leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, and the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Beaver Activity at Miller Woods
On the gravel road that rides a ridge at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park, beavers created this dark thoroughfare as they moved across the ridge from one swale to another.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
ChicagoNatureNow! ALERT
05-21-2021Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
May 21, 2021“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”Plan the Best COVID-19 Walks & Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE nature alerts!Each week, we offer you opportunities to find peace during this trying time!
PLEASE DONATE IF WE’VE HELPED YOU FIND SOLACE IN NATURE.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED INTEREST IN NATURE:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and behave as you would in any house of worship:
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- Stay on the trails.
- Walk, don’t run.
- If your kids need to run around, there are THOUSANDS of more appropriate places to play.
- Speak quietly as to not interfere with the spiritual experiences of others.
- Don’t pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- If a rule isn’t listed here, then ask yourself, “Would I do this in church?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
(which I hope to remove as more people are vaccinated)SITE ACCESS:
Most sites and trails that are owned by Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period. And Shoe Factory Road Prairie will be closed for a little while longer because the public abused the site, last year. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- McHenry County Conservation District
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Indiana Dunes National Park
BE SAFE:
- Wear a mask if you’re not vaccinated.
- Give each other some space.
- Don’t block people’s progress by gathering along trails, trailheads, or intersections.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
This is the time when the blooming moves out from shade of the woodlands and into the open skies of the prairies and savannas.
At the famous Chiwaukee Prairie, shooting star (our Plant of the Week) is reaching peak bloom. The prairie is situated on the Lake Michigan shoreline on the Wisconsin side of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. The celestial white and pink flowers of shooting star span the prairie panorama alongside beautiful blooms of birdfoot violet. If you cannot make the trip to the cheese state, you can also head to the Hoosier State to experience the breathtaking performance of wild lupine at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Par. During the best years, the green dunes of the savanna are covered in blue. Many other species add to the mix, including the golden hoary puccoon and hairy puccoon. These puccoons, and quite possibly the sublime fringed puccoon, are blooming at many of our prairies and savannas as well, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Somme Prairie Grove, Bluff Spring Fen, Chiwaukee Prairie, and Wolf Road Prairie.
The best show in Illinois comes from the dramatic show of wild hyacinth at Wolf Road Prairie, where a savanna of feathery plumes greets you as you hop out of your car (along 31st Street). You can also find these flowers at sites like Somme Prairie Grove, Oldfield Oaks, and Black Partridge Woods, but the show is not nearly as dramatic.
Somme Prairie Grove offers a whimsical array of flowers amidst a fresh, green, and clean backdrop, thanks to a recent prescribed fire that cleared away last year’s brambles.
Pembroke Savanna, near Kankakee, is calling out for conscientious human visitors, as the blue birdfoot violet carpets large areas of the savanna where it is often joined by sand phlox that varies in color from white to lavender to blue. And stout blue-eye grass will make your heart sing. Another phlox to look for, this week, is the fragrant blue woodland phlox. You can find it in all of our featured woodlands, including Black Partridge Woods, Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve, and Heron Rookery Trail.
This is still a big week for wild geranium, with flowers that float above the forest floor. Lucky for us, this pink flower with star-shaped foliage is a popular plant at all of our black soil woodlands. The best shows are taking place at Raccoon Grove and high atop the bluffs of Black Partridge Woods. The waxy, white flower of mayapple is fading, but you may still be able to catch it. Look for a single flower under any plant with two “umbrella” leaves.
As the curtain sets, you may still find some final performances of the alabaster large-flowered trillium. They take their final bow, aged with pink faces. The best preserves to try are Harms Woods, Captain Daniel Wright Woods, and possibly Meacham Grove. These preserves are not on our feature preserves list. If you live near any of these preserves or you’re a regular visitor, this is your chance to become a scout. Learn about how to scout for us.
And finally, you can still immerse yourself, head to toe, in the emerald tones of our woodlands. In the shade of the chartreuse canopy, you’ll rarely see your shoes under a jade carpet of wild ginger, mayapple, wild leek, and skunk cabbage. Black Partridge Woods and Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve are perfect examples of this lushness.
Last Saturday, Black Partridge Woods became an emerald dream as the filigree of the tree canopy added a lacey lushness to the woodland.
NOTE: It is illegal to remove this plant, or any other plant or mushroom, from any preserve in the Chicago region.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
We’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best or “Go!” The “Go, if You’re in the Neighborhood” section is for sites that are worth visiting if you can’t get out to our top-rated preserves. And our “Preserves for You to Scout” section for those preserves that we couldn’t get to this week, but that you can help us explore! The date within the parentheses tells you when we last scouted the preserve. After the date, you may see one of these three mathematical symbols: +, –, = (plus, minus, equal). They represent our prediction about how the flowers will look on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (5/21+): The show of wild lupine is at peak bloom. Adding the to the blue hues are the sublime blue-eyed grass and the remaining birdfoot violet. The vibrant yellow blooms of hoary puccoon add a golden sparkle to the savanna as the buttery blooms of wood betony end their run. The red-and-yellow blossoms of wild columbine float above the understory of the savanna. And flashes of white come from wild strawberry and bastard toadflax. Keep your eyes open, and you may even find the gorgeous red Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore. Along the way, the path crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and activity. If you arrive early or remain late in the day, chances are you’ll be greeted by a beaver slapping its flat tail against the water to alert others of its kind about that human lurking about. This abandoned railroad right-of-way isn’t as intimate as the official narrow trail, but I like the views better. After your hike, consider checking out the lupines at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can be covered in water in some area. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (5/18+): The preserve is putting on its finest show of the year: the performance by the spectacular shooting star. It is joined by a colorful cast: hoary puccoon, wood betony, yellow star grass, blue-eyed grass, birdfoot violet, and wild strawberry. Golden Alexander is just beginning to expose its bright yellow blossoms. And check along the edges for soon-to-bloom wild lupine. While you’re here, you should definitely visit Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, which is easily provides the best nature experience in the region.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (5/14+): Just get out of your car, and there it is, the whitish blue hues of wild hyacinth that cover the floor of the oak savanna. And they’re out in the prairie, too. The floating blossoms of wild geranium adds magical sparks of pink to the Mother Nature’s floral arrangement. And I just love the geometrically shaped leaves of starry false Solomon’s seal and their beautiful ivory plumes. Under the sun, you’ll experience yellow flashes of hoary puccoon, golden Alexander, and fading wood betony. Pretty blossoms of wild strawberry are scattered about. And the new bloom on the block is the bubble-gum pink downy phlox. When I say “block,” I mean it literally. On the south end of the preserve, a grid of concrete sidewalks divides the prairie and savanna into city blocks. The walkways were left behind from home construction that never took place, thanks to The Great Depression, or in this case, The Great Save!
Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (5/16-): This is the week when pink wild geranium has reached peak bloom, with the greatest density atop the bluffs. It’s still a dreamy time to experience the lushness of the woodland. It’s so green—from the new leaves of the tiered tree canopy to the dense carpet of foliage on the woodland floor. Thanks to wild ginger that has fully leafed out, you can hardly see the ground beneath. I love the miniature forests of mayapple with their parasol-shaped leaves where you may still be able to find lonesome waxy white blossom hiding under the plants with two umbrellas. Exciting patches of acrobatic skunk cabbage leaves add to the whimsy. Wild leek‘s emerald swords put up a defense, along with the star-like leaves of wild geranium. And look for the floating filigreed foliage of early meadow rue. A very nice display of wild hyacinth is starting to take off atop the bluffs toward the back. A smattering of white and pink shooting star can also be found above. The fragrant woodland phlox is fading, but still blooming in good numbers. If you find a larger patch of phlox, you may not even have to put nose to petal to detect its fabulous scent. The combination of woodland phlox, wild geranium, and shooting star is wonderful sight.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/14+): Visit this week for the variety of flowers and the fresh green look and feel of the preserve. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye because all of the new greenery stands out. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. In the shade, you’ll find some large numbers of wild geranium alongside a smattering of wild hyacinth. And while you’re under the trees, look for three-petaled blossoms of large-flowered trillium in the woodland. The golden blooms of balsam ragwort adds beautiful highlights in many places throughout the preserve alongside the final flowers of wood betony. And golden Alexander is also displaying its yellow blossoms like flat-topped umbrellas. The aptly named shooting star (our Plant of the Week) is scattered about the preserve. And look closely for the small flowers hiding low to the ground, in particular, the white bastard toadflax, the pink violet wood sorrel (with its clover-like leaves) and the purple prairie violet. There’s one spot on a knob where I found a handful of Indian paintbrush, which might just make your day. And then there’s the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass that makes my heart skip a beat. Back in the woods, there’s a beautiful pond under a canopy of magical cottonwoods and yellow water buttercup that should be experienced as the rays of sunlight pass through the flowers and the emerald wetland foliage. It’s breathtaking.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (Unscouted. Last Scouted on 5/8=): A couple of weeks ago, the preserve was putting on a beautiful show of blue and white as carpets of sapphire birdfoot violet and sparkling sand phlox flowed across the savanna. Both were in peak condition. If you go, don’t leave without bending down to enjoy the fragrance of these two jewels. You’ll also find the white of sand cress and starry false Solomon’s seal, and the golds of two-flowered Cynthia and newly flowering hoary puccoon, that should now be much more prominent. On your visit, you’ll notice mysterious sand mounds throughout the preserves. They are the handiwork of the plains pocket gopher. This rarely seen underground gopher excavates tunnels, and the extra sand has to go somewhere.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (Unscouted. Last scouted on 5/13+): During our last scouting mission, the preserve was lush with carpets of green that included colonies of floppy-eared skunk cabbage and mayapple umbrellas. Check under the parasols for mayapple’s poisonous waxy white flower. The most prolific blooms were happening under the sun with shining displays of wood betony and golden Alexander. Then add to that the brilliant yellow blossoms of hairy puccoon and the last of marsh marigold. You’ll also find ivory tones from bastard toadflax in the prairie and fluffy plumes of common cottongrass in the soggy areas. Under the protection of the savanna’s canopy, look for woodland phlox, wild geranium, shooting star, and the sublime stout blue-eyed grass.
Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee (5/20+): The show of pink wild geranium blossoms is quite prominent, though that’s pretty much the only flower in bloom as we await the dramatic plumes of false Solomon’s seal. The foliage on the woodland floor has fully matured as the trees are pushing out fresh delicate leaves in the canopy overhead. Spread across the woodland floor are the jade hues and lush patterns of wild leek, mayapple, and the omnipresent wild ginger. And you may still be able to catch a glimpse of the shy drooping trillium.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: SHOOTING STAR
If the celestial blooms of shooting star don’t capture your attention, then nothing will. The origin of the name is pretty obvious at first sight, and also for the moniker of “prairie pointer” given to the plant by early pioneers. I once thought that the flowers only grew under the sun of prairies and savannas, like Chiwaukee Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove, until I found them thriving under the dappled canopy at Black Partridge Woods. Cleansing fires benefit this plant because dead vegetation can smother it. The most common pollinator is the queen bumblebee. It uses “buzz pollination” to dislodge the pollen by vibrating its wing muscles (but not the wings).
PHOTO SECTION
Wild Lupine is nearing peak bloom at Indiana Dunes National Park:
Wild lupine, of species Lupinus perennis, seems to love poor soil,. However, in ancient times, it was believed that the lupines were creating the bad soil by wolfing down the nutrients. Hence, the name comes from the Greek word “Lupus,” or “wolf.” In reality, lupine brings nutrients to the soil just like other legumes, such as leadplant, white wild indigo, scurfy pea, and purple prairie clover. Around Chicago, lupine can be found growing in sandy soil under the trees of black oak savannas, including Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Atop this spring dune thrives wild lupine at Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park in Gary, Indiana. While you’re in the park, you also can find them at Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
Birdfoot Violet & Sand Phlox are putting on a show at Pembroke Savanna:
In May, Pembroke Savanna is home to blooms of white sand phlox and rare birdfoot violet.”
Wild Hyacinth is at peak bloom:
Wild hyacinth at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
Each May, wild hyacinth blooms in woodlands and oak savannas across the Chicago region including, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.
Wild hyacinth blooms in abundance at Oldfield Oaks in Darien.*
Wood Betony:
Wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis) is also known as lousewort because it was erroneously thought to bring lice to grazing sheep and photographers who get too close. For some of its nutritional needs, the plant uses its roots to feed off of grasses, mycorrhizal fungi, and possibly other plants. I said “some” nutritional needs. Therefore, that plant is a parasite, but only partially so. Hence, it’s a hemi-parasite, more of a nibbler, as opposed to a full-fledged sap-sucking parasite. Though the leaves at the base exude a beautiful reddish tone, the green color above is the giveaway. The verdant hue shows that it’s not totally lazy, and creates its own energy through sunlight and chlorophyll production. In fact, wood betony can grow just fine even when its host plants aren’t around. Due to its nibbling nature, wood betony is known to stunt the growth of surrounding grasses. This is why it’s sometimes used in habitat restoration to quell the aggressiveness of towering grasses. In May, wood betony blooms in the best open woodlands, prairies, and savannas, like Black Partridge Woods, Bluff Spring Fen, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Chiwaukee Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and here at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois. *
On this May morning at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, wood betony awakens to the light of a red sunrise.*
Beaver Activity at Miller Woods
On the gravel road that rides a ridge at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park, beavers created this dark thoroughfare as they moved across the ridge from one swale to another.*
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass
The sublime blooms of stout blue-eyed grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois. And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Woodland Phlox is adding some newfound color to our woodlands:
Many of our featured woodlands are home to the blue and purple woodland phlox. Here at Black Partridge Woods, they flow in a serpentine wave up the bluff..*
Wild Geranium is flowering in all of our woodlands:
You can find wild geranium in all of our featured “sandless” woodlands and at many other preserves across the Chicago region. Here at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, the pink flower hovers above their celestial star-shaped foliage.*
At Raccoon Grove, as evening nears in this beautiful spring woodland, the final streaks of sunlight penetrate the emerald canopy. The shining rays highlight the broad leaves of false Solomon’s seal and animate the soft, pink blooms of wild geranium, making all that is illuminated stand apart from the surrounding foliage.*
May brings glorious displays of wild geranium to Oldfield Oaks in Darien, Illinois, part of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.*
Shooting Star, including Chiwaukee Prairie’s famous show:
Shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others are blooming in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. You can also find the plant at Black Partridge Woods, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
May at Chiwaukee Prairie offers a breathtaking display of shooting star.*
This is a scene of shooting star and woodland phlox from atop a bluff at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, Illinois.”
Large-Flowered Trillium is at the end of its bloom:
Trillium is Latin for “triple,” and the plant lives up to the word. The showy plant is comprised of three leaves, three sepals, and three petals. The gorgeous white blooms of large-flowered trillium can now be found at our featured preserves of O’Hara Woods Preserve, Pilcher Park, and Messenger Woods and at other preserves like Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Metawa Meacham Grove in Bloomingdale, and, here, at Harms Woods in Glenview. Notice how the flowers turn pink as they fade.*
At Heron Rookery Trail in Indiana Dunes National Park, large-flowered trillium have reached peak bloom. It’s a magnificent sight.*
Large-flowered trillium carpet the floor of Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Mettawa, Illinois.*
Messenger Woods in Homer Glen offers a decent display of large-flowered trillium. But don’t get too excited.. It doesn’t look like the above picture, anymore. Most of the plants have been eaten by deer due to decades of willful neglect by the county.*
This is a scene from J. Timothy Ritchie Nature Preserve, a preserve that supplements our featured preserve. Large-flowered trillium of species Trillium grandiflorum covers the woodland floor in a spectacular annual display here in Chesterton, Indiana.
Mayapple:
In woodlands across northeastern Illinois, like here at Black Partridge Woods, in Lemont, springtime showers bring out the umbrellas in the form of mayapples. And the white flowers of false rue anemone sparkle like raindrops. Soon, a waxy, white flower will appear, like a pedestrian under a parasol. (See the mayapple flower in the photo below.)*
Wild Ginger:
At Black Partridge Woods, the green foliage is the star of the springtime show. Here you see the heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger alongside a single blooming mayapple. The flowers of both plants can be found hiding beneath the leaves. All of our featured woodlands feature both of these plants.*
Skunk Cabbage:
It’s springtime at Pilcher Park and sunlight shines through the enormous fanning foliage of skunk cabbage which, if broken, releases a strong scent reminiscent of skunk, though sweeter and not nearly as overpowering. If you’re someone who, like me, finds the powerful essence of skunk to be an invigorating and life-affirming experience, the skunk inside the cabbage will definitely let you down. You’ll find many at Pilcher Park Nature Center, Black Partridge Woods, Bluff Spring Fen, Trout Park, and O’Hara Woods.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
If you find this website of Chicago nature information useful, please consider donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book that celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
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