Mike MacDonald’s 
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert 
 August 26, 2024

“Weekly Wildflower Forecasts Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Walks”

 

Summer Nature Walks & Outdoor Getaways!

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WILDFLOWER FORECAST & HIGHLIGHTS to help you plan your outdoor adventures into Chicago nature:

At the end of August, the prairies begin their turn to gold, the tall grasses take on rich autumnal tones, and breathtaking purple performances of rough blazing star are staged throughout the region. But nature isn’t just about flowers. It’s about the experience. Explore and discover a preserve from the list below. Be open to nature’s unexpected gifts, whether it be a colorful, awe-inspiring bloom, the mysterious squeak of two rubbing trees mimicking the cry of a baby animal, or the life-affirming scent of mountain mint. All of these things will open up your life to a world of wonder and intrigue.

According to my database, follow the big purple shows of rough blazing star (our first of two Plants of the Week) taking place at Bluff Spring Fen, Lake in the Hills Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Pembroke Savanna, and Shoe Factory Road Prairie. And this week is usually when the prairies turn to gold, especially when towering sawtooth sunflower (our second Plant of the Week) covers much of Wolf Road Prairie and good portions at Spears Woods! And then there’s Somme Prairie Grove that offers a breathtaking array of flowers and textures.

Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen each feature many performance stages thanks to a fanfare of color from at least two dozen flowering species. Bluff Spring Fen offers the aforementioned rough blazing star and Somme Prairie Grove features gentians of cream and blue that hide close to the ground.

Spears Woods features wildflower shows in its prairies, woodlands, and wetlands. This preserve also provides great trails far away from traffic, with varied habitats, and dramatic vistas.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When visiting a preserve before ten o’clock in the morning, wear rain gear or you could end up soaked to the skin from the dew. A pioneer of the prairie once remarked, “Walking through a dewy stand of big bluestem is like jumpin’ in the crick.” And I can vouch for that.

Wolf Road Prairie is turning to gold with a potentially tremendous show of sawtooth sunflower. And Belmont Prairie offers cream gentian amidst the golden blooms.

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and Pembroke Savanna are famous for their shows of rough blazing star that combine with sparkling florets of flowering spurge amidst the occasional buttery blooms of large flowered false foxglove and golden western sunflower.

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 a ninety-degree afternoon.

Shoe Factory Road Prairie and the adjacent prairie should be blooming strong with rough blazing star and many other species that include cylindrical blazing star and the whimsical obedient plant with snapdragon flowers that obediently stay put as you move them side to side about their botanical hinge.

Gensburg-Markham Prairie, located in the south suburbs, is one of the finest prairies in the world. It offers a wide array of color and blowing seas of grasses.

TIP: Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early light, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all of this, along with the promise of a new day.

This is the moment to to experience the beautiful and prominent grasses of our prairies and oak savannas, including big bluestem, Indian grass, side oats grama, little bluestem, and Canada wild rye. Indian grass has feather duster plumes with miniature yellow flowers. And when you find yourself under the trees, look for bottlebrush grass and the wild ryes of Virginia and silky.

Goldenrod is beginning to bloom everywhere, but don’t worry about your allergies because goldenrod is NOT responsible for triggering them. Yes, you read that right. The pollen of goldenrod is so heavy that it drops to the ground. Therefore, it can’t float through air to be inhaled. The real culprit is common ragweed that blooms at the same time. This is also when many of the asters begin to flower, which marks the end of the blooming season. There are so many asters and goldenrods that it’s hard to identify them all. Click here for a complete (pdf) list of local asters and goldenrods. And, right now, you can see white snakeroot, the deadly plant that killed thousands in the 1800’s to what was called “milk sickness,” including Mary Lincoln, mother to Abraham. You can smell it and touch it, JUST DON’T EAT IT! Watch this video to learn more:

For a greater appreciation of our native habitats, touch and smell the plants. (But don’t eat them unless you know what you’re doing.) Run your fingers across the soft tan tassels of Indian grass and atop the rough, sometimes smooth, leaves of our many sunflowers. Tickle your hand as you pass through a cloudy plume of prairie dropseed. And while you’re there, stop and pay attention to its rich fragrance of slightly burnt buttered popcorn. Receive the strong and refreshing fragrance of mint from the fading flowers of mountain mint and wild bergamot. The seeds of yellow coneflower smell like licorice, while the seeds of purple prairie clover give off my favorite good smell in Chicago nature—a transfusion of lemons and carrots. So, what is my favorite bad smell? That would be the brown, teardrop seed ball of foxglove beardtongue. When in bloom, the white snapdragon flowers have no appreciable smell. But beginning around the end of August, the seeds smell exactly like vomit. Some say, “moldy socks.” Either way, it’s fabulous!

Summer is a also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented that describes the bright-green glow of foliage from sunlight shining through it. 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.

If you’re looking for longer walks, try these showcase preserves: Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Lake in the Hills Fen, Spears Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.

 

SUMMER WILDFLOWER GETAWAYS AROUND CHICAGO:

I’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the information predicted by my one-of-a-kind propriety database of wildflowers blooming events, 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 make it to the top-rated preserves.

LIKELY, THIS WEEK’S BEST CHOICES (“GO!”):

Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester: Golden! The prairie reaches peak golden bloom somewhere between the last week of August and the second week of September with a dramatic show featuring sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, rosinweed, and various species of goldenrod that include tall goldenrod grass-leaved, early, and stiff. As you traverse the oak savanna from the kiosk along 31st Street, you’ll find bristly sprays of bottlebrush grass, the last of fading woodland sunflower and sweet Joe-Pye weed, goldenrods, and the occasional ironweed. Soon you’ll enter the prairie that offers a splendid mix of flowers. Taking a wide view of the prairie, the color can be described much like Spears Woods: white and gold with occasional flashes of pink and purple. The whites of tall boneset are probably the most dominant flower with the beautiful sprays of flowering spurge coming in second. And the fading ivory blooms of rattlesnake master and wild quinine still call for your attention. Rosinweed, goldenrod (grass-leaved, early, and stiff), and the start of sawtooth sunflower contribute to the golds. Smooth ironweed combine with rough blazing star to provide accents of purple. Obedient plant. pasture thistle, and the light-pink balls of nodding wild onion add a beautiful blush to the mix of silver and gold. And look for round-headed bush clover, one of my favorite flowers. It’s not the tiny flowers that attract me. It’s their fluffy green heads. Depending on the year, prairie dock can create a magnificent show as they push up hundreds of skyward stalks of golden flowers. The aortic foliage of this plant is wonderful to behold along with that of its cousin, compass plant. Take note of the bob hairdos of prairie dropseed. And appreciate the warm hues of the coming season with the turkey-footed tassels of big bluestem and the flowering feathery plumes of Indian grass. Note: Theodore Stone Preserve and Spears Woods are located close by.

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion: Wilderness! The next two weeks often offer memorable experiences. The cusp of August and September often brings the stunning show starring the purples of rough blazing star that carry throughout the preserve, especially in the sand prairie. Starting at the parking lot of the nature preserve, the savanna is also flowering beautifully with the aforementioned rough blazing star alongside western sunflower, flowering spurge, and the yellow megaphone blossoms of large flowered false foxglove. However, the finest shows should be taking place in the sunny sand prairie where rough blazing star is  joined by a breathtaking cast of western sunflower, flowering spurge, beach wormwood, white goldenrod and field goldenrod, and blooming bushes of shrubby cinquefoil amidst a sandy landscape of feathery Indian grass and switch grass, flowering little bluestem, and a sprawling groundcover of creeping juniper and bearberry. Note: Consider visiting Chiwaukee Prairie while you’re already in the area. 

Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates: A gem! This Illinois Nature Preserve is located atop the hill inside the fence, where the color is often dominated by pink, yellow, and white. Beautiful blushing displays of cylindrical blazing star and obedient plant alongside a smattering of nodding wild onion may be the show of the week, that is, unless the spectacular rough blazing star has already started to flower. Tall coreopsis is a main contributor to the yellows along with western sunflower, various goldenrods (field, stiff, etc.), plus rosinweed and its cousins prairie dock and compass plant. The whites mainly come from flowering spurge, white goldenrod (which resembles an aster), and the fading ivories of rattlesnake master. The subtle, yet gorgeous, round-headed bush clover is showing off its fuzzy green head with small pink-and-white flowers. And look for the lovely flowing sea of short curving grass known as tall dropseed, The Indian grass and little bluestem are gorgeous, too. In the savanna, look for a large display of golden woodland sunflower, tall goldenrod, tall boneset, cup plant, and the fading mauves of sweet Joe-Pye weed. Outside of the fence is the prairie associated with Carl Hansen Woods, formerly known as Poplar Creek Prairie. You’ll experience a wide array of flowers, here, as well. It’s a vast panorama on a canvas of tall grasses that are now starting to exhibit the red, purple, and brown tones of autumn. The grasses of big bluestem and Indian grass dominate the grass population. The golden blooms of tall coreopsis should be blooming strong. and sawtooth sunflower may be extremely abundant. You should also find nodding wild onion, flowering spurge, and fading blooms rattlesnake master and wild quinine, golden rosinweed and compass plant, and stands of round-headed bush clover. Note: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.

Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: Peaceful! You can usually find tremendous beauty around this time, with at least twenty flower species blooming across the preserve. The trail begins by the kiosk where the oak savanna greets you and where you’ll find yourself protected under the warm embrace of majestic oaks. The trail winds you through the trees and along the kames, around the sunny prairie, and through the main wetland known as a fen. At first, you should see the fluffy and tall sweet Joe-Pye weed, towering white pale Indian plantain, the aptly named bottlebrush grass, silky wild rye and its larger cousin Canada wild rye. Look for the buttery blooms of large flowered false foxglove and mullein foxglove, as well as the towering stands of white pale Indian plantain and stunning mauve sweet Joe-Pye weed. 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 alongside towering white cowbane, gorgeous great blue lobelia, swamp thistle, and cup plant. Continuing under the protection of oaks, you should find pasture thistle, and to your right at the base of the kame, you’ll find a glorious golden show of tall cutleaf coneflower and wingstem. And you might find the poisonous white snakeroot. (See video below.) On your left is a narrow trail that takes you to the top of the “big kame.” On your way up, look for the whimsical displays of the aptly named bottlebrush grass. Once atop the gravelly peak, you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve and a potentially breathtaking display of pink-buttoned cylindrical blazing star, nodding wild onion, fading white plumes of whorled milkweed, and fresh blooms of rough blazing star. After returning to ground level, as you pass the savanna, I recommend making a right turn into the open prairie and moving counter-clockwise around the preserve back to this spot. Now under the sun, you’ll find blue vervain, sparkling flowering spurge, the fading flowers of wild quinine and rattlesnake master, the three flowering grasses of big bluestem, side oats grama, and Indian grass, plus sprays of switch grass and the wonderful bristled heads of Canada wild rye that will soak you to the skin when loaded with morning dew. And you may find a glorious “forest” of tall compass plant to the west. To see them up close, take the trail to the right at the “Y.” Twist and turn through a tangle of delightfully bristly compass plant stalks to experience the best skin exfoliation service that Chicago nature has to offer.  Talk about the best arm-scratch ever!

Returning to the main trail, head east through a dense stand of big bluestem grass full of miniature flowers that can give off fragrant plumes of pollen as you brush past.  After a short walk, you’ll run into a gravelly area with hoary vervain, named for its soft hairy leaves, as well as the dried-up, yet still fragrant, brown flower heads 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. 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 always need trimming) that also hides a narrow boardwalk that’s easy to trip over. Crossing the boardwalk will take you towards a gravelly bowl with pools of trickling water. That’s the main seep of the fen and one of the rarest habitats on earth. On higher, drier ground surrounding the bowl you should find wild quinine, Ohio goldenrod, early goldenrod, and showy tick trefoil. In and immediately around the alkaline water of the seep, you’ll find the yellow blooms of bushy shrubby cinquefoil along with pink spotted Joe-Pye weed, white common boneset, and a smattering of purple pasture thistle.

As you continue to the north, watch for the narrow hard-to-see boardwalk. After crossing it, stay straight (don’t veer left), as the trail ducks under a low tree and up the “switchback kame.” On your way to the top, you’ll find a potentially glorious purple display of rough blazing star alongside his cousin cylindrical blazing star, which has the deepest roots of any prairie plant. (See an root illustration below.) As the trails steers left and down into the shade, you’ll see some of the same species as before, including especially nice stands of pale Indian plantain, and sweet Joe-Pye weed. At the top of the kame, head west towards the savanna. Soon, you’ll reach an intersection that you’ll take to the left and across a small creek with stepping stones. This is the place to experience plants from the fen, the prairie, and oak savanna. As you reach the kame, stay left with the kame to your right and you’ll soon find yourself back where you started and into the sun. If you visit early in the morning, wear rain gear or you’ll end up soaked to the skin from dew. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Note: While you’re here, consider checking out nearby Shoe Factory Road Prairie.

Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills: Panoramic beauty! This preserve offers a dramatic panoramic view that is best enjoyed at edges of daylight, when it’s not hot and sunny. Enjoy the array of flowers that flow along the vast rolling landscape of the prairie and fen. At the end of August, dramatic shows of rough blazing star take center stage, awash in the golden hues of late summer exuded by the many goldenrods of early, Riddell’s, tall, and grass-leaved and the sunflower-like blooms of tall coreopsis, rosinweed, sawtooth sunflower, and prairie dock. Oceans of tall grasses wave in the warm prairie winds, including flowering, feathery Indian grass, turkey-foot tasseled big bluestem, and the breathtaking reddening little bluestem. As you walk the high and low trails, you’ll find many more blossoms, including the pinks of obedient plant, nodding wild onion, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and fading cylindrical blazing star, plus the purples of pasture thistle. White goldenrod is blooming on a gravelly kame near the entrance. However, it looks nothing like goldenrod and more like an aster. Next to the the fens you may find grass-of-Parnassus, great blue lobelia, swamp thistle, shrubby cinquefoil, swamp betony, and spotted Joe-Pye weed that also grows in abundance in most of the wet areas. Along your way, you should also see many other flowers in bloom, including the spikes of blue vervain and hoary vervain, and a significant amount of ivory tall boneset. A forest of prairie dock can be found along the far southern trail. When you enter the preserve through the zig-zag opening, consider taking a left and hiking the short looping trail that ends right back at the entrance. Then take the longer trail (making a right at the entrance) that takes the high ground into the southern section of the fen and all the way to “Barbara’s Bench.” This memorial bench pays tribute to the late Barbara Wilson, who dedicated much of her life to the stewardship and protection of this preserve, and to her favorite area of the preserve. In 2004, Barb escorted me to this spot that’s overlooks the seep of a hanging fen that she described as “nirvana” and the “holiest of holy.” NOTE: If you visit in the morning, wear waterproof pants and shoes, otherwise you’ll likely get soaked to the skin with the dew. 

Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook: Resplendent! Somme Prairie Grove is known for the simultaneous blooms of many species, and that’s what you’ll find right now. However, most of the flowering is taking place in the sunny oak savanna. The woodland offers big displays of woodland sunflower and many more flowers and grasses that include the pink-plumed sweet Joe-Pye weed, lofty pale Indian plantain, the yellow-petaled sweet coneflower, brown-eyed Susan, black-eyed Susan, and large flowered false foxglove, plus the purple buttons of Missouri ironweed, and the perfectly named bottlebrush grass. Under the open sky of the savanna, golden rays of prairie dock, compass plant, and tall coreopsis reach for the clouds. Closer to Earth, you’ll find scores of other flowers that will take your breath away with sparkling textures and colors that include the following species: white filigrees of flowering spurge, faded wild quinine, mountain mint and rattlesnake master, the goldenrods (including early and grass-leaved), the wonderfully woolly flower heads of round-headed bush clover, and the pinks and purples of showy tick trefoil, nodding wild onion, swamp milkweed, obedient plant, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and a smattering of rough blazing star. And closest to earth are the glorious low-lying blooms of a cream and the blue bottle gentian. If you run into the yellow-flowered rosinweed, run your fingers over the stiff foliage and you’ll instantly understand the name. Along your walk, you may also find these flowering plants: blue vervain, self heal, the gorgeous red cardinal flower, and the miniature blooms of big bluestem and Indian grass. The floppy stringy hairdos of prairie dropseed is growing everywhere under the sun, but watch your step. It’s very easy to trip over. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock. And finally, don’t miss the dramatic displays of rattlesnake master “skeletons.” While long past bloom, these decaying cadavers prove that even decay can be beautiful at Somme Prairie Grove! NOTE: If you visit in the morning, wear waterproof pants and shoes, otherwise you’ll probably get soaked from the dew. 

Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park: Paradise! The preserve can be described as white with flashes of gold and purple. The white filigree of flowering spurge should be glistening across the preserve alongside buttery trumpets of large flowered false foxglove, delicate swaying western sunflower, fading partridge pea, and the start of flashy field goldenrod. The elegantly understated flower heads of round-headed bush clover should be aflower. And the purple button blooms of rough blazing star are beginning a show that is often vast and breathtaking.

Spears Woods in Willow Springs: An adventure! This preserve offers many blooms and habitats you can experience while you’re hiking about. This preserve is especially beautiful in the prairie that offers a vast scene of flowers from white, gold, and purple alongside tawny textured grasses. The most prominent player should be the alabaster sprays of flowering spurge that glisten throughout the prairies. The golds are administered by tall coreopsis, early and grass-leaved goldenrod, rosinweed, prairie dock, new blossoms of sawtooth sunflower and long-bracted tickseed sunflower, and fading blooms of compass plant. The purples of the occasional ironweed, pasture thistle, nodding wild onion, and slender false foxglove mingle with brown spikes of prairie blazing star. And the turkey-foot tassels of big bluestem and feathered plumes of Indian grass fill the prairie with early tones of autumn. While the ivory Tinker Toy shapes of rattlesnake master and the cauliflower-heads of wild quinine have faded, they still maintain their whimsical nature. The white button flower heads of mountain mint don’t have many flowers left, but they still retain their stimulating scent. The woodland should be brimming with the fading mauve heads of sweet Joe-Pye weed. The large pink blooms of swamp rose mallow may be present around the shore of Boomerang Slough. And finally, a small colony of American lotus in Hogwash Slough may still be seen from a high point along the trail. Note: Theodore Stone Preserve and Wolf Road Prairie is not too far away.

Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest: This is a large preserve with wide trails made for hiking and biking. At least two dozen plants are currently in bloom, many of which occur in large numbers, that provide colorful vistas of yellow and gold from the goldenrods (grass-leaved, stiff, tall, etc.), rosinweed, and the towering composite blooms of cup plant, sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, compass plant, and prairie dock. Highlights of pearl can be seen in flowering spurge and tall boneset alongside the faded blooms of rattlesnake master mountain mint, and the towering pale Indian plantain. The dramatic purples of prairie blazing star are gone, but those of ironweed add some visual excitement. And there’s much more to see: obedient plant, blue vervain, lots of wild bergamot, and the start of New England aster. In the wetter areas, you’ll find spires of great blue lobelia, the brilliantly red cardinal flower, the gorgeous pink blooms of swamp milkweed and spotted Joe-Pye weed, the spectacular purple spikes of pickerel weed, and the large magenta blossoms of halberd-leaved rose mallow. And finally, this is the perfect time to experience the many grasses that include Canada wild rye, big bluestem, and Indian grass.

Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham: 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 to enter, and then move it back when you leave. Once inside, I suggest walking all of the trails to enjoy the many flowers that vary along the way. In August, you can often find at least two dozen species in bloom at the same time, while the textures of the grasses and sedges add to the grand experience. Stop to appreciate the purple waves of big bluestem and oceans of prairie cordgrass that rise and fall like waves in the wind. Experience the whimsical plumes of Canada wild rye, big bluestem, Indian grass,  switch grass, and prairie dropseed. Spend a moment to inhale dropseed‘s feather duster. It smells like slightly burnt buttered popcorn. Start by taking the path to your left, and travel clockwise around the square mowed trail. Along your way, you should find a beautiful mix of yellow, white, and pink. Early, grass-leaved, and stiff goldenrod combine with sympathetic hues of rosinweed, tall coreopsis, prairie dock, compass plant, and sneezeweed. A filigree of flowering spurge is sprinkled amongst large displays of tall boneset and the fading once-white flowers of rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and mountain mint. And the pinks are provided by nodding wild onion, ironweed, slender false foxglove, spotted Joe-Pye weed in the wet areas, and the occasional appearances of rough blazing star and pasture thistle. As you peruse the prairie, see if you can find the fluffy greenish heads of round-headed bush clover and spikes of blue vervain. As you return on the final leg of the square, the scenery turns to shrubs and royal ferns. Look for a pretty stand of wild senna.

 

“GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD”:

Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins: A glorious grassland! Around this time, the sea of grasses and the mix of yellow flowers is the story of the week. Experience the beautiful flowing grassland that includes many species: Indian grass, big bluestem, little bluestem, switch grass, Canada wild rye, prairie dropseed, and side oats grama. As for the forbs, the main show is beginning in a small patch of dolomite prairie on the eastern half of the preserve, where rough blazing star, nodding wild onion, and white goldenrod grow alongside the breathtaking red stems of little bluestem. Yes, you read it correctly, white goldenrod. It looks like a white aster, and it can be found at other preserves, like Bluff Spring Fen, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Lake in the Hills Fen. Along the way, you’ll also find tall coreopsis, prairie dock, rosinweed, sweet coneflower, and various goldenrods. The occasional deep pinks of ironweed add a little extra sumpin’ sumpin’ to the panorama. There’s still a lot of fading rattlesnake master, wild quinine and still-fragrant mountain mint. And look for the beautiful pink swamp milkweed in the low or wet areas. NOTE: Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are not too far away.

Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove: At this time, this remnant prairie can be gloriously aglow with tones of yellow, white, and flashes of purple. The most prominent shows are often staged by golden displays of prairie dock, early goldenrod, rosinweed, and tall coreopsis. Sparkling sprays of flowering spurge are to the prairie what baby’s breath is to a floral arrangement. And the purple buttons of rough blazing star may now blooming alongside the pinks of nodding wild onion and the occasional pasture thistle. The whimsical balls of rattlesnake master stand amidst rare low-lying cream gentian. 

Lockport Prairie in Lockport: If you’re in the area and can’t travel elsewhere, the short hike through the grand expanse of this dolomite prairie prairie along the out-and-back trail should help to clear your head. You my still find the final pink blooms of nodding wild onion mixed in with a sprinkling of blue vervain, hoary vervain, pale-spiked lobelia, Canada wild rye, and spotted Joe-Pye weed amidst the waves of grasses like big bluestem, Canada wild rye, little bluestem, and Indian grass that seem to dominate this rare habitat.

Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie Wisconsin: This gorgeous preserve by the lake is beautiful at this time of year. The main contributors include various goldenrods, some very nice patches of western sunflower, a smattering of rough blazing star, and blooms of flowering spurge.

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

HUMMINGBIRDS!
The hummingbirds are here! You can find them buzzing about at many nature centers including: Sagawau Canyon, Pilcher Park (at the nature center and south of the greenhouse), and Little Red Schoolhouse.

ACROBATIC FERNS
Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, Cowles Bog Trail, and Hoosier Prairie (all in northwestern Indiana) are leaping with gymnastic ferns that are beginning to change into their autumn colors. 

SEE A SUMMER SUNSET
Saganashkee Slough in Palos Hills: Sensational for sunsets, as our celestial star—a bright, burning brass ball—slowly sinks in the sky to start a sultry summer eve.

 

PLANTS OF THE WEEK: ROUGH BLAZING STAR & SAWTOOTH SUNFLOWER

Rough Blazing Star

 

Sawtooth Sunflower

 

PHOTO SECTION

 

Wolf Road Prairie

 

Bluff Spring Fen

 

Shoe Factory Road Prairie

 

Lake in the Hills Fen

 

Pembroke Savanna

 

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve

 

 

Cylindrical Blazing Star

 

Bottle Gentian

 

Woodland Sunflower

 

Nodding Wild Onion

 

Flowering Spurge

 

Obedient Plant

Spotted Joe-Pye Weed

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

 

Big Bluestem

 

Canada Wild Rye

 

Indian Grass

Side Oats Grama

 

Rattlesnake Master

 

Swamp Rose Mallow

 

Prairie Dock

 

Compass Plant

 

The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock

 

Swamp Milkweed

 

Green Glow

 

Prairie Root System

 

—Mike