Mike MacDonald’s
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
July 3, 2024
(Independence Day Edition)
“Weekly Wildflower Forecasts Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Walks”
Summer Nature Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
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Get outside to experience magnificent flower shows
in our showcase prairies and savannas.
Experience Fourth of July Fireworks in Our Prairies
Around the 4th of July, fireflies light 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.*
WILDFLOWER FORECAST & HIGHLIGHTS to help you plan your outdoor adventures into Chicago’s Prairies, Woodlands and Savannas:
Early July can offer stunning shows of golden prairie coreopsis, ivory wild quinine, and purple leadplant. 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.
During this first week of July, prairie coreopsis, leadplant, pale purple coneflower, butterfly weed, and wild quinine can create some stunning displays. The first two species are featured as our Plants of the Week along with Chicago’s most surprising native plant: eastern prickly pear cactus. What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! You can find also find its large yellow blossoms in sandy prairies and oak savannas, including Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.
Purple leadplant prominently erupts at Somme Prairie Grove, Pembroke Savanna, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen. At the latter two sites, a heart-stopping mix of leadplant and golden prairie coreopsis often bloom side-by-side. However, the finest show of leadplant happens at Somme Prairie Grove where it nearly brings me to tears. And another purple flower called purple prairie clover often begins its bloom in the first week of July.
The best shows of pale purple coneflower take place at Bluff Spring Fen, Belmont Prairie, on the slopes outside the fence at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and to some extent at Theodore Stone Preserve and Middlefork Savanna. Golden prairie coreopsis shines most brightly at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen.
Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies. And the beautiful orange pom pom flower heads of butterfly weed are starting to flower in our prairies and savannas, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Somme Prairie Grove, and Belmont Prairie.
The dramatic pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue may still be flowering in our local prairies, especially at Spears Woods and Bluff Spring Fen. 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.
And finally, the run of Ohio spiderwort may is reaching its end. But you may still be able to experience the ephemeral blue flowers that open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. You can find them growing at many of our showcase preserves. Click here to read my poem about it.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early 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.
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!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook: This preserve’s finest flower shows happen in July. Words are not sufficient to describe the wave of emotion that washes over me as I catch sight of the kaleidoscopic knobs. Low mounds under the open skies to the north are home to scenes filled with an amalgam of color, texture, joy, inspiration, and life. Passionate purples mix with sparkling whites and startling explosions of orange. And glorious golds begin at your feet and rise toward the clouds. All this happens upon a flowing canvas shaped by emerald hearts, mops, and bottlebrushes. You’ll find leadplant, purple prairie clover, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, butterfly weed, mountain mint, black-eyed Susan, compass plant, prairie dock, and prairie dropseed. Blooms of purple prairie clover begin to spread from the knobs to put on shows in other parts of the savanna. On your way to the knobs, you’ll find these same flowers and several more, including many marsh phlox, pasture rose, prairie lily, common St. John’s wort, daisy fleabane, white wild indigo, fragrant round plumes of New Jersey tea, and the tall tuberous Indian plantain. Also take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates: This preserve is officially located within the fence at the top of the hill. Usually, the start of July stages a glorious show of leadplant and prairie coreopsis. Also look for wild quinine, downy phlox, and a handful of short green milkweed amidst a sea of porcupine grass. Throughout the prairie, you’ll find various lush textures and green hues from forbs, sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. Outside the fence on your way up to the entrance, you should see hundreds of pale purple coneflower blooming on the southern and western slopes accompanied by wild quinine. You may also find leadplant, rattlesnake master, wild bergamot, and purple prairie clover. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion: The black oak savanna (or sand savanna) is the most colorful portion of the preserve, where a diverse array of flowers may be blooming, including orange butterfly weed, golden hoary puccoon and sand coreopsis, pink pasture rose and marsh phlox, white daisy fleabane and 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 probably blooming. And keep your eyes peeled for the spectacular yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. You’ll also find these 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 long spearlike seeds that drill themselves into the soil, though many of seeds may have already dropped. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. NOTE: I highly recommend that you VISIT EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the rambunctious beachgoers. While you’re there, consider the short drive north to see Chiwaukee Prairie.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: The grand performances of pale purple coneflower are often at peak bloom or just a little past. The white snapdragon flowers of foxglove beardtongue can be quite prominent, though they may be showing their age. And the golden rays of freshly blooming prairie coreopsis usually reach peak bloom before the first of July. The spikes of leadplant are turning purple in time for their beautiful show in July. All these flowers are complemented by the cauliflower crowns of wild quinine and sprays of porcupine grass. Ohio spiderwort may still be blooming in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame where the purple spikes of leadplant are still waiting to flower. You should also find flashes of orange from butterfly weed, gold from black-eyed Susan, points of blue vervain, and skewers of white wild indigo.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove: This is best time of year to visit this remnant prairie when several colorful flowers bloom at once, led by a spectacular performances of orange butterfly weed and pale purple coneflower amidst a blue veil of scurfy pea and the dramatic alabaster blooms of wild quinine. You also might find golden black-eyed Susan and false sunflower. There might also still be some blooms of Ohio spiderwort, with purple flowers that open around sunrise and soon shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool, huh? Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. And porcupine grass is showing off its long miraculous seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my video of the drilling seed. And finally, appreciate the large gorgeous leaves of prairie dock and compass plant that glow brightly under a backlit sun.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs: Visit the prairies for the best shows, which usually comes from dramatic displays of alabaster wild quinine alongside with sparkling mountain mint. Other ivory blooms include foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, and daisy fleabane. The ephemeral blue blooms of Ohio spiderwort may still be blooming in the mornings. You may discover small explosions of orange butterfly weed, yellow eruptions of prairie sundrop, a sprinkling of golden black-eyed Susan, and possibly an early blooming of compass plant. If you pay close attention, you may find the sublime blossoms of orange Michigan lily and purple milkweed. Climbing wild rose should be reaching peak bloom. It looks like a large bush. And finally, scan the prairie for the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around the plants that it’s feeding on. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where your walk will take you through woodlands, prairies, and around gorgeous wetlands.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester: Around now, the best flower shows take place in the southernmost portion of the prairie with a dramatic performance of wild quinine. New flowers should be starting to bloom with color getting better by the day. Along the way, you may experience fresh blooms of white Culver’s root, flowering spurge, and rattlesnake master alongside golden rosinweed, and yellow coneflower, and lavender puffs of wild bergamot. You’ll also find the occasional white wild indigo, a smattering of yellow-petaled black-eyed Susan and towering stalks of gold-flowered compass plant. The textures and colors of the foliage adds to the excitement, including the blue-greens of rattlesnake master and hundreds of prairie dock hearts that glow in the light of a low sun.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park: You should find large displays of daisy fleabane and possibly a beautiful display of goat’s rue alongside buttery blooms of Cleland’s evening primrose, pink spotted bee balm, some white sparkles of flowering spurge, and small eruptions of orange butterfly weed. The beautiful pink pasture rose should also be available for you to inhale its intoxicating fragrance. This is also a great place to see spiderwort. It can be everywhere. But you need to arrive early before it gets hot.
Miller Woods (at Paul H. Douglas Environmental Center for Education) in Indiana Dunes National Park: Depending on the blooming status of spiderwort, this preserve may be a “Go” if you visit in the morning when it’s in full flower and before the purple blossoms melt away. In any case, there’s always a lot to explore here, and you can make a day of it, especially because there are other places in the park to visit. Check in at the visitor center at Miller Woods for guidance. I love the always-energetic sprays of acrobatic bracken fern that provide texture and beauty even when nothing’s abloom. In addition to spiderwort, sprays of hairy puccoon, sand coreopsis, and two-flowered Cynthia add golden tones to the mix, and downy phlox provide splashes of pink. And along your hike, you may experience fragrant pasture rose. Walk the main trail that heads to the lake and you may discover some eastern prickly pear cactus that prefers the open sand. After your hike, consider checking out nearby Tolleston Dunes.
“GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD”:
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 and enter. Once inside, I suggest walking all of the trails because of how the prairie and flowers vary along the way. The preserve is quite green, but if you don’t have a lot of time and you’re in the Markham area, it’s worth a trip into nature to clear your head. The most prominent flower in bloom is probably wild quinine. You may also see some white wild indigo, black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, marsh phlox, and tuberous Indian plantain. Along my walk, I once startled a mother deer and its fawn. Before I knew it, they disappeared into the prairie shrubbery, forever hidden.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest: This preserve consists of prairie, wetland, and oak savanna. Ohio spiderwort may still be flowering and often puts on a fine show alongside nice ivory displays of foxglove beardtongue and meadow anemone. Tall purple meadow rue, with fluffy yellowish flowers and purple stems, can sometimes be abundant about a quarter-mile north of the entrance. False sunflower is probably in bloom. And check the wetland south of the main entrance for the beautiful white fragrant water lily.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin: There might be a very nice display of marsh phlox alongside tuberous Indian plantain, and Ohio spiderwort. And look for beautiful sprays of porcupine grass, ferns, and prairie dropseed.
PLANTS OF THE WEEK: EASTERN PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS, PRAIRIE COREOPSIS, & LEADPLANT
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found between late June through mid-July in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
Prairie Coreopsis
Sometime between late June and early July, the golden rays of prairie coreopsis (or stiff coreopsis) can be found in the best preserves, often in the dry and gravelly spots. The plant multiplies by spreading rhizome to create colonies. Their bright yellow flower heads bloom at the beginning of summer before tall warm-season grasses obscure them from the sight of pollinating insects. Atop this gravelly hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, deep-rooted leadplant combines with the happy yellow faces of prairie coreopsis as they shine through the dissipating fog.*
Leadplant
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the foreground; and further out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master. You can find leadplant growing at many other preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, and Wolf Road Prairie.*
PHOTO SECTION
Somme Prairie Grove Overflows with Beauty and Biodiversity
At Somme Prairie Grove, the magnificent blooms upon the knobs of the savanna come to life in the warmth of the morning light.*
At Somme Prairie Grove, the many flowers of the oak savanna sparkled brilliantly in the last light of day.*
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.*
Pale Purple Coneflower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine. I just love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproots, 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.*
Sometimes the petals of pale purple coneflowers are colored pale white. Here, a combination of pink and white coneflowers populate the kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen, Belmont Prairie, and on the slopes outside the fence at Shoe Factory Road Prairie,*
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
June brings pale purple coneflower, scurfy pea, and porcupine grass to Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove.*
Butterfly Weed
The orange flowers of butterfly weed are a popular source of nutrition for our native pollinators, including this coral hairstreak butterfly that sucks up nectar at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Butterfly weed is a milkweed, but it doesn’t possess the milky sap that gives milkweeds their name. Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can also find this plant at several high-quality prairies and savannas, 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.*
Compass Plant
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
The Melting Flowers 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. You may find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and other preserves.
As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.*
By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and ferns cover the side of the dunes.*
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 Shoe Factory Road Prairie, 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.*
Culver’s Root
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.
Wild Bergamot & Yellow Coneflower Blooms in the First Half of July
“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.*
Rattlesnake Master Flowers in the First Half of July
Rattlesnake master is a wonderful 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 Prairie, Spears Woods, Theodore Stone Preserve, and other local prairies and savannas.*
Hoary Puccoon
The golden blooms of hoary puccoon can be found, here, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and many other preserves around the region including Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and more.*
Purple Milkweed
The striking blooms of purple milkweed can be found in the best prairies and savannas, including Somme Prairie Grove and, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
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.*
Green Glow
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.*
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.
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
