Chicago Wildflower Report & COVID-19 Nature Outings – 07/30/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 30, 2020
Weekly Wildflower Report
“Chicago’s Best Nature Outings, Outdoor Adventures,
Wildflower Walks, Nature Hikes, & Weekend Getaways!”
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
During the COVID-19 pandemic,
we’re working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING.
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be.
- Respect Science: Science doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Nature: Nature does what it’s programmed to do. It responds to provocation and, like science, doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Each Other: People DO care about what you do, especially when it affects them. If you don’t respect others, they won’t respect you.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEEKEND OUTDOOR GETAWAY:
Again, the best flower shows are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen, where you’ll find a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including the newest bloomers of nodding wild onion and cylindrical blazing star, and sweet Joe-Pye weed (our Plant of the Week).
In our prairies, purple torches of prairie blazing star and marsh blazing star are at their peaks accompanied by lavender wild bergamot, white blooms of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, and mountain mint, and golden early goldenrod, rosinweed, compass plant, and yellow coneflower. In our woodlands, brilliant woodland sunflower can be found blooming alongside sweet Joe-Pye weed (our Plant of the Week).
Wolf Road Prairie, located not too far from the city, is teaching a class in biodiversity, as it features a colorful array of prairie flowers.
For those in the southern section of Chicagoland, consider a trip to Gensburg-Markham Prairie with its wide variety of flowers, color, and texture. This is considered one of the finest prairies in the world. Spears Woods is another southern preserve with beautiful flowers in the woodland. I love the varied habitats, the rolling terrain, and Hogwash Slough—the prettiest wetland around here.
The dramatic aquatic American lotus is now flowering. 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.
The scent of the flowers are especially invigorating right now. Experience the eye-opening minty freshness of wild bergamot and mountain mint, the licorice scent of yellow coneflower, and the wonderful lemon-carrot scent of purple prairie clover.
Summer is a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented that describes the foliage when it glows bright-green from sunlight through. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/28+): This preserve again tops our list because of the many plant species that provide a vibrant mix of color. The whimsical Tinker-Toy blooms of rattlesnake master are putting on a breathtaking show—currently, the finest of any preserve. And there’s so much more to see. Under the sun, you’ll discover fragrant mountain mint alongside early goldenrod, wild quinine, flowering spurge, Culver’s root, compass plant, yellow coneflower, prairie blazing star, brown-eyed Susan, nodding wild onion, smooth ironweed, tuberous Indian plantain, blue vervain, flowering big bluestem grass , and the gorgeous emerald mop hairdos of prairie dropseed. A wonderful performance is commencing under the trees with the fluffy mauve blooms of sweet Joe-Pye weed and spectacular legions of bright and happy woodland sunflowers. And keep an eye out for the iconic bottlebrush grass.
NOTE: I suggest donning rainwear to avoid getting drenched in morning dew.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/28+): More than twenty flower species are blooming across the preserve, which is why it’s near the top of this week’s “Go!” list. Begin your hike at the main trailhead that winds you under the trees and along the kames of the oak savanna, around the sunny prairie, and through the main wetland known as a fen. Enter the oak savanna from the kiosk to find beautiful patches of sweet Joe-Pye weed and American bellflower, along with pale Indian plantain, nodding wild onion, starry campion, woodland agrimony, wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, brown-eyed Susan, and whimsical bottlebrush grass. At the troll bridge, where friendly trolls have helped to restore the adjacent wetland habitat, look to your right for a grand expanse of spotted Joe-Pye weed. Continuing under the protection of oaks, take the narrow out-and-back trail on your left to the top of the large kame. On your way up, look for a whimsical display of sprawling and whimsical bottlebrush grass. Once at the gravelly peak, you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve and newly blooming cylindrical blazing star, purple prairie clover, wild quinine, hoary vervain, and the wonderfully fragrant whorled milkweed. Go back down same way you entered, turn left on the main trail, and then make a right as you reach the end of the kame. Once under the sun, you’ll find marsh blazing star, blue vervain, lots of wild bergamot, creamy tuberous Indian plantain, pearly flowering spurge, wild quinine, and rattlesnake master, plus flowering big bluestem, beautiful flourishes of Canada wild rye, and a “forest” of compass plant in the southwest corner. As the trail veers left to the east, you’ll again pass through stands of blooming big bluestem and into a gravelly area with hoary vervain, named for it’s soft hairy leaves, and some remaining blooms of purple prairie clover. Ahead to your right is what we call the “transplant kame.” We call it that because Healy Road Prairie, located six miles away, was being mined for its gravel, and a community of hundreds of volunteers dug it up and transplanted it here. Years before, the transplant kame was also mined to the ground, but it was reconstructed to become the new home of Healy Road Prairie. Blossoming on the kame, you’ll find many blooms of compass plant, wild quinine, and yellow coneflower. Make a left at the end of the kame to descend into the bowl of the fen. Move slowly and watch your step as you pass through dense willows (which desperately need trimming). Be careful not to trip on the narrow boardwalk that immediately awaits you after the willows! Cross the boardwalk to find mountain mint, lance-leaved loosestrife, a nice patch of purple marsh blazing star, black-eyed Susan, early goldenrod, Illinois tick trefoil, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and shrubby cinquefoil. After you cross the second boardwalk, stay straight (don’t veer left), as the trail ducks under a low tree so that you can scale up the side of the transplant kame where cylindrical blazing star and a little purple prairie clover awaits you. As the trails steers left and down, you’ll see some of the same species as before, with especially nice stands of American bellflower. Continue left across the creek and to the left of the big kame that winds right and takes you back to the trailhead.
NOTE: If you visit early in the morning, wear rain gear or you’ll end up soaked to the skin from dew.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/29+): 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 to enjoy the many flowers that vary along the way. Two dozen species are currently blooming, and the textures of the grasses and sedges add to the experience. As you enter, take the path to your left where you’re immediately greeted with a caboodle of color coming from compass plant, nodding wild onion, marsh phlox, flowering spurge, marsh phlox, and purple torches of marsh blazing star. The trail is square. And this northbound leg has the most floral color and diversity, with dramatic blooms of marsh blazing star, blue vervain, wild quinine, and early goldenrod. You’ll also see Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, wild bergamot, rosinweed, and partridge pea. As you approach the north end, there’s a beautiful spot to your left that’s composed of a complementary mix of pink marsh blazing star, pearly wild quinine, and the golds of early goldenrod. As the trail turns to the right (east), you’ll find rattlesnake master, swamp milkweed, marsh phlox, and ironweed. Looking south, oceans of prairie cordgrass rise and fall as waves in the wind. And as the trail turns back to the south, you’ll sail into seas of sedges and a small fleet of flowers that includes mountain mint. I highly suggest that you stop for a moment to smell this invigorating plant. For that short time, your mind will sail away from the worries of the world. As you circle right (and to the west) on the returning leg of the trail, the scenery turns to shrubs and royal ferns. Along the way, look for a pretty stand of wild senna to your left. Finally, your journey ends with a flourish of color that incorporates the lavenders of wild bergamot.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/28+): The floral color and diversity of the preserve is wonderful. Our directions for the preserve have you parking at the south end along 31st Street. From there, hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half mile, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. The savanna is now putting on a performance of sweet Joe-Pye weed, woodland sunflower, and bottlebrush grass. But the best show is in south prairie as purple torches of prairie blazing star rise beautifully above the alabaster tones of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and flowering spurge, the golden hues of yellow coneflower and early goldenrod, the lavender bursts of wild bergamot, and more.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/29+): This is one of the most beautiful preserves in the region. And right now, most of the blooming is happening in the woodlands where feathery mauve blossoms of sweet Joe-Pye weed (our Plant of the Week) loom alongside golden rays of woodland sunflower, blue American bellflower, and the gorgeous bottlebrush grass. Halfway between the eastern prairie trailhead and the shore of Hogwash Slough, there’s a beautiful view of Hogwash Slough and the colony of American lotus. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to see the lotus through the sedges and cattails that tower above the shoreline. The prairies are somewhat understated, right now. The most prominent flowers in the prairie come from the white blooms of mountain mint and flowering spurge along with the yellow plumes of early goldenrod. Normally, the prairies teem with prairie blazing star to the point that it stuns the senses, But I only found a handful. Nature is mysterious, which is why we need to scout these preserves for every report. Consider giving your financial support to help you find peace during this trying time.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (Unscouted. Last scouted 7/22=): The trail on the eastern half of the preserve takes you to a prairie built on porous rock known as dolomite limestone. Some plants cannot establish themselves there. Those that can won’t grow nearly as tall. However, the heartiest plants enjoy living between a rock and a hard place. This is true for the fantastically fragrant whorled milkweed. I can usually smell them before I can see their off-white flower heads. Right now, there isn’t that much blooming on the east side, but it offers beautiful textures and a clean garden-like feel.
As you approach the western mesic soil prairie, the difference is striking. Gradually, the heights of the plants rise from ankle- and knee-high to chest- and eye-level. On this half, the blossoms of yellow coneflower and wild bergamot play vibrant roles in the company of prairie blazing star, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, Culver’s root, false sunflower, partridge pea, and mountain mint.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (7/23=): Help us scout this jewel of a preserve. You’ll find the floating white blooms of flowering spurge across the preserve, remaining blooms of butterfly weed, and some marsh phlox.
NOTE: Trust me when I tell you to GO EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks. Also, the trail that extends along the Dead River may be covered with water and prohibit your journey. Consider bringing along some high boots if you intend to hike that section.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/11): This is the usual time to see some potentially dramatic displays of partridge pea and flowering spurge. We need help scouting the southern preserves. Consider joining our elite group of volunteer scouts.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: SWEET JOE-PYE WEED
Sweet Joe-Pye weed is a tall woodland plant that can easily grow seven feet tall with dense balls of pale-pink flowers at the top. So, who’s this Joe Pye guy? He was an Indian herb doctor from New England in the late 1700’s who used the plant as a medicine to reduce fevers and maladies of the kidney. You can find the plant looming at several woodlands on our list, including here at Bluff Spring Fen where it grows spectacularly on the kames of the oak savanna.*
PHOTO SECTION
American Bellflower
The beautiful blue American bellflower blooms alongside sweet Joe-Pye weed and woodland sunflower, here at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook and other local woodlands.*
Cylindrical Blazing Star
Cylindrical blazing star blooms in the sand savanna, here at Indiana Dunes National Park, and at other preserves that include Bluff Spring Fen and Shoe Factory Road Prairie.*
Nodding Wild Onion
The drooping pink blossoms of nodding wild onion are just beginning to flower. The display is often quite dense at Lockport Prairie, but it depends on the year.*
Prairie & Marsh Blazing Star
In late July and early August, the spectacular purple blooms of marsh and prairie blazing star turns the prairie ablaze. They are the first of the blazing stars to flower in the summer, followed by cylindrical, savanna, and then rough blazing star. Both marsh and prairie blazing star can easily reach five feet tall The only way to differentiate them is to decipher this coded message from the Illinois Wildflowers website:, “Prairie blazingstar has floral bracts (phyllaries) that are strongly recurved, while the floral bracts of marsh blazingstar are appressed together and relatively smooth.” Huh? Even my magic decoder ring can’t decipher this message.
The flowers on these plants bloom from the top downward, which is helpful for photographers (and our scouts) to know if the flowers are coming or going.
You can experience one or both of these magnificent plants in most of our prairies on our list of showcase preserves.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie is famous for its late July fanfare, when the fields ignite with white sparks of flowering spurge and purple torches of marsh blazing star. Right now, there aren’t nearly as many, but it’s still very nice.*
Yellow Coneflower & Wild Bergamot
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.*
“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.*
Canada Wild Rye
In the morning, this plume of Canada wild rye and all the plants of the prairie become drenched in morning dew. Wear your rain gear!
Big Bluestem Grass
The towering height of big bluestem grass gives true meaning to the term “tallgrass prairie.”*
Miniature flowers delicately hang from the tassel of big bluestem grass.*
Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a whimsical Chicago prairie flower that 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.*
Culver’s Root
Culver’s root is blooming en masse at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester and at other prairies across the Chicago area.*
Mountain Mint
Inhale the invigorating white flowers of mountain mint that grow here at Spears Woods and at many other preserves on our list.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs.
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.
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant beginning to blooming atop a stalk that reaches for the sky.*
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.*
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
The summer sun goes down on wild quinine and marsh phlox as nonstop tollway traffic rolls past the eastern border of Gensburg-Markham Prairie. Each hour of each day, people drive by, unaware of the natural treasures they’d discover by taking the West 159th Street exit.*
Wolf Road Prairie
This image is fairly representative of what you’ll see, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie: wild bergamot, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, rosinweed, Culver’s root, and prairie blazing star, and early goldenrod.*
Wolf Road Prairie puts on a lesson in biodiversity. Pictured are prairie blazing star, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, Culver’s root, rosinweed, and yellow coneflower.*
On this mysterious summer morning at Wolf Road Prairie, white spikes of Culver’s root extend into the outer reaches and, like a dream, disappear into the fog.
Bluff Spring Fen
Soon after entering Bluff Spring Fen, you’ll find yourself in an intimate oak savanna, where majestic bur oaks with outstretched limbs protect you in their nurturing embrace.*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen.*
Marsh blazing star blooms at the seep of the fen at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
Cylindrical blazing star is now blooming on the big kame and northeast kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
Somme Prairie Grove
At Somme Prairie Grove, woodland sunflower surrounds this majestic bur oak in the savanna.
Here at Somme Prairie Grove we see the deeply lobed leaves of compass plant splash above a sea of purple prairie clover.*
In July, myriad species bloom in the sunny savanna at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook. This includes black-eyed Susan, mountain mint, purple prairie clover, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, yellow coneflower, and early goldenrod.*
Spears Woods
In the open woodland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs, summer brings tall blooms of sweet Joe-Pye weed. You can also experience this towering plant at Bluff Spring Fen, Somme Prairie Grove,, and other woodland habitats.*
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Nature Outings – 07/23/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 23, 2020
Weekly Wildflower Report
“Chicago’s Best Nature Outings, Outdoor Adventures,
Wildflower Walks, Nature Hikes, & Weekend Getaways!”
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
During the COVID-19 pandemic,
we’re working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be.
- Respect Science: Science doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Nature: Nature does what it’s programmed to do. It responds to provocation and, like science, doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Each Other: People DO care about what you do, especially when it affects them. If you don’t respect others, they won’t respect you.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEEKEND OUTDOOR GETAWAY:
Again, the best flower shows are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen, where you’ll find a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including the purple torches of prairie blazing star and marsh blazing star (our Plants of the Week). Lavender wild bergamot, white blooms of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, and mountain mint, and golden rays of rosinweed, compass plant, and yellow coneflower are blooming across the region.
Wolf Road Prairie, located not too far from the city, is teaching a class in biodiversity, right now, featuring a colorful array of prairie flowers.
For those in the southern section of Chicagoland, consider a trip to Gensburg-Markham Prairie with its wide variety of flowers, color, and texture. This is considered one of the finest prairies in the world. Spears Woods is another southern preserve and one of the most beautiful in the region. Right now, the blooming is decent. And I love the varied habitats, the rolling terrain, and Hogwash Slough—the prettiest wetland around here.
The dramatic aquatic American lotus is now flowering. 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.
The scent of the flowers are especially invigorating right now. Experience the eye-opening minty freshness of wild bergamot and mountain mint, the licorice scent of yellow coneflower, and the wonderful lemon-carrot scent of purple prairie clover.
Summer is a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented that describes the foliage when it glows bright-green from sunlight through. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/20+): This preserve again tops our list because of the many plant species that provide a vibrant mix of color. The most abundant blooms include mountain mint, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, purple prairie clover, and Culver’s root. Other notable flowers include spotted Joe-Pye weed, wild quinine, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, prairie blazing star, compass plant, daisy fleabane, Michigan lily, and tuberous Indian plantain. Under the trees, look for the beautiful blue American bellflower and fluffy sweet Joe-Pye weed. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/17+): More than twenty flower species are blooming across the preserve, which is why it’s near the top of this week’s “Go!” list. Begin your hike at the main trailhead that winds you under the trees and along the kames of the oak savanna, around the sunny prairie, and through the main wetland known as a fen. Before the path leaves the savanna, take the out-and-back trail on your left to the top of the large kame, where you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve. The most conspicuous flowers in the preserve are marsh blazing star, compass plant, false sunflower, black-eyed Susan, pale Indian plantain, cup plant, wild quinine, fading pale purple coneflower, and purple prairie clover—my favorite smelling flower that thrives in the gravel left behind by ancient glaciers. Aside from pale Indian plantain, most of these can be found under the sun along with many others: rattlesnake master, rosinweed, prairie loosestrife, Culver’s root, mountain mint, daisy fleabane, St. John’s wort, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and a few white prairie clover. In the woodland, look for aptly named bottlebrush grass, the white blooms of starry campion, and the tall plants of blue American bellflower, golden cup plant, pale Indian plantain, and the mauve plumes of sweet Joe-Pye weed.
NOTE: Go in the morning. Later on, the parking lot fills up with people coming to swim illegally in the water-filled quarry. You probably won’t see these people on your hike. Unfortunately, they trample across the sensitive habitat to reach the swimming at the back. As you’re leaving, feel free to report the activity to the forest preserve police at (708) 771-1000.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/22+): 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 to enjoy the many flowers that vary along the way. Two dozen species are currently blooming, and the textures of the grasses and sedges add to the experience. As you enter, take the path to your left where you’re immediately greeted with a caboodle of color coming from compass plant, yellow coneflower, flowering spurge, white prairie clover, marsh phlox, wild bergamot, and marsh blazing star. The trail is square. And this northbound leg has the most floral color and diversity, with blooms of blue vervain, Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, wild bergamot, purple prairie clover, tall green milkweed, rosinweed, partridge pea, marsh blazing star, and the very start of early goldenrod. As you approach the north end, there’s a beautiful spot to your left that’s composed of a complementary mix of pink marsh blazing star, pearly wild quinine, and the golds of early goldenrod and brown-eyed Susan. As the trail turns to the right (east), you’ll find rattlesnake master, swamp milkweed, marsh phlox, and ironweed. Looking south, oceans of prairie cordgrass rise and fall as waves in the wind. And as the trail turns back to the south, you’ll sail into seas of sedges and a small fleet of flowers that includes mountain mint. I highly suggest that you stop for a moment to smell this invigorating plant. For that short time, your mind will sail away from the worries of the world. As you circle right (and to the west) on the returning leg of the trail, the scenery turns to shrubs and royal ferns. Along the way, look for a pretty stand of wild senna to your left. Finally, your journey ends with a flourish of color that incorporates the lavenders of wild bergamot.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/22+): Thanks to E.J. Neafsey for spending so much time and sweat clearing the trails in the summer heat so that people have the opportunity to experience nature’s wonder! The floral color and diversity of the prairie is wonderful. Our directions for the preserve have you parking at the south end along 31st Street. From there, hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half mile, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. But the best blooms are on the south half. The purple torches of prairie blazing star rise beautifully above the alabaster tones of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and flowering spurge, the golden hues of black-eyed Susan, rosinweed, false sunflower, yellow coneflower, and early goldenrod, and the lavender explosions of wild bergamot. During the late and early hours of the day, the sun stages a dramatic green glow show with prairie dock and compass plant.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (7/22+): NOTE: I changed parking location for this preserve to the northeast corner because the official trailhead into the prairie is unmarked and overgrown. The trail takes you into the eastern half of the preserve, home to a prairie built on porous rock known as dolomite limestone. Some plants cannot establish themselves there. Those that can won’t grow nearly as tall. However, the heartiest plants enjoy living between a rock and a hard place. This is true for the fantastically fragrant whorled milkweed. I can usually smell them before I can see their off-white flower heads. You’ll also find the glorious hairy wild petunia, here. This is great plant for any prairie garden, no matter the soil, because of how it spreads to prevent weeds. And I just adore the fuzzy touch of the leaves. To find these species growing together, look for a sentinel of faded pale purple coneflowers. Right now, there isn’t that much blooming on the east side, but it offers beautiful textures and a clean garden-like feel.
As you approach the western mesic soil prairie, the difference is striking. Gradually, the heights of the plants rise from ankle- and knee-high to chest- and eye-level. On this half, the blossoms of yellow coneflower and wild bergamot play vibrant roles alongside rattlesnake master, daisy fleabane, wild quinine, Culver’s root, false sunflower, partridge pea, and mountain mint.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/22+): This preserve is on our “Go, if you’re in the neighborhood” list because it’s one of the most beautiful sites in the region. Usually, at this time of year, this preserve is teeming with prairie blazing star. But I only found a handful. Nature is mysterious, which is why we need to scout these preserves for every report. Consider giving your financial support to help you find peace during this trying time. The most prominent flowers in the prairie come from the white blooms of mountain mint and flowering spurge. And the yellows are just starting to pop from early goldenrod and woodland sunflower. You’ll also see some rattlesnake master, Culver’s root, wild quinine, and wild bergamot. Towering sweet Joe-Pye weed is flowering under the trees alongside soon-to-bloom woodland sunflower and the gorgeous bottlebrush grass. Halfway between the eastern prairie trailhead and the shore of Hogwash Slough, there’s a beautiful view of Hogwash Slough and the colony of American lotus. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to see the lotus through the towering sedges and cattails along the shoreline.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/12): Help us scout this jewel of a preserve. My prediction is that you’ll find the floating white blooms of flowering spurge across the preserve and possibly western sunflower. You’ll also see the remaining blooms of butterfly weed and some marsh phlox.
NOTE: Trust me when I tell you to GO EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks. Also, the trail that extends along the Dead River may be covered with water and prohibit your journey. Consider bringing along some high boots if you intend to hike that section.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/11): This is the usual time to see some potentially dramatic displays of partridge pea and flowering spurge. It could be amazing. Let us know! You should still find pink spotted bee balm and maybe some new blooms of western sunflower. We need help scouting the southern preserves. Consider joining our elite group of volunteer scouts.
PLANTS OF THE WEEK: PRAIRIE & MARSH BLAZING STAR
In late July and early August, the spectacular purple blooms of marsh and prairie blazing star turns the prairie ablaze. They are the first of the blazing stars to flower in the summer, followed by cylindrical, savanna, and then rough blazing star. Both marsh and prairie blazing star can easily reach five feet tall The only way to differentiate them is to decipher this coded message from the Illinois Wildflowers website:, “Prairie blazingstar has floral bracts (phyllaries) that are strongly recurved, while the floral bracts of marsh blazingstar are appressed together and relatively smooth.” Huh? Even my magic decoder ring can’t decipher this message.
The flowers on these plants bloom from the top downward, which is helpful for photographers (and our scouts) to know if the flowers are coming or going.
You can experience one or both of these magnificent plants in most of our prairies on our list of showcase preserves.
PHOTO SECTION
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 that 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.*
Purple Prairie Clover and its Remarkably Fresh Scent
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 bee flies over to purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve in Elgin You can also find it at Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and others.*
Culver’s Root
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
“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.*
Sweet Joe-Pye Weed
In the open woodland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs, summer brings tall blooms of sweet Joe-Pye weed. You can also experience this towering plant at Bluff Spring Fen, Somme Prairie Grove,, and other woodland habitats.*
Michigan Lily
Michigan lily can be found at a handful of our showcase preserves, including Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs.
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.
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant beginning to blooming atop a stalk that reaches for the sky.*
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.*
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
The summer sun goes down on wild quinine and marsh phlox as nonstop tollway traffic rolls past the eastern border of Gensburg-Markham Prairie. Each hour of each day, people drive by, unaware of the natural treasures they’d discover by taking the West 159th Street exit.*
Wolf Road Prairie
This image is fairly representative of what you’ll see, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie: wild bergamot, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, rosinweed, Culver’s root, and prairie blazing star, and early goldenrod.*
Wolf Road Prairie puts on a lesson in biodiversity. Pictured are prairie blazing star, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, Culver’s root, rosinweed, and yellow coneflower.*
On this mysterious summer morning at Wolf Road Prairie, white spikes of Culver’s root extend into the outer reaches and, like a dream, disappear into the fog.
Bluff Spring Fen
Soon after entering Bluff Spring Fen, you’ll find yourself in an intimate oak savanna, where majestic bur oaks with outstretched limbs protect you in their nurturing embrace.*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen.*
Marsh blazing star blooms at the seep of the fen at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
This is a view that’s forming in the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen. Just as blooms of leadplant and coreopsis fade, purple prairie clover rises to take their place.*
Somme Prairie Grove
Here at Somme Prairie Grove we see the deeply lobed leaves of compass plant splash above a sea of purple prairie clover.*
In July, myriad species bloom in the sunny savanna at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook. This includes black-eyed Susan, mountain mint, purple prairie clover, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, yellow coneflower, and early goldenrod.*
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Nature Outings – 07/16/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 16, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Report
Featuring Chicago’s Best Nature Outings & Outdoor Getaways”
Best Wildflower Walks & Weekend Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during the COVD-19 pandemic,
we are working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be.
- Respect Science: Science doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Nature: Nature does what it’s programmed to do. It responds to provocation and, like science, doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Each Other: People DO care about what you do, especially when it affects them. If you don’t respect others, they won’t respect you.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEEKEND OUTDOOR GETAWAY:
The best flower shows are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen, where you’ll find a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including purple prairie clover and yellow coneflower (our Plant of the Week). Lavender wild bergamot, white blooms of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, and mountain mint, and golden rays of rosinweed, compass plant, and yellow coneflower are blooming across the region.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is also offering a diverse wildflower display, starring the orange butterfly weed. And wildflowers also abound at Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Theodore Stone Preserve, and Wolf Road Prairie.
The dramatic aquatic American lotus is now flowering. 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.
The scent of the flowers are especially invigorating right now. Experience the eyeopening minty freshness of wild bergamot and mountain mint, the licorice scent of yellow coneflower, the rosy aroma fragrance of pasture rose, and the wonderful lemon-carrot scent of purple prairie clover.
And now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented. It describes leaves that glow bright-green from sunlight shining through them. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/11+): This preserve tops our list because of the many plant species that provide a vibrant mix of color. Blooms include purple prairie clover, black-eyed Susan, leadplant, rattlesnake master, marsh phlox, butterfly weed, Michigan lily, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower compass plant, mountain mint, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, and lots of wild quinine, daisy fleabane, and rattlesnake master. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/15+): More than twenty flower species are blooming across the preserve, which is why it’s near the top of this week’s “Go!” list. Begin your hike at the main trailhead that winds you under the trees and along the kames of the oak savanna, around the sunny prairie, and through the main wetland known as a fen. Before the path leaves the savanna, take the out-and-back trail on your left to the top of the large kame, where you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve. Among the most conspicuous flowers, this week, are yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, pale Indian plantain, cup plant, false sunflower, black-eyed Susan, wild quinine, compass plant, marsh blazing star, and purple prairie clover—my favorite smelling flower that thrives in the gravel left behind by ancient glaciers. Aside from pale Indian plantain, most of these can be found under the sun along with many others: Illinois tick trefoil, rattlesnake master, rosinweed, prairie loosestrife, Culver’s root, mountain mint, daisy fleabane, St. John’s wort, spotted Joe-Pye weed, fading pale purple coneflower, a few white prairie clover, and the mauve and white blooms of common milkweed that fill the air with a scent reminiscent of overly perfumed old Bingo ladies who’ve lost the sense of smell. In the woodland, look for aptly named bottlebrush grass, the white blooms of starry campion and the tall plants of blue American bellflower, golden cup plant, pale Indian plantain, and the fluffy sweet Joe-Pye weed.
NOTE: Go in the morning. Later on, the parking lot fills up with people coming to swim illegally in the water-filled quarry. You probably won’t see these people on your hike. Unfortunately, they trample across the sensitive habitat to reach the swimming at the back. As you’re leaving, feel free to report the activity to the forest preserve police at (708) 771-1000.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (7/12+): Most of the color can be found in the black oak savanna, where you’ll be treated to many bright orange blooms of butterfly weed, pink marsh phlox, pearly blooms of flowering spurge, and the blue morning blossoms of Ohio spiderwort. Other milkweeds are blooming under the trees, as well: purple milkweed, common milkweed, and short green milkweed. This is also your last chance to smell the pink blossoms of pasture rose. In the sand prairie, you’ll find flowering spurge and shrubby cinquefoil. And if you’re lucky, you might find the spectacular yellow blossom of a late-blooming eastern prickly pear cactus.
NOTE: Trust me when I tell you to GO EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks. Also, the trail that extends along the Dead River has lots of water that may prohibit your journey unless you wear high boots.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (7/13+): Our Plant of the Week, yellow coneflower, is playing the leading role throughout the western mesic prairie alongside other flowers that include wild bergamot, daisy fleabane, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, Culver’s root, false sunflower, and mountain mint. In the dry dolomite prairie to the east, you’ll find a much different landscape with a very open feel. It’s my favorite part of the preserve. Unlike the mesic soil of the western prairie with its tall, dense communities of plants, the soil here is rock—a porous limestone called “dolomite”—which makes it harder for plants to establish themselves. Some can’t. Many that can will probably not grow as tall. And then there are the hearty plants that enjoy being between a rock and a hard place, like the purple prairie clover with a scent that’s a cross between carrots and lemons—my favorite “good” scent in nature. (My favorite “bad” scent comes from foxglove beardtongue seeds that smell exactly like vomit. Be still my heart!) You’ll also find another of my favorite plants that seems to love sand, gravel, and rock: whorled milkweed. The smell is great, too. I also found the glorious hairy wild petunia. It’s a wonderful plant for any prairie garden, no matter the soil, because of how much it spreads to prevent weeds. And I just adore the fuzzy touch of the leaves. To find these three species growing together, look for a sentinel of pale purple coneflowers. There aren’t as many flowers blooming there, but there’s a lot of texture and a clean, beautiful garden-like feel.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/13+): 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 much the flowers vary along the way. I usually begin with the trail that leads left from the gate. This preserve is a “Go” because of the various textures and at least two dozen species in bloom, including many that are just beginning to flower. Here’s an abbreviated list of the many flowers that you’ll find that range from white to yellow to pink: compass plant, purple prairie clover, white prairie clover, yellow coneflower, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, wild bergamot, wild senna, tuberous Indian plantain, tall green milkweed, swamp milkweed, and Culver’s root.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/14+): At the moment, the floral color of the prairie is building to a crescendo. As instructed on this website, park at the south end along 31st Street, and then hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half mile, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. Many plants with white or yellow flowers cover the prairie, this week. The ivory flowers include daisy fleabane, Culver’s root, wild quinine, tuberous Indian plantain, white wild indigo, the flower heads of rattlesnake master, and very early blooms of flowering spurge. The golden hues are brought to you by black-eyed Susan, rosinweed, false sunflower, and the many fresh blooms of yellow coneflower. And there is the sublime orange Michigan lily, many miniature lavender explosions of wild bergamot, and the inflorescence of prairie blazing star is just starting to turn purple. During the late and early hours of the day, the sun stages a dramatic green glow show with prairie dock and compass plant.
NOTE: In the evening, you might experience a natural fireworks display from the deck of the prairie house, thanks to fireflies searching for mates. See a firefly photo from July 6.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (7/13+): This intimate remnant prairie is featuring some nice floral color. Our Plant of the Week, yellow coneflower, is blooming in large numbers alongside golden rays of black-eyed Susan, false sunflower, and rosinweed, and the alabaster blossoms of rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and New Jersey tea. Still, the many orange bushes of butterfly weed steal the show, while hues from purple to blue come from leadplant, wild bergamot, and the remaining floating filigree of scurfy pea. I suggest visiting early or late in the day to experience the glorious green glow—leaves that glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/14+): This preserve is on our “Go, if you’re in the neighborhood” list because it’s one of the most beautiful sites in the region. Plus there’s a decent amount of flowers to see, most of which are just starting out. Along your walk through the prairie, you’ll find at least fifteen species in bloom, including pearly blossoms of mountain mint, daisy fleabane, rattlesnake master, Culver’s root, and wild quinine. Yellow coneflower and lavender wild bergamot are fairly abundant and just beginning to flower. And if you’re perspicacious, you may find the sublime orange blossom of Michigan lily.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (7/9=): This prairie-by-the-lake features marsh phlox, butterfly weed, and black-eyed Susan. You’ll also find other flowers, like the yellows of Kalm’s St. John’s wort and rosinweed. To see a nice nice display of phlox, take the narrow dirt path located west of the gravel road. If you visit, then consider checking out Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in nearby Zion.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (7/11+): The preserve is currently offering nice displays of daisy fleabane that sparkle bright throughout areas of the savanna. Along your way, you’ll also find pink spotted bee balm and newly emerging flowering spurge.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: 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.*
PHOTO SECTION
Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a whimsical Chicago prairie flower that 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.*
Purple Prairie Clover and its Remarkably Fresh Scent
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 bee flies over to purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve in Elgin You can also find it at Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and others.*
Leadplant
The propagating purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which uses its tap root to search for water as far down as fifteen feet. Hence, leadplant has one of the deepest roots in the prairie. See diagram below.*
Butterfly Weed
This is a coral hairstreak butterfly feeding on butterfly milkweed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie. But it is one of dozens of flying insects, beetles, and even hummingbirds that find this plant tasty. The flowers have no noticeable scent, unlike its cousin, common milkweed, that smells like a bunch of old ladies on Bingo night.
Great spangled fritillary butterflies (species Speyeria cybele) and butterfly weed in the prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs.
Butterfly weed (or butterfly milkweed) 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, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Spears Woods, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Michigan Lily
Michigan lily can be found at a handful of our showcase preserves, including Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie.*
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
Leadplant, Prairie Coreopsis, and Wild Quinine
In the golden sun of morning, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen from atop the reconstructed kame and the remnants of Healy Road Prairie transplanted here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. The typically purple leadplant is now maroon thanks to the golden light.*
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 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.*
What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found beginning in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs.
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.
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant beginning to blooming atop a stalk that reaches for the sky.*
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.*
Bluff Spring Fen
Soon after entering Bluff Spring Fen, you’ll find yourself in an intimate oak savanna, where majestic bur oaks with outstretched limbs protect you in their nurturing embrace.*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen.*
This is a view that’s forming in the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen. Just as blooms of leadplant and coreopsis fade, purple prairie clover rises to take their place.*
Somme Prairie Grove
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.*
Fireflies at Wolf Road Prairie
On July 6, fireflies lit up the nighttime prairie at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. This image was recorded over an 87-second period from the deck of the Franzosenbusch prairie house. Fireflies flash their bulbs as they look for mates. Males fly around, while females perch on plants.*
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Nature Outings – 07/10/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 10, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Report
Featuring Chicago’s Best Nature Outings & Outdoor Getaways”
Best Wildflower Walks & Weekend Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during the COVD-19 pandemic,
we are working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be.
- Respect Science: Science doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Nature: Nature does what it’s programmed to do. It responds to provocation and, like science, doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Each Other: People DO care about what you do, especially when it affects them. If you don’t respect others, they won’t respect you.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR GETAWAY INTO CHICAGO NATURE:
Like last week, the flower show is happening at Somme Prairie Grove, where you’ll experience a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including butterfly weed and purple leadplant (our Plant of the Week). Lavender wild bergamot, white Culver’s root and mountain mint, and yellow rosinweed and yellow coneflower are beginning to bloom across the region. The gorgeous goat’s rue is now flowering at Pembroke Savanna and Gensburg-Markham Prairie. And, this week, I found eastern prickly pear cactus blooming in the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! And you can find also find it at Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is also offering a diverse wildflower display in the oak savanna with the star being butterfly weed. And wildflowers also abound at Bluff Spring Fen, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Pembroke Savanna, and Wolf Road Prairie.
Now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented. It describes leaves that glow bright-green from sunlight shining through them. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/6+): Many plant species are in flower, this week, representing an vibrant array of color. Blooms including leadplant, Ohio spiderwort, marsh phlox, butterfly weed, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, prairie sundrop, compass plant, daisy fleabane, white wild indigo, New Jersey tea, mountain mint, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, numerous wild quinine, and the very start of purple prairie clover. The bald light-green flower heads of rattlesnake master are now showing, which means that they’ll soon be flowering. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (7/3+): This oak savanna has a beautiful display of goat’s rue along with the buttery blooms of Cleland’s evening primrose, pink spotted bee balm, white daisy fleabane and some flowering spurge.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (7/7+): Most of color can be found in the black oak savanna, where you’ll be treated to many bright orange blooms of butterfly weed, golden hoary puccoon and prairie coreopsis, pearly blooms of flowering spurge, the blue morning blossoms of Ohio spiderwort, and the fragrant pink pasture rose. Under the sun of the sand prairie and the dunes to the east, flowering spurge and shrubby cinquefoil are blooming. And keep your eyes peeled for the spectacular yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. I saw one on Tuesday. Each flower only lasts a day.
NOTE: Trust me when I tell you to GO EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks. Also, the trail that extends along the Dead River has lots of water that may prohibit your journey unless you wear high boots.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/7+): Many flower species are blooming throughout the preserve. The “transplant kame” to the southeast hosts a wonderful array of flowering plants, including leadplant, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine., and compass plant. As you travel the trails, you’ll also find black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, Illinois tick trefoil, spotted Joe-Pye weed, butterfly weed, the remaining pale purple coneflower, and the mauve and white blooms of common milkweed that fill the air with a scent reminiscent of overly perfumed old ladies who’ve lost the sense of smell.
NOTE: Go in the morning. Later on, the parking lot fills up with people coming to swim illegally in the water-filled quarry. You probably won’t see any swimmers on your hike. Unfortunately, they trample across the sensitive habitat to reach the swimming at the back. As you’re leaving, feel free to report the activity to the forest preserve police at (708) 771-1000.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (7/7+): This intimate remnant prairie is featuring some nice floral color. 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. On a recent late-day visit, the green glow of compass plant set my heart aloft. The main floral color comes from the startling orange bushes of butterfly weed and the many yellow blooms of black-eyed Susan, false sunflower, and newly blooming yellow coneflower. Hues from purple to blue come from leadplant, wild bergamot, and the remaining floating filigree of scurfy pea. And flashes of pearly wild quinine catch the eye.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/2+): 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 most abundant bloomers are marsh phlox, wild quinine, black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, and tuberous Indian plantain. I really love pink flowers of marsh phlox mixed with the big heart-shaped foliage of prairie dock. Along your route, you’ll also find the wonderfully orange butterfly milkweed, compass plant, fragrant pasture rose, flowering spurge, and expanses of prairie cordgrass.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (7/2+): There’s a very nice display of marsh phlox alongside tuberous Indian plantain, and Ohio spiderwort. And look for beautiful sprays of porcupine grass, ferns, prairie dropseed.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/9+): At the moment, the floral color of the prairie is building. Park, as instructed on this website, at the south end along 31st Street, and hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half mile, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. In the evening, you can experience a natural fireworks display from the deck of the prairie house, thanks to fireflies searching for mates. See a firefly photo from July 6. The floral color is primarily white and gold with occasional splashes of orange butterfly milkweed and lavender wild bergamot. Tones of white are provided by daisy fleabane, flowering spurge, tuberous Indian plantain, white wild indigo, wild quinine, the flowerheads of rattlesnake master, and newly blooming Culver’s root. The yellows radiate from black-eyed Susan and the fresh blooms of yellow coneflower and rosinweed. During the late and early hours of the day, the sun stages a dramatic green glow show with prairie dock and compass plant.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): 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.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: LEADPLANT
The propagating purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which uses its tap root to search for water as far down as fifteen feet. Hence, leadplant has one of the deepest roots in the prairie. See diagram below.
PHOTO SECTION
Butterfly Weed
This is a coral hairstreak butterfly feeding on butterfly milkweed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie. But it is one of dozens of flying insects, beetles, and even hummingbirds that find this plant tasty. The flowers have no noticeable scent, unlike its cousin, common milkweed, that smells like a bunch of old ladies on Bingo night.
Great spangled fritillary butterflies (species Speyeria cybele) and butterfly weed in the prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs.
Butterfly milkweed (or 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, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found beginning in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
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.*
Goat’s Rue
The beautiful goat’s rue flourishes in a sandy black oak savanna at Indiana Dunes National Park. It also grows at Gensburg-Markham Prairie.*
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
Leadplant, Prairie Coreopsis, and Wild Quinine
In the golden sun of morning, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen from atop the reconstructed kame and the remnants of Healy Road Prairie transplanted here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. The typically purple leadplant is now maroon thanks to the golden light.*
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.*
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant beginning to blooming atop a stalk that reaches for the sky.*
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.*
Fireflies at Wolf Road Prairie
On July 6, fireflies lit up the nighttime prairie at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. This image was recorded over an 87-second period from the deck of the Franzosenbusch prairie house. Fireflies flash their bulbs as they look for mates. Males fly around, while females perch on plants.*
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Nature Outings – 07/01/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 1, 2020
(4th of July Edition)
“Weekly Wildflower Report for the 4th of July Week
Featuring Chicago’s Best Nature Outings & Outdoor Getaways”
Best Fourth of July Wildflower Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during the COVD-19 pandemic,
we are working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
- One of our favorite showcase preserves, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, is closed until further notice due to abuse. One of our intrepid scouts found a family-of-four carrying out flowers that they picked for Mother’s Day. And we received a report of ten mountain bikers who gathered to pick the hoary puccoon and wood betony, possibly for the same reason. This behavior is horrid, and I agree with the temporary policy. But we cannot allow the preserve to be closed off forever. This is a teachable moment. Education and appreciation is the key to helping people fall in love with nature, not locking people out.
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO NATURE:
The show of the week is happening at Somme Prairie Grove, where you’ll experience a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including orange butterfly milkweed (our Plant of the Week). The yellow prairie coreopsis, white wild quinine, and purple leadplant are beginning to bloom across the region. And so is eastern prickly pear cactus! What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! And you can find also find it at Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve .
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is also offering a diverse wildflower display in the oak savanna with the star being butterfly weed. And throughout the preserve, you’ll find the remarkable porcupine grass with seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below.
Wildflowers abound at Bluff Spring Fen, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Belmont Prairie, and Wolf Road Prairie, including the fragrant 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. However, last year, I didn’t notice the poison ivy growing right next to the flower. I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip, but it was too late. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.
Now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I invented last week. It describes leaves that glow bright-green from sunlight shining through them. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/29+): There are many different flowers in bloom, this week, representing an vibrant array of color: purple, blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white. Blooms include purple milkweed, the start of leadplant, Ohio spiderwort, marsh phlox, pasture rose, butterfly weed, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, prairie sundrop, common St. John’s wort, compass plant, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, New Jersey tea, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, and numerous wild quinine. The bald light-green flower heads of rattlesnake master are now showing, which means that they’ll soon be flowering. You’ll also notice the non-native ox-eye daisy in some places. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (Last scouted on 6/25+): Most of color can be found in the black oak savanna, where you’ll be treated to many bright orange blooms of butterfly weed (our Plant of the Week), vibrantly pink marsh phlox, golden hoary puccoon, pearly blooms of flowering spurge and daisy fleabane, the 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’ll also find 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 noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/29+): There is some good color, this week. Atop the big kame, you find the glorious pale purple coneflower, prairie coreopsis, and the start of leadplant and wild bergamot. To reach this spot, 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, you’ll see more leadplant and prairie coreopsis. You’ll also find the startling orange blossoms of butterfly milkweed and the white blooms of white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, and wild quinine. Many golden blossoms of black-eyed Susan are prominent. The mauve and white blooms of common milkweed fill the air with a scent reminiscent of overly perfumed old ladies who’ve lost the sense of smell. Ohio spiderwort is still flowering in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame.
NOTE: Go in the morning. Later on, the parking lot fills up with people coming to swim illegally in the water-filled quarry. You probably won’t see any swimmers on your hike. Unfortunately, they trample across the sensitive habitat to reach the swimming at the back. As you’re leaving, feel free to report the activity to the forest preserve police at (708) 771-1000.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (6/27+): 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 most abundant bloomers are black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, and tuberous Indian plantain. The flowers of marsh phlox are just starting to bloom, adding delightful pink highlights to scenes of green. In particular, I love the pink flowers mixed with the big heart-shaped foliage of prairie dock. The flat-topped alabaster flower heads of wild quinine are just beginning to show—a plant that is known to grow in great numbers over large expanses, here. Along your route, you’ll also find pasture rose, white wild indigo, the wonderfully orange butterfly milkweed, and expanses of prairie cordgrass.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/29=): Right now, there is some nice color in this intimate remnant prairie. I suggest visiting early or late in the day. If you come in the morning, you’ll receive the added pleasure of experiencing the final ephemeral blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Their royal blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they dissolve into a purple liquid. Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. Another reason to visit in the morning or late afternoon is to experience the glory of green glow—when leaves glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them. On a recent late-day visit, the green glow of compass plant set my heart aloft. The main floral color comes from the startling orange bushes of butterfly weed and the many yellow blooms of black-eyed Susan that mix into a purple haze of blue scurfy pea. Also adding to the hues are the fading pink blooms of pale purple coneflower, golden false sunflower, and pearly wild quinine. And the occasional tufts of prairie brome provide a delicate texture to the rich prairie experience.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/29+): At the moment, the prairie is “between color.” But there’s still some nice flowers to experience with splashes of color that range from white to yellow, pink to purple. Park, as instructed on this website, along 31st Street, and hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. Unfortunately, it’s currently closed due to the pandemic. Along the many paths you’ll find daisy fleabane, black-eyed Susan, the gorgeous purple milkweed, pasture rose, white wild indigo, the sunny blooms of prairie coreopsis and prairie sundrop, and radiant orange balls of butterfly milkweed. Ohio spiderwort is fading, but you still may find plants blooming in the early morning hours. During the late and early hours of the day, the sun stages a dramatic green glow show with prairie dock and compass plant.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (6/27+): This oak savanna currently features a large display of white daisy fleabane along with hoary puccoon, Ohio spiderwort, and blooms of goat’s rue. If you visit, let us know how the goat’s rue‘s blooming.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): 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.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: BUTTERFLY MILKWEED (BUTTERFLY WEED)
This is a coral hairstreak butterfly feeding on butterfly milkweed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie. But it is one of dozens of flying insects, beetles, and even hummingbirds that find this plant tasty. The flowers have no noticeable scent, unlike its cousin, common milkweed, that smells like a bunch of old ladies on Bingo night.
Butterfly milkweed (or 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, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
PHOTO SECTION
What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
Pale Purple Coneflower is in Full Flower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine because I 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.*
Scattered around Bluff Spring Fen are special hills known as kames, which were formed by gravel and sand left behind by a retreating glacier. Atop this kame, you can clearly see the gravelly soil and the life that somehow manages to make this make home. Here, pale purple coneflowers explode from the rocky bed.”
Pale purple coneflower rises above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. You can also find this beautiful blossom at Belmont Prairie and Theodore Stone Preserve.*
Belmont prairie is special because it is home to an unusually high number of blooming wildflowers and fascinating plant species. During the month of June, this remnant prairie puts on a most impressive floral display: the celebration of the pale purple coneflowersr. Growing amongst the coneflowers, the bright-colored grasses crisscrossing the center of the frame are porcupine grass. Its long spear-like seeds miraculously drill themselves into the earth in a counter-clockwise motion that you can actually watch.*
The predawn clouds take on the color of the pale purple coneflowers at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
Prairie Coreopsis
In the golden light of morning, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen from atop the reconstructed kame and the remnants of Healy Road Prairie transplanted here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
Leadplant is Beginning to Bloom
It was a very dry year in Chicago, yet you wouldn’t know it from looking at this scene from 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.*
Ohio Spiderwort and its Melting Flowers
This was the scene of Wolf Road Prairie on Saturday, June 20, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort opened to meet the new day.*
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.
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.
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, 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.
Here at Belmont Prairie, porcupine grass glows in the morning light behind a profusion of pale purple coneflowers.*
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Getaways – 06/26/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 26, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Best Wildflower Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during the COVD-19 pandemic,
we are working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. 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.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
- One of our favorite showcase preserves, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, is closed until further notice due to abuse. One of our intrepid scouts found a family-of-four carrying out flowers that they picked for Mother’s Day. And we received a report of ten mountain bikers who gathered to pick the hoary puccoon and wood betony, possibly for the same reason. This behavior is horrid, and I agree with the temporary policy. But we cannot allow the preserve to be closed off forever. This is a teachable moment. Education and appreciation is the key to helping people fall in love with nature, not locking people out.
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
The show of the week is happening at Bluff Spring Fen where glorious blossoms of pale purple coneflower are making a big pink splash alongside orange butterfly weed and pearly foxglove beardtongue.
Belmont Prairie is also featuring pale purple coneflower alongside butterfly weed and the ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Yes, the flowers of spiderwort begin to open a little after sunrise and last until they turn to liquid, which could be as early as noon. The best show is taking place at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. There’s also a nice display at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville. Click here to read my poem about Ohio spiderwort.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is offering a diverse wildflower display in the oak savanna with hoary puccoon, pasture rose, downy phlox, butterfly weed, flowering spurge, and Ohio spiderwort. Porcupine grass (our Plant of the Week) also grows in profusion here. Its seed drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. In the sand prairie, look for the bright yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! And you can find also find it at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.
The pearly white trumpets of foxglove beardtongue are in their final moments. 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. However, last year, I didn’t notice the poison ivy growing right next to the flower. I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip, but it was too late. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.
Now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I invented as I typed this sentence. It describes leaves as they glow a bright-green from sunlight shining through them. In particular, the green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/24+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is now blooming in several spots with the best display atop the big kame. To reach this spot, 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, watch for the startling orange blossoms of butterfly milkweed and the white blooms of white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, and wild quinine. Ohio spiderwort is flowering in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (6/25+): The black oak (or sand savanna) is the most colorful portion of the preserve, where a diverse array of flowers are blooming, including hoary puccoon, pasture rose, downy phlox, butterfly weed, flowering spurge, sand coreopsis, daisy fleabane, and Ohio spiderwort. Under the sun of the sand prairie and the dunes to the east, you’ll find 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 (our Plant of the Week) has seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/24+): There are many floral colors on display, this week: purple, orange, yellow, blue, and white. Blooms include purple milkweed, Ohio spiderwort, butterfly weed, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, prairie sundrop, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, and white wild indigo. You’ll also notice a white daisy in many places. This is the non-native ox-eye daisy. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/25=): Right now, there is some nice color in this intimate remnant prairie. I suggest visiting early or late in the day. If you come in the morning, you’ll receive the added pleasure of experiencing the ephemeral blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Their royal blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they dissolve into a purple liquid. Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. Another reason to visit in the morning or late afternoon is to experience the glory of green glow—when leaves glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them. When I visited on Thursday, I felt the green glow of compass plant lifting my heart. Also flowering are the drooping pink blooms of pale purple coneflower and the bright orange blossoms of butterfly weed that mix into a purple haze of blue scurfy pea. Black-eyed Susan and false sunflower add a touch of yellow, while wild quinine contributes a little bit of white. Adding delicate texture to the prairie is the gorgeous prairie brome and the remarkable porcupine grass as it shows off its long miraculous seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch the seed drill in my video.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/24=): This is “Go!” for the morning hours to see the tremendous show of Ohio spiderwort, especially prominent along the southeast edge of the preserve near Wolf Road. If you visit in the afternoon (and possibly later in the morning) the flowers will be gone. Plus, keep in mind that the flowers fade more quickly when it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find downy phlox, daisy fleabane, prairie sundrop, purple meadow rue, the gorgeous purple milkweed, and the sublime orange prairie lily. If you’re around when the sun is low, then catch the green glow emanating from the many prairie dock leaves.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): 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. Volunteer to help out your neighbors discover nature in your area.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (UNSCOUTED): Sorry! We didn’t have the woman- or manpower to cover this far southside preserve, either. My guess is that there is a good amount of hoary puccoon and June grass.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: PORCUPINE GRASS
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, 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.
PHOTO SECTION
Pale Purple Coneflower is in Full Flower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine because I 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.*
Scattered around Bluff Spring Fen are special hills known as kames, which were formed by gravel and sand left behind by a retreating glacier. Atop this kame, you can clearly see the gravelly soil and the life that somehow manages to make this make home. Here, pale purple coneflowers explode from the rocky bed.”
Pale purple coneflower rises above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. You can also find this beautiful blossom at Belmont Prairie and Theodore Stone Preserve.*
Belmont prairie is special because it is home to an unusually high number of blooming wildflowers and fascinating plant species. During the month of June, this remnant prairie puts on a most impressive floral display: the celebration of the pale purple coneflowersr. Growing amongst the coneflowers, the bright-colored grasses crisscrossing the center of the frame are porcupine grass. Its long spear-like seeds miraculously drill themselves into the earth in a counter-clockwise motion that you can actually watch.*
The predawn clouds take on the color of the pale purple coneflowers at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*
Butterfly Weed
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.*
Ohio Spiderwort and its Melting Flowers
This was the scene of Wolf Road Prairie on Saturday, June 20, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort opened to meet the new day.
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.
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.
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Self-Drilling Seeds
This is our Plant of the Week. At Belmont Prairie, porcupine grass glows in the morning light behind a profusion of pale purple coneflowers.*
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
Foxglove Beardtongue is Still Blooming
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.*
What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
June Grass Glows in the Low Light
June grass and hoary puccoon glow in the morning light of the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park. June grass can also be found at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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.
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.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Info – 06/18/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 18, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Best Wildflower Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during the COVD-19 pandemic,
we are working hard to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED INTEREST IN BEING OUTDOORS:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. 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 a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
- One of our favorite showcase preserves, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, is closed until further notice due to abuse. One of our intrepid scouts found a family-of-four carrying out flowers that they picked for Mother’s Day. And we received a report of ten mountain bikers who gathered to pick the hoary puccoon and wood betony, possibly for the same reason. This behavior is horrid, and I agree with the temporary policy. But we cannot allow the preserve to be closed off forever. This is a teachable moment. Education and appreciation is the key to helping people fall in love with nature, not locking people out.
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.
- Give each other at least TEN feet of space between you because the wind can carry the virus.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
- Don’t block people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH OF THE CITY.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS FOR PLANNING YOUR NATURE OUTING AROUND CHICAGO:
The show of the week is happening at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, where tens of thousands golden sand coreopsis combine with hoary puccoon and downy phlox. This dramatic annual bloom of sand coreopsis is being featured worldwide with my picture in the current edition of the famous Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar. (If you’re interested in an autographed calendar, I have just four copies left in stock here.)
The glorious blossoms of pale purple coneflower (our Plant of the Week) is making a big pink splash at Bluff Spring Fen. Normally, this flower is so prolific at Belmont Prairie, that it nearly stops my heart. But there are remarkably few, this year. Still, Belmont Prairie is a good morning spot to experience the melting blue blooms of Ohio spiderwort that are melting hearts around Chicago. A tremendous show of this ephemeral flower can be experienced for another few weeks. The flowers begin to open a little after sunrise and last until they turn to liquid, which could be as early as noon. The best show is taking place at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. There’s also a nice show at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville. Click here to read my poem about Ohio spiderwort.
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, Theodore Stone Preserve, 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. However, last year, I didn’t notice the poison ivy growing right next to the flower. I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip, but it was too late. 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:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (6/15-): This is the most colorful preserve to visit this week. Golden flowers of sand coreopsis are blooming throughout the preserve, but under the trees they mix with bright-yellow hoary puccoon and pink downy phlox. Tens of thousands of sand coreopsis cover most of sand prairie located east and south of the parking lot in a mix of hoary puccoon and the occasional sandwort, New Jersey tea, and porcupine grass.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/17+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is now blooming in several spots with the best display atop the big kame. To reach this spot, 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.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/17+): 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. If you visit in the afternoon (and possibly later in the morning) the flowers will be gone. Plus, keep in mind that the flowers fade more quickly when it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find downy phlox, daisy fleabane, prairie sundrop, the beautiful purple milkweed, and the glorious foliage of prairie dock and compass plant.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/17+): Like Wolf Road Prairie, this preserve is a “Go!” during the morning hours to see 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, huh? Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. Pale purple coneflower and scurfy pea are just starting to flower. I often find breathtaking numbers of coneflowers, here. But not this year. Porcupine grass is showing its long miraculous seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Again, “very cool!” Watch the seed drill in my video. And look for the gorgeous leaves of prairie dock and compass plant that glow brightly when the sun is behind them.
We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/15+): The plants are in transition without a lot of flowering or color, except for Ohio spiderwort that can be found at many places throughout the site. Under the sun, you’ll see the white flowers of foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, and daisy fleabane. Under the trees, you the cow parsnip is now showing off its ivory inflorescence. You’ll also notice a white daisy in many places. This is the non-native ox-eye daisy. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (6/18=); The highlight of the preserve happens in the prairies with a prominent performance of foxglove beardtongue in the prairies. Joining in the show-of-white are white wild indigo and daisy fleabane. And I also found the wonderful prairie sundrop. This preserve is special because of its rolling hills and varying habitats as if you’re moving from one performance theater to another.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): 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. Volunteer to help out your neighbors discover nature in your area.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (UNSCOUTED): Sorry! We didn’t have the woman- or manpower to cover this far southside preserve, either.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: PALE PURPLE CONEFLOWER
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine because I 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
Sand Coreopsis 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 current Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar features this image to represent the month of July.*
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.*
Sand coreopsis sparkles throughout the dunes and sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.*
Pale Purple Coneflower is in Full Flower
Scattered around Bluff Spring Fen are special hills known as kames, which were formed by gravel and sand left behind by a retreating glacier. Atop this kame, you can clearly see the gravelly soil and the life that somehow manages to make this make home. Here, pale purple coneflowers explode from the rocky bed.”
Pale purple coneflower rises above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. You can also find this beautiful blossom at Belmont Prairie and Theodore Stone Preserve.*
Pale purple coneflower blooms amidst purple scurfy pea and prickly porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove.”
The predawn clouds take on the color of the pale purple coneflowers at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*
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.
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.
Foxglove Beardtongue is Beginning to Bloom
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 Melting Flowers of Ohio Spiderwort
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), Ohio spiderwort and ferns cover the side of the dunes. You can experience this remarkable morning flower in prairies and savannas across the region. Click here to read my poem about this plant.*
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous 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, 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.
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
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.
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
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
Chicago Wildflower Report & Info – 06/12/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 12, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Best COVID-19 Wildflower Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during this trying time,
we are working to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED INTEREST IN BEING OUTDOORS:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. 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 a house of worship?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
- One of our favorite showcase preserves, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, is closed until further notice due to abuse. One of our intrepid scouts found a family-of-four carrying out flowers that they picked for Mother’s Day. And we received a report of ten mountain bikers who gathered to pick the hoary puccoon and wood betony, possibly for the same reason. This behavior is horrid, and I agree with the temporary policy. But we cannot allow the preserve to be closed off forever. This is a teachable moment. Education and appreciation is the key to helping people fall in love with nature, not locking people out.
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.
- Give each other at least TEN feet of space between you because the wind can carry the virus.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
- Don’t block people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
WE NEED SCOUTS. CLICK TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH US!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
The golden flowers of sand coreopsis are reaching peak bloom at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. This dramatic event is being featured worldwide with my picture in the current edition of the famous Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar. (If you’re interested in an autographed calendar, I have just four copies left in stock here.)
The ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort are now melting hearts around Chicago as they begin their monthlong show. Ohio spiderwort is our Plant of the Week. Click here to read my poem about it. 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.
The sensational blue flag iris is on display in wetlands across the region, including a breathtaking show at Somme Prairie Grove. And the pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue are now blooming. 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. However, last year, I didn’t notice the poison ivy growing right next to the flower. I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip, but it was too late. 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:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (6/5+): The golden flowers of sand coreopsis are just beginning to bloom, and they should be looking wonderful by the June 13th weekend. Though you can find them growing under the trees, breathtaking expanses of the flower can be found in the sunny sand prairie to the east. Blooming alongside the coreopsis, you may see the tiny white flowers of sandwort and the fluffy white plumes of New Jersey tea. And there’s a lot of porcupine grass. In the shade of the black oak savanna, downy phlox and pasture rose add beautiful splashes of pink amidst the fading blue-and-white blossoms of wild lupine. Along your trek, you’ll also find hoary puccoon, hairy puccoon, and, if you’re observant, Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, consider the short drive north to Chiwaukee Prairie.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/6+): Everywhere you look there’s color. Like last week, the biggest show comes from blue flag iris in the wetland along the eastern edge. Ohio spiderwort can be found at many places throughout the site with the largest amounts near the iris display. And the bright yellow blooms of golden Alexander are putting on a great show in the woodland. Fading blooms of shooting star can be found in nice patches. And there’s one spot upon a knob where a handful of orange Indian paintbrush glow in the sunlight. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/7+): 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. If you visit in the afternoon (and possibly later in the morning) the flowers will be gone. Plus, keep in mind that the flowers fade more quickly when it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find downy phlox, daisy fleabane, and the large beautiful foliage of prairie dock and compass plant.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/11+): Like Wolf Road Prairie, this preserve is a “Go!” during the morning hours to see 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, huh? Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. Pale purple coneflower and scurfy pea are just starting to flower. Porcupine grass is showing its long miraculous seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Again, “very cool!” Watch the seed drill in my video. And look for the gorgeous leaves of prairie dock and compass plant that glow brightly when the sun is behind them.
We need scouts.
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/11+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is now in bloom with the best display atop the big kame. To reach this spot, 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.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (6/11-): Right now, you’ll find large areas of golden Alexander, a good amount of downy phlox, and golden blooms of hoary puccoon that dot the panorama. Though still quite pretty, the dense galaxies of shooting star have lost much of their glimmer and wild lupine has faded, as well. Along your walk, notice the delightful heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock that will soon grow to over a foot long. NOTE: If you visit, consider taking the time to experience the nearby show of sand coreopsis at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED. Last scouted on 5/24-): To follow is what I predict you’ll find based on our last visit on May 24. This preserve is large and a treat to experience. I expect you’ll find nice displays of blooming spiderwort, as long as you visit in the morning before the flower melt away. The vibrant yellow blooms of hoary puccoon and two-flowered Cynthia adds a golden sparkle to the savanna. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore that starts at the nature center. Along the way, the trail crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and beaver 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. On my last visit, I must have heard ten tail slaps. 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 flowers at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can covered with water in some places. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (Unscouted. Last scouted on 5/30.): NOTE: If the main parking lot is closed, but no problem! Just use the on-street parking area located about a hundred feet west. There aren’t many flowers blooming, anymore. But, if you want to experience the lushness of a shady springtime woodland, then this is a great place to go. The lush feel that runs from floor to canopy is breathtaking. In the lowland, it’s hard to see the earth below thanks to the carpet of wild ginger. I particularly love the miniature forests of mayapple with their parasol-shaped leaves. Exciting patches of large, acrobatic skunk cabbage add to the whimsy, along with the foliage of wild leek, wild geranium, early meadow rue, and Solmon’s seal.
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.
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
Sand Coreopsis 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 current Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar features this image to represent the month of July.*
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.*
Foxglove Beardtongue is Beginning to Bloom
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.*
Ohio Spiderwort Begins its Monthlong Show
Ohio spiderwort is our Plant of the Week. At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and ferns cover the side of the dunes. You can find this remarkable morning flower in prairies and savannas across the region.*
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 panorama here at Somme Prairie Grove and at many other preserve, including 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.*
Blue Flag Iris
A phalanx of blue flag iris towers 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.*
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous 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, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.*
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled
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.*
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 that uses its thoracic muscles to quickly vibrate the pollen loose in a process called “buzz pollination.”
Shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others often bloom in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Shooting star also grows at Black Partridge Woods, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Wild Lupine is Blooming in Ending its Run
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 often find wild lupine blooming alongside hoary and hairy puccoon, though usually not in great numbers.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
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.*
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.
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.
Lush Springtime Woodlands
In May, a miniature forest of mayapple reaches into the distance at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont.*
It’s springtime at Pilcher Park Nature Center, 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.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
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
Pictures & Poetry: The Miraculous Melting Blooms of Ohio Spiderwort
Pictures & Poetry:
The Miraculous Melting Blooms of 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.
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 blossom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, here’s my poem about the plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders:
Spiderwort is a prairie flower, as ethereal as it is enduring.
The name is a consequence of its long slender leaves that break suddenly downward,
mimicking the legs of a crouching spider.
It rises at the end of May in the prairies and savannas, in a universe all its own,
a small galaxy of blue starlike flowers that form the constellation of the Crouching Spider.
Unlike celestial bodies that survive in the billions, for billions of years,
the stars of the Crouching Spider number only a few and shimmer for just a few hours.
Coinciding with Earth’s star, they emerge, not with a big bang,
but slowly materialize from a golden hot center into three purple points.
As the sun grows high in the sky,
they gradually collapse into deep blue planets.
Yet tomorrow morning, and for thirty or more turns of Earth,
you may gaze into the prairie universe to witness the reemergence of the Crouching Spider
and the creation of new worlds.
You can find spiderwort at many preserves around Chicago, including:
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Fermilab Prairie in Batavia, Illinois
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois
Kickapoo Woods & Prairie in Riverdale, Illinois
Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest, Illinois
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois
Powderhorn Prairie in Chicago, Illinois
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois
Chicago Wildflower Report & Info – 06/04/2020
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 4, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
The Best COVID-19 Nature Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
Even during this trying time,
we are working to bring you opportunities to find peace!
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THIS YEAR!
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED INTEREST IN BEING OUTDOORS:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. 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?”
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IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
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. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
- One of our favorite showcase preserves, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, is closed until further notice due to abuse. One of our scouts found a family-of-four carrying out flowers that they picked for Mother’s Day. And we received a report of ten mountain bikers who gathered to pick the hoary puccoon and wood betony, possibly for the same reason. This behavior is horrid, and I agree with the temporary policy. But we cannot allow the preserve to be closed off forever. Education and appreciation is the key to helping people fall in love with nature, not locking people out.
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.. A mask keeps your exhalations from taking to the air and making others sick.
- Give each other at least TEN feet of space between you because the wind can carry the virus.
- When people are present, be conscious of the wind and its direction.
- When having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right.
- Don’t block people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
WE NEED SCOUTS. CLICK TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH US!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR CHICAGO NATURE OUTING:
Several beautiful floral shows are taking place this week, including shooting star, hoary puccoon, blue flag iris, and golden Alexander (our Plant of the Week).
Chiwaukee Prairie, on the Illinois/Wisconsin border, is now holding its breathtaking show of shooting star that spans the prairie panorama along with hoary puccoon and large expanses of golden Alexander.
The sensational blue flag iris is on display in wetlands across the region, including a breathtaking show at Somme Prairie Grove.
The blue-and-white blooms of wild lupine and golden hoary puccoon are blooming at Indiana Dunes National Park at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach. During the best years, the green dunes turn blue. And 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 also blooming at many of our prairies and savannas that include Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Somme Prairie Grove, and Chiwaukee Prairie.
The flowers in the woodlands are fading, though if you’d like to immerse yourself in shady, lush tranquility, visit Black Partridge Woods, Messenger Woods, Pilcher Park, Raccoon Grove, or Heron Rookery Trail.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.
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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (5/31+): Right now, seas of shooting star are turning the prairie pink in the midst of many other beautiful flowers: hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, blue-eyed grass, and birdfoot violet, and wild strawberry. And if this isn’t enough, there are also breathtaking oceans of golden Alexander. Along the edges, look for nice patches of wild lupine. And notice the little heart-shaped prairie dock leaves that will soon be over a foot long.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/31+): Everywhere you look there’s color. The show of the week, here, comes from the stunning display of blue flag iris in the wetland along the eastern edge. But there’s even more to experience. The beautiful shooting star can be found in large bunches and also sprinkled across the landscape. In the shade, you’ll find some wild geranium along with wild hyacinth which doesn’t mind a little sun. Bright pink flowers of downy phlox provide a touch of pink. The golden blooms of balsam ragwort adds beautiful highlights in many places throughout the preserve. Golden Alexander is now showing its bright yellow blossoms in large numbers. And doing its best to add to the show of gold are the miniature starlike blossoms of yellow star grass. There’s one spot on a knob where I found a handful of Indian paintbrush glowing orange in the sunlight. You find the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass and wild columbine, along with gorgeous sprays of cream wild indigo. 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. 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.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (5/31+): If you visit Chiwaukee Prairie to see the shooting stars, then you’ll be in the neighborhood of this beautiful preserve. There are many flowers blooming, though not as dramatically as Chiwaukee. Nevertheless, this is the only preserve in the region that I’d recommend visiting even if there were no flowers blooming. There are some wild lupine blooming, but not as prolifically as previous years. Golden blooms of hoary puccoon and hairy puccoon are scattered across the preserve. And the gorgeous fringed puccoon is on full display, sometimes in small patches, but mostly sprinkled here and there. Bend down close to fully experience the elegant lacy edges of the flower petals. The light-yellow flowers of wood betony are still putting on a nice show, though they are fading. And along your way, look for the delightful blue-eyed grass, tiny sparkles of sand cress, and glow of red Indian paintbrush.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED. Last scouted on 5/24+): To follow is what I predict you’ll find based on our last visit on May 24. This preserve is a treat to experience. The show of wild lupine is past peak bloom, but still casting a haze of blue over the dunes. Adding the to the blue hues are the sublime blue-eyed grass and newly blooming spiderwort. The vibrant yellow blooms of hoary puccoon and two-flowered Cynthia adds a golden sparkle to the savanna. 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. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore that starts at the nature center. Along the way, the trail crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and beaver 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. On that Sunday, my wife and I must have heard ten tail slaps. 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 flowers at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can be covered in water at some places. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (5/30=): NOTE: The main parking lot is closed, but no problem! Just use the on-street parking area located about a hundred feet west. If you want to experience the lushness of a shady springtime woodland, then this is a great place to go. There aren’t many flowers blooming, anymore. The lush feel that runs from floor to canopy is breathtaking. In the lowland, it’s hard to see the soil below thanks to the carpet of wild ginger. I particularly love the miniature forests of mayapple with their parasol-shaped leaves. Exciting patches of large, acrobatic skunk cabbage add to the whimsy, along with the foliage of wild leek, wild geranium, early meadow rue, and Solmon’s seal.
We need scouts. Click here to learn about you can help us share the beauty.
Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee (UNSCOUTED. Last scouted on 5/19-): The preserve was last scouted on May 19. Like our above report on Black Partridge Woods, you should go if you want to experience a peaceful shady, green woodland. Don’t expect many flowers. However, you may see the feathery plumes of false Solomon’s seal, possibly in large numbers. The preserve is lush with a full canopy of leaves and a dense carpet of foliage across the woodland floor. This includes the jade hues and lush patterns of wild leek, flowering mayapple, early meadow rue, and the omnipresent wild ginger.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/2+): If you’re in the neighborhood during the morning hours, then visit the prairie to see the newly blooming flowers of Ohio spiderwort that only bloom for a few hours and then melt away. Under the trees, many shrubs of common blackberry with their white flowers are in full bloom. And in the prairie, you’ll also see downy phlox, golden Alexander, daisy fleabane, some yellow star grass.
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.*
PHOTO SECTION
Shooting Star is Putting on Wonderful Shows
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 that uses its thoracic muscles to quickly vibrate the pollen loose in a process called “buzz pollination.”
Shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others are blooming in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Shooting star also grows at Black Partridge Woods, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Golden Alexander is at Peak Bloom
In May at Chiwaukee Prairie, golden Alexander blooms amidst the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.*
Sunlight shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts its distinctive shadows.*
Blue Flag Iris
A phalanx of blue flag iris towers 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.*
Wild Lupine is Blooming in our Black Oak Savannas (Sand Savannas)
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 often find wild lupine blooming alongside hoary and hairy puccoon, though usualy not in great numbers.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
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.*
Wild Columbine
Wild columbine reflects the afternoon light at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Indian Paintbrush
Indian paintbrush brights up the foggy morning landscape at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.*
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass
The sublime blooms of stout blue-eye grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park. Wow! Do I love this flower! And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Lush Springtime Woodlands
It’s May, and a miniature forest of mayapple reaches into the distance at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont.*
It’s springtime at Pilcher Park Nature Center, 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.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
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