Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 07/24/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 24, 2016
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
I posted an alert on July 22. This report is the same, but I’ve added Kickapoo Prairie (see below).
Spears Woods tops this week’s list for its impressive show of prairie blazing star in its prairies. These purple flowers also share the stage with rattlesnake master, wild quinine, mountain mint, and more. Click here for the location of the trailhead that goes west into the prairies. To experience the tall and feathery sweet Joe-Pye Weed in the woodland, with nice view of Hogwash Slough to the southwest, visit this spot along the trail.
Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen are also overflowing with flowers. Both these preserves offer mountain mint, wild bergamot, wild quinine, black-eyed Susan, the very tall compass plant, yellow coneflower, sweet Joy-Pye weed, and more. Somme Prairie Grove has large patches of rattlesnake master.
Wolf Road Prairie also features blazing star, but it’s also rich in white blooms, including rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and Culver’s root. Also look for the large, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.
Kickapoo Prairie is rich with yellow coneflower, rattlesnake master, compass plant, and wild bergamot. And this is just the beginning of the show, as there are fields of tall blazing star that are about to erupt into purple explosions. I strongly urge you to visit this preserve in Riverdale, Illinois.
Here are some sample photos of the blazing star displays at Spears Woods and Bluff Spring Fen (from previous years):
Spears Woods’ finest show is beginning right now in its prairies, as blazing stars shoot toward the sky.*
At Bluff Spring Fen, blazing star also blooms throughout the preserve. This spot is the seep of the fen, located at the bottom of the “bowl” in the center of the preserve.*
Visit Kickapoo Prairie in Riverdale, where rattlesnake master, Indian grass, and compass plant glow in the sun. Great purple displays of blazing star is just beginning!*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
—Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 07/22/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 22, 2016
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Spears Woods tops this week’s list for its impressive show of prairie blazing star in its prairies. These purple flowers also share the stage with rattlesnake master, wild quinine, mountain mint, and more. Click here for the location of the trailhead that goes west into the prairies. To experience the tall and feathery sweet Joe-Pye Weed in the woodland, with nice view of Hogwash Slough to the southwest, visit this spot along the trail.
Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen are also overflowing with flowers. Both these preserves offer mountain mint, wild bergamot, wild quinine, black-eyed Susan, the very tall compass plant, yellow coneflower, sweet Joy-Pye weed, and more. Somme Prairie Grove has large patches of rattlesnake master.
Wolf Road Prairie also features blazing star, but it’s also rich in white blooms, including rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and Culver’s root. Also look for the large, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.
Here are some sample photos of the blazing star displays at Spears Woods and Bluff Spring Fen (from previous years):
Spears Woods’ finest show is beginning right now in its prairies, as blazing stars shoot toward the sky.*
At Bluff Spring Fen, blazing star also blooms throughout the preserve. This spot is the seep of the fen, located at the bottom of the “bowl” in the center of the preserve.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
—Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 07/15/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 15, 2016
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen, again, top the list for the best preserves to visit. I really like the many different flowers species blooming all at once at these sites. At both preserves, you’ll experience grand displays of purple prairie clover, and you’ll also find the minty bergamot and mountain mint, wild quinine, black-eyed Susan, the very tall compass plant, yellow coneflower, sweet Joy-Pye weed, and more. Bluff Spring Fen is showcasing a lush presentation of marsh blazing star at the base of the bowl in the center of the preserve. And more are on the way! Somme Prairie Grove has large patches of molecular rattlesnake master. This flower is a blast! (See below.)
Wolf Road Prairie is also rich with white blooms, including rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and Culver’s root. And, while you’re there, be on the watch for prairie dock, with it’s large, heart-shaped leaves.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois is covered with purple prairie clover, along with a fading patch of the rarer white prairie clover.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois is currently putting on a dramatic show of wild quinine.
To experience rattlesnake master, visit Somme Prairie Grove, 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:
Rattlesnake master is a wonderful Chicago prairie flower that looks like something you’d find in Arizona or Texas.*
Just like last week, Somme Prairie Grove, Bluff Spring Fen, and Shoe Factory Road Prairie are great for purple prairie clover:
There’s hardly a dull moment in Bluff Spring Fen’s prairie. Just as blooms of leadplant and coreopsis fade, purple prairie clover rises to take their place.*
There are two fragrant healers in bloom. “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.*
While you’re perusing the prairie, watch for the leaves of the prairie’s most iconic plants. The heart-shaped leaf is that of prairie dock, and the long-lobed leaf is from a cousin called compass plant.
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
—Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 07/08/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 8, 2016
Bluff Spring Fen, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove are on the list for great places to visit for the next week. Wolf Road Prairie is also going strong with blooms of white and many large, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.
View this video of Bluff Spring Fen and July’s many purple wildflowers:
Watch this video of Shoe Factory Road Prairie and my favorite-smelling flower:
Visit Bluff Spring Fen, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove for celebrations of purple prairie clover:
A bee hovers towards one of many blooms of purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois is putting on a show of wildflowers throughout this preserve, including purple prairie clover, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, and black-eyed Susan. This preserve is big enough to give you a good hike.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois is celebrating the month of July, offering flowers like pale purple coneflower, leadplant, black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, and wild quinine. Purple prairie clover and the minty-smelling wild bergamot are taking off.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois is covered with purple prairie clover, along with a patch of the rarer white prairie clover.
Wolf Road Prairie is covered in white with wild quinine, Culver’s root, and early blooms of rattlesnake master.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois is currently putting on a dramatic show of wild quinine.
—Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 06/30/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 30, 2016
Somme Prairie Grove, Bluff Spring Fen, and Shoe Factory Road Prairie are among the best places to visit through the week of the Fourth of July:
Purple-flowered leadplant is beginning to flower in the prairies and oak savannas of the Chicago region, including here in the savanna at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois.*
White wild quinine, yellow coreopsis, and purple leadplant are all going strong at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
At Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, deep-rooted leadplants combine with the happy yellow faces of coreopsis.*
Eastern prickly pear cactus is blooming in sandy preserves across the Chicago region. Learn more below.
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area. See where to find this wonder of nature below.*
White-flowered wild quinine and marsh phlox can be found at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
For an array of different wildflowers, Bluff Spring Fen is a great place to visit over the next weeks. Watch this video to learn about what you’ll see at Bluff Spring Fen:
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois offers many different wildflowers in bloom throughout this preserve, including prairie coreopsis, leadplant, smooth phlox, wild quinine, and black-eyed Susan. This preserve is a nice size, which gives you a nice amount of time to spend along the many trails.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois is blooming like mad, offering flowers like pale purple coneflower, prairie coreopsis, leadplant, black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, and wild quinine. Purple prairie clover and the minty-smelling wild bergamot are just starting to flower. Orange and red Michigan lily can be found at the bridge over the stream near the main entrance.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois is a gem. Visit over the next week for fantastic blooms of prairie coreopsis and leadplant. Purple and, the rarer, white prairie clover are also flowering!
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois is currently putting on a dramatic show of wild quinine and Indian plantain.
To experience Chicago’s own cactus in bloom, visit:
Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois
Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve in South Elgin, Illinois
—Mike
REMARKABLE FACTS ABOUT CHICAGO NATURE – Fact 1: Chicago is a Natural Paradise!
REMARKABLE FACTS ABOUT CHICAGO NATURE
Fact 1: Chicago is a Natural Paradise!
(Experience the Magic of Nature Near Your Home)
Use this photo gallery to take a short tour of Chicago nature and you’ll discover that the title is true: Chicago is a natural paradise!
With over 350 square miles of natural areas within about an hour’s drive of downtown Chicago, the Chicago region is certainly a natural paradise. In fact, the Chicagoland area is remarkable for its biological richness and natural beauty that emanate from its prairies and fens, woodlands and wetlands, sand dunes and savannas. Knowing this should make every Chicagoan crack a smile that stretches from ear to ear. Imagine how you can use this knowledge for attaining greater peace and prosperity:
- During the week, ease your stress by finding a nearby preserve and taking regular walks.
- On the weekends, get away from it all by planning local nature excursions with friends and family.
- During the summer, instead of vacationing in popular national parks where people are everywhere, save lots of money and avoid travel stress by staying home and planning multiple outings to our wondrous and lightly traveled preserves.
- Meet passionate people, have a lot of fun, and help make Chicago nature even better by volunteering at a preserve of your choice.
“Evening falls upon the land. Perched high on cattails above the orange wetland, a competitive chorus of red-winged blackbirds relentlessly hails, ending the day exactly as they began it. Just above the tree line, a great blue heron flies home to roost. Squadrons of dragonflies, once aggressively buzzing the skies on sorties, helicopter into the camouflage of low‑lying grasses to spend the night. Shapes of white-tailed deer silently slip into the open prairie. From across the slough, I hear the forlorn lament of a clandestine coyote. Appearing from behind the brush, it sees my human figure and then nervously vanishes into the thicket. In the final light, a peculiar silhouette flickers against the fading sky. With pointy wings flitting, a bat dances in the heavy air, mere feet above my head. These are just some of my experiences in the wilds of the region known as Chicago.”—Excerpt from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago.
Now, I invite you to step outside and explore the natural wonders that surround you. Use this website to find magic and awe in the place you call “home.”
Thanks for visiting, and I hope to see you on the trail.
—Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 06/23/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 23, 2016
Right now, Bluff Spring Fen is the place to visit. Watch this video to learn about what you’ll see:
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois is the best preserve to visit at the moment. It offers flowers like the fragrant pasture rose, foxglove beardtongue, pale purple coneflower, porcupine grass, prairie coreopsis, leadplant, and wild quinine.
Fermilab Prairie in Batavia, Illinois for foxglove beardtongue and miraculous melting spiderwort.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois for prairie coreopsis, and leadplant, and porcupine grass. Click here to read more about this wondrous plant here. This hill prairie is going to be in fantastic bloom next week.
—Mike
Miraculous Spinning Seed of Porcupine Grass
Miraculous Spinning Seed of Porcupine Grass
Watch this video to experience the spinning seed of porcupine grass:
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. See video above.
Porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea, previously known as Stipa spartea, for anyone who cares) is a particularly fun and interesting plant because of its fascinating seed. The common name refers to its long needles, which apparently resemble the spines of a porcupine, though I think the needle-like fruit best resembles a six- to seven-inch spear. The seed head represents the blade, and the long shaft is known as the awn. As the javelin-shaped fruit falls from the plant, the heavy seed head leads the way and embeds its sharp tip into the soil. As the awn dries, it twirls counter-clockwise until the shaft becomes so tightly wound that the implanted seed head begins to drill into the ground. Humidity and moisture have the opposite effect on the awn, causing it to uncoil, allowing rain or heavy dew to straighten it out. As the awn unwinds, the seed is left in place. The drilling process resumes when the environment dries out, and the cycle repeats until the seed is deposited as far as three to four inches beneath the surface, where the awn decays and the grain germinates. Seeds of porcupine grass can’t help but drill, so much so that they’ve been known to cause fatal wounds in animals. Hence, trust me when I tell you that putting them in your pocket is a big mistake.
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. See video above.
In June, you can find porcupine grass and their spear-like seeds at prairies and savannas across the Chicago region, including:
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois
-Mike
Chicago Nature Now! Alert – 06/16/2016
Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 16, 2016
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, Right Now!:
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois for pale purple coneflowers, foxglove beardtongue, and porcupine grass.
Fermilab Prairie in Batavia, Illinois for foxglove beardtongue and miraculous melting spiderwort.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois is normally great for pale purple coneflowers. This year, the crop is a bit thin. However, if you’re in the area, stop by and see the rare porcupine grass. Read more about this wondrous plant in the caption below.
See photos* and video below for more details:
Find foxglove beardtongue blooming at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and other prairies across the Chicago region.*
Pale purple coneflowers rise above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Foxglove beardtongue can be found blowing in the wind at Fermilab Prairie in Batavia.*
On most years, like shown in this photo, Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove offers a flamboyant display of pale purple coneflowers and purple scurfy pea. However, this year, the crop of coneflowers is thin. In this picture, mixed amongst the coneflowers, the bright-colored grasses crisscrossing the center of the frame are porcupine grass. If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit to see this rare plant. The long spear-like seeds if porcupine grass miraculously drill themselves into the earth, in a counter-clockwise motion that you can actually watch. Soon, I will be blogging about porcupine grass.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Nature varies from season to season.
Watch my video from Bluff Spring Fen as recorded on June 13, 2016:
Miraculous Melting Spiderwort
Miraculous Melting Spiderwort
Ohio spiderwort comes to life in the morning light at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois.
In late May, 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. At dawn, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. But as the day wears on, it 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 melts blue between my fingertips.
To follow is possibly my favorite caption 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 materializing 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