Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
May 7, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Plan the Best COVID-19 Walks & Getaways Around Chicago!
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PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED INTEREST IN NATURE:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence, and 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?”
IMPORTANT COVID-19 SITE ACCESS & SAFETY TIPS
(which I hope to remove as more people are vaccinated)
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. And Shoe Factory Road Prairie will be closed for a little while longer because the public abused the site, last year. Check out these websites before you go:
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- McHenry County Conservation District
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Indiana Dunes National Park
BE SAFE:
- Wear a mask. Period. This keeps your exhalations from taking to the air.
- Give each other ten feet of space.
- The wind carries 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 gathering along trails, trailheads, or intersections.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
Now that the show of the Virginia bluebell is over, the woodlands are now an emerald dream. This is my favorite time to visit—to cross the threshold into a world of geometric jade to receive an emerald embrace from a protective canopy of lace. Oh, and there are wildflowers, too!
The show of the Virginia bluebell has ended, but don’t panic. Wonderful shows of white large-flowered trillium can be seen Heron Rookery Trail (at Indiana Dunes National Park), with an even better display at nearby J. Timothy Ritchie Preserve. In Illinois, check out Meacham Grove, Harms Woods, and Captain Daniel Wright Woods. The last four aforementioned preserves are not on our feature preserves list because we remain shorthanded. If you live near any of these preserves or you’re a regular visitor, this is your chance to become a scout. Learn about how to scout for us. Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve is home to the shy drooping trillium and the last of the elegant and understated prairie trillium are also flowering throughout the region.
Our Plant of the Week is birdfoot violet. At Pembroke Savanna, the blue flower carpets large areas of the savanna where it is often joined by sand phlox that varies in color from white to lavender to blue. Another phlox to look for, this week, is the blue woodland phlox. You can find it in all of our featured woodlands, including Black Partridge Woods, Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve, and Heron Rookery Trail.
This is also a big week for wild geranium that seems to float above the forest floor. Lucky for us, this pink flower with star-shaped foliage is a popular plant at all of our woodlands, except for the sandy sites. And shooting star is making an appearance atop the bluffs of Black Partridge Woods. See picture under our Photo Section.
And let’s not forget the glorious green leaves of spring: the sprawling elephant ears of skunk cabbage, the umbrellas of mayapple, and the heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger. Right now, take a close look underneath the leaves of wild ginger to find their fuzzy burgundy flowers. And the large waxy white blossoms of mayapple are beginning to show. To find them, look beneath the umbrellas of the two-leafed plants. And then there are the spears of wild leek—the plant that gives Chicago its name. In the late 1600s, Potawatomi Indians who paddled the area rivers were commonly heard yelling “Chicagoua!” after catching a strong whiff of chicagoua, or wild leek, growing prolifically along the wooded banks. Wild leek is part of the onion family, hence the Chicago nickname, “The Big Onion.”
NOTE: It is illegal to remove this plant, or any other plant, from any preserve in the Chicago region.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:
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 on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (Updated on 5/5=): The preserve is putting on a beautiful show of blue and white as carpets of sapphire birdfoot violet and sparkling sand phlox flow across the savanna. Both are in peak condition. Don’t leave without bending down to enjoy the fragrance of these two jewels. You’ll also find the white of sand cress and starry false Solomon’s seal, and the golds of two-flowered Cynthia and buds of hoary puccoon. On your visit, you’ll notice mysterious sand mounds throughout the preserves. They are the handiwork of the plains pocket gopher. This rarely seen underground gopher excavates tunnels, and the extra sand has to go somewhere.
Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (5/7+): Wow! This place is green—from the new leaves of the tiered tree canopy to the dense carpet of foliage on the woodland floor. Now, thanks to wild ginger that has finally leafed out, you can hardly see the earth beneath. Check deep underneath the leaves of wild ginger to find a fuzzy burgundy blossom. Currently, my favorite show at this preserve, comes from the miniature forests of mayapple with their parasol-shaped leaves where you can now find a lonesome waxy white blossom hiding under the plants with two umbrellas. Exciting patches of acrobatic skunk cabbage leaves add to the whimsy. Wild leek‘s emerald swords put up a defense, and the star-like leaves of wild geranium give a glimpse into the heavenly pink flower that is now blooming strong. And look for the floating filigreed foliage of early meadow rue. A smattering of white and pink shooting star can be found atop the bluffs, and the fragrant woodland phlox is flowering in large numbers. If you find a good patch of phlox, pay attention to its fabulous scent. You may not even have to put nose to petal. The combination of woodland phlox, wild geranium, and shooting star is wonderful sight. The shimmering highlights of white false rue anemone, rue anemone, and the pinkish spring beauty add to the springtime experience. You can still find a smattering of prairie trillium and common blue violet. And although the spiraling buttery blooms of wood betony are now fading, the shy yellow blooms of large-flowered bellwort are still hanging on as they cling to the sides of the bluffs.
Heron Rookery Trail at Indiana Dunes National Park (5/2=): On the days of our visits, the large-flowered trillium was at peak bloom here. But it’s now five days later, and I’d estimate that the trillium is on the other-side-of-peak. However, they are no less beautiful, as the alabaster blossoms turn pink as they take their final bows. The display of trillium is even better at the nearby J. Timothy Ritchie Preserve owned by Shirley Hines Land Trust. The gently rolling landscape and river appeal to me at Heron Rookery Trail. But Timothy Ritchie, our new supplemental preserve to Heron Rookery Trail, is the big winner this week for trillium displays. At Heron Rookery Trail, you’ll also find blooms of sparkling spring beauty, rue anemone, and false rue anemone. The otherworldly prairie trillium is flowering, but fading. Woodland phlox is scattered about. And large numbers of bright-yellow swamp buttercup wade in wet and muddy areas. The lush, green springtime experience is further enhanced by the spreading foliage of wild leek, mayapple, and wild ginger.
Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee (5/5+): I love this place, right now, for the wild geranium, woodland phlox, but especially for the springtime lushness that I mentioned in the weekly highlights. The foliage on the woodland floor has fully matured as the trees are pushing out fresh delicate leaves in the canopy overhead. Spread across the woodland floor are the jade hues and lush patterns of wild leek, mayapple, and the omnipresent wild ginger. And the latter two are now blooming! A rich variety of flowers can be found at this preserve. Upon entering, you’re immediately greeted by a nice display of woodland phlox, which is currently the most prominent flower in bloom as the Virginia bluebells have faded away. Like the bluebell, phlox has a wonderful fragrance that you can probably smell as you stroll by. The pink blossoms of wild geranium are now at peak bloom, rivaling phlox as the star of the show. Still adding some sparkle to the forest floor are rue anemone, false rue anemone, common blue violet, common yellow violet, and swamp buttercup. I found a couple of Jack-in-the-pulpit and a handful of the shy drooping trillium. The strange and wonderful prairie trillium is blooming in very large numbers, and you may find some that look yellow. And finally, If you take it slow and remain very quiet as you approach the bridge, you may see frogs resting along the muddy banks.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/7+): The preserve has a lush, green feel. You’ll find the beautiful hemi-parasitic wood betony scattered in patches across the preserve, often in the sunnier spots. And you’ll also find shooting star, prairie trillium, and golden Alexander in early bloom. Look for yellow water buttercup and miniature forests of mayapple that add to the whimsy. Park at the main parking lot for this preserve, located at Somme Woods, and then follow the narrow trail to Somme Prairie Grove. To avoid any confusion, visit our web page for complete details or forever hold your peace.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: BIRDFOOT VIOLET
In May, Pembroke Savanna is home to blooms of white sand phlox and rare birdfoot violet.”
PHOTO SECTION
Large-Flowered Trillium is still in bloom:
This is a scene from J. Timothy Ritchie Nature Preserve, a preserve that supplements our featured preserve Large-flowered trillium of species Trillium grandiflorum covers the woodland floor in a spectacular annual display at J. Timothy Ritchie Nature Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana.
Trillium is Latin for “triple,” and the plant lives up to the word. The showy plant is comprised of three leaves, three sepals, and three petals. The gorgeous white blooms of large-flowered trillium can now be found at our featured preserves of O’Hara Woods Preserve, Pilcher Park, and Messenger Woods and at other preserves like Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Metawa Meacham Grove in Bloomingdale, and, here, at Harms Woods in Glenview. Notice how the flowers turn pink as they fade.*
At Heron Rookery Trail in Indiana Dunes National Park, large-flowered trillium have reached peak bloom. It’s a magnificent sight.*
Large-flowered trillium carpet the floor of Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Mettawa, Illinois.*
Messenger Woods in Homer Glen offers a decent display of large-flowered trillium. But don’t get too excited.. It doesn’t look like the above picture, anymore. Most of the plants have been eaten by deer due to decades of willful neglect by the county.*
Woodland Phlox is adding some newfound color to our woodlands:
Many of our featured woodlands are home to the blue and purple woodland phlox. Here at Black Partridge Woods, they flow in a serpentine wave up the bluff..*
Wild Geranium is now flowering in all of our woodlands:
You can find wild geranium in all of our featured “sandless” woodlands and at many other preserves across the Chicago region. Here at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, the pink flower hovers above their celestial star-shaped foliage.*
At Raccoon Grove, as evening nears in this beautiful spring woodland, the final streaks of sunlight penetrate the emerald canopy. The shining rays highlight the broad leaves of false Solomon’s seal and animate the soft, pink blooms of wild geranium, making all that is illuminated stand apart from the surrounding foliage.*
May brings glorious displays of wild geranium to Oldfield Oaks in Darien, Illinois, part of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.*
Shooting Star:
The beautiful blooms of shooting star can be found in prairies and woodlands, alike.
This is a scene of shooting star and woodland phlox from atop a bluff at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, Illinois.”
False Rue Anemone:
False rue anemone is a beautiful flower that often blooms in clusters. They’re closed up into little white balls at the beginning and end of the day.
Prairie Trillium:
This wonderful flower can be found at most of our featured woodlands. But Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve is my favorite place to see them because they grow in such large numbers. Here at O’Hara Woods in Romeoville, prairie trillium rises as the sun sets.*
Mayapple:
In woodlands across northeastern Illinois, like here at Black Partridge Woods, in Lemont, springtime showers bring out the umbrellas in the form of mayapples. And the white flowers of false rue anemone sparkle like raindrops. Soon, a waxy, white flower will appear, like a pedestrian under a parasol. (See the mayapple flower in the photo below.)*
Wild Ginger:
At Black Partridge Woods, the green foliage is the star of the springtime show. Here you see the heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger alongside a single blooming mayapple. The flowers of both plants can be found hiding beneath the leaves. All of our featured woodlands feature both of these plants.*
Skunk Cabbage:
It’s springtime at Pilcher Park 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. You’ll find many at Pilcher Park Nature Center, Black Partridge Woods, Bluff Spring Fen, Trout Park, and O’Hara Woods.*
