Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 19, 2018
“Plan a Chicago outdoor adventure with this Chicago wildflower report
filled with news and info to discover the region’s finest natural wonders.”
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
Click here to subscribe to received FREE nature alerts!
This is a very busy week in the great outdoors of Chicago as the tall and flamboyant prairie blazing star and its slightly shorter cousin, marsh blazing star, add to last week’s grand bouquet of wildflowers.
Here’s are some of the highlights of what’s happening in Chicago nature:
The newest flower on the scene are the tall, feathered spiked blooms of prairie blazing star and marsh blazing star, which can be seen at many prairies around the region,like Lake in the Hills Fen, Wolf Road Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Kickapoo Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Spears Woods, Bartel Grassland in TInley Park, and more. Purple prairie clover is still in the mix at Bluff Spring Fen, Somme Prairie Grove., and other preserves. Their pink-purple blossoms smells like a blend of carrot and lemon—my favorite (nice) scent in Chicago nature. Many other plants are flowering, as well, including Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, rosinweed, compass plant, rattlesnake master, and the fragrant yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, and mountain mint.
Somme Prairie Grove is putting on a grand celebration in biodiversity. It is a pure delight to see so much color and texture. Wolf Road Prairie looks spectacular, as well. With so many different species in bloom, the preserve is giving a lesson in biodiversity. Gensburg-Markham Prairie is now covered with a white glow of wild quinine. I’ve never seen so much. And, not far from there, visit Kickapoo Prairie for Tinker Toy rattlesnake master and the golden blooms of compass plant. And Lake in the Hills Fen offers long walks through fields of flowers.
PLAN YOUR CHICAGO OUTDOOR ADVENTURE THIS WEEKEND
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook: Purple prairie clover, is blooming in dense populations alongside many other flowers that create a beautiful bouquet. See the pearly whites of wild quinine, rattlesnake master, and mountain mint, the lavenders of wild bergamot, the golds of black-eyed Susan, compass plant, and early goldenrod, mixed in with a rich texture of emerald foliage from the grand heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock and the stringy bob hairdo of prairie dropseed.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester: Visit this week to see the biodiversity of a prairie with the new arrival of prairie blazing star alongside many other species in bloom, including the white blossoms of wild quinine, rattlesnake master, and Culver’s root, and the golden bouquets of rosinweed, yellow coneflower, and compass plant. Spiderwort is still blooming during the morning hours!
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills: There are lots of wildflowers in bloom in this large, open preserve, including the newly flowering prairie blazing star, yellow coneflower, black-eyed Susan, wild bergamot.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: Purple prairie clover is blooming in profusion along with some early blooms of pink marsh blazing star. Staying with these royal hues, you’ll find nice stands of common milkweed and swamp milkweed. You’ll also find flowers of gold, like rosinweed, yellow coneflower., black-eyed Susan, and the towering stalks of compass plant. And waist-high blooms of flat-topped wild quinine provide sparkles of white.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham: Visit for the ivory landscape with much of the prairie immersed in wild quinine. Yes, there are other flowers blooming here, but you hardly notice them amidst the sea of white.
Kickapoo Prairie in Riverdale: Grand displays of two flowers make this preserve worth attending: the latticework of rattlesnake master, with its white molecular-like flower heads, and the forest of compass plant and its golden blossoms. And prairie blazing star is beginning to flower.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove: This cute remnant prairie nestled within a quiet neighborhood is showing off dense golden displays of compass plant alongside with yellow coneflower and rosinweed. Also, prairie blazing star is now in bloom.
PHOTO SECTION
Wolf Road Prairie
This image is fairly representative of what you’d see at Wolf Road Prairie, but every plant shown is currently blooming except for the tall purple spikes of prairie blazing star.*
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.*
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
Purple prairie clover and mountain mint steal the show in this area of Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois.*
At Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois, compass plant stretches out its deeply lobed leaves in a sea of purple prairie clover.*
Gensburg-Markham Prairie
The summer sun goes down on wild quinine and marsh phlox as nonstop tollway traffic rolls past its eastern aorder. Each hour of each day, people drive by, unaware of the natural treasures they’d discover by taking the West 159th Street exit.*
Prairie Blazing Star and Marsh Blazing Star Have Begun Their Flamboyant Bloom!
Prairie blazing star and rosinweed in July at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois.*
Blazing star blooms at the seep of the fen at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
The wildflowers at Wolf Road Prairie explode in July. Here, we have purple prairie blazing star, yellow rosinweed, and whites of wild quinine, rattlesnake master, and Culver’s root.*
Purple Prairie Clover and It’s Remarkably Fresh Scent (see caption for details)
This flower emanates my favorite (nice) smell in Chicago nature with the fresh scent of carrots and lemon. Here, a bee flies over to purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve in Elgin, Illinois.*
Come to Bluff Spring Fen early on a July morning and you might experience a chromatic expanse of purple prairie clover.*
More Flagrantly Fragrant Flowers
“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.*
Mountain mint and prairie blazing star flower in the July prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs.*
Compass Plant
This bloom of compass plant reaches for the sky.*
A landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville, Illinois.*
Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a wonderful Chicago prairie flower that looks like something you’d find in Arizona or Texas. 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
During some years, Culver’s root blooms en masse at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
Miraculous Spiderwort, with Flowers that Melt, are Still Blooming!
Spiderwort in the morning light at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove and at every savanna and prairie that we feature. A flower will open up in the morning and then melt in just a few hours. So, the morning is the time to see the flowers in bloom. Learn more here.
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.
If you’d like to help your neighbors discover national-park quality natural events around our homes, then become an official scout. Or, you can help by just sending us pictures and a text description from your visit. Another way is to post your pictures to Instagram using these essential hashtags: #ChicagoNatureNow and #NameOfPreserve.
Do you find this website useful? Do you benefit from our many hours of weekly scouting? Then please help keep it going by donating or purchasing my nationally-acclaimed book.
—Mike
