Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 3, 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:
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?”
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 finally reopen on June 14, 2021 after a lengthy convalescence from public abuse 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
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
From what I can tell, the drought is affecting the quality and quantity of our local flower shows, particularly plants that enjoy wet environments like blue flag iris and yellow water buttercup. The ground is very dry and even drier where they burned because there is no dead plant material to lock in the moisture.
The best wildflower show of the week is still the blue-and-white blooms of wild lupine and golden hoary puccoon at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park. You can also see a nice show at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, where sand coreopsis blossoms are beginning to unfold. Peak bloom should be coming soon. This performance of coreopsis is so dramatic that my picture of it was featured in the world famous 2020 Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar.
Nice performances of golden Alexander are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Chiwaukee Prairie, preserves that also feature a wide variety of other blooms and verdant textures. The ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort (our Plant of the Week) are now melting hearts around Chicago as they begin their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it. And the pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue are just starting. I love this plant because, in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit!
NOTE: It is illegal to remove any plant or mushroom, 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.
Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (Last scouted on 5/26. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): The show of wild lupine should still look decent combined with the golds of hoary puccoon. Adding to the mix are the blue hues of blue-eyed grass, red-and-yellow blossoms of wild columbine, golden tones of two-flowered Cynthia, and flashes of white from wild strawberry and bastard toadflax. Keep your eyes open, and you may even find the gorgeous red Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore. Along the way, the path crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and activity. If you arrive early or remain late in the day, chances are you’ll be greeted by a beaver slapping its flat tail against the water to alert others of its kind about that human lurking about. This abandoned railroad right-of-way isn’t as intimate as the official narrow trail, but I like the views better. After your hike, consider checking out the lupines at Tolleston Dunes and West Beach. NOTE: The trail can be covered in water in some area. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (Last scouted on 5/26. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): Come to see vibrant shows of blue-and-white wild lupine, golden hoary puccoon, and bubble gum pink downy phlox. For the best performances, take the wide gravel trail (Dunes Trail) that heads south from the parking lot. The lupines aren’t nearly as dramatic as at Miller Woods, but this preserve is a dream. The brilliant yellow flowers of sand coreopsis are now in bloom, which will soon create a dramatic show across the preserve. In open shade of the black oak savanna, the buttery yellow blooms of the occasional western goat’s beard are now open for business along with the three-petaled blossoms of Ohio spiderwort, but the flower doesn’t last long. Each morning, a few buds open to reveal resh blue flowers that dissolve in the heat of the day into drops of purple liquid. Along the way, you’ll also find the delightful blue-eyed grass, little white sparkles of sand cress and sandwort, and the red glow of red Indian paintbrush. And while you’re here, consider visiting nearby Chiwaukee Prairie (see review below).
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/31+): This preserve has a nice feel to it. In the woodland, experience the yellow flat-topped umbrellas of golden Alexander along with the occasional flat-topped white flowers of cow parsnip. The latter is a little toxic and can irritate the skin. So, no touchy-feely with this plant. You’ll find a variety of flowering species in bloom under the sun, including golden balsam ragwort, shooting star, ivory buttons of bastard toadflax, the occasional shooting star, the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass, and the heart-stopping red Indian paintbrush. Wow! Along the way, look for the beautiful creamy blooms of cream wild indigo. And don’t forget to appreciate the lush green textures that come from the foliage of forbs, sedges, and grasses, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed and the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock. This is also the time of year to experience blue flag iris and yellow water buttercup, but the drought has prevented them from blooming this year. Native plants are hearty. Both species are alive and well under the soil, waiting for next year to flower.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/2+): This is “Go!” for the morning only to see the tremendous show of Ohio spiderwort (our Plant of the Week) along the southeast edge of the preserve near Wolf Road. However, those flowers will be gone by afternoon, especially if it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find a small mix of other flowers including downy phlox and daisy fleabane. I particularly love the emerging tones and textures of prairie dock, rattlesnake master, and compass plant.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/2+): Like Wolf Road Prairie, this preserve is a “Go!” during the morning hours to experience the ephemeral blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Their purple flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they shrivel away into a purple liquid. Very cool! Click here to read my poem about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (Last scouted on 5/22. This report is an estimate of what to expect.): Visit for a variety of flowers. The beautiful shooting star is at the end of its run, and golden Alexander is on wide display across the preserve, though fading. Adding to the yellows are hoary puccoon and yellow star grass. Ohio spiderwort is now blooming. You will certainly find some wild lupine along the edges. And occasional fluffy seed heads of common cottongrass help to brighten up the wetlands. If you’re lucky, you just may find patches of yellow Indian paintbrush. While you’re here, you should definitely visit Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, which is easily provides the best nature experience in the region.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: 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 can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.
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 bracken fern cover the side of the dunes.*
Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.
PHOTO SECTION
Wild Lupine is at Peak Bloom
Wild lupine, of species Lupinus perennis, seems to love poor soil. However, in ancient times, it was believed that the lupines were creating the bad soil by wolfing down the nutrients. Hence, the name comes from the Greek word “Lupus,” or “wolf”. In reality, lupine brings nutrients to the soil just like other legumes, such as leadplant, white wild indigo, scurfy pea, and purple prairie clover. Around Chicago, lupine can be found growing in sandy soil under the trees of black oak savannas, including Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park and Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.
Atop this spring dune thrives wild lupine at Miller Woods, part of Indiana Dunes National Park in Gary, Indiana. While you’re in the park, you also can find them at Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach.*
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, you can find wild lupine blooming alongside golden hoary puccoon and pink downy phlox.*
An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.
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, and more.*
Shooting Star
If the celestial blooms of shooting star don’t capture your attention, then nothing will. The origin of the name is pretty obvious at first sight, and also for the moniker of “prairie pointer” given to the plant by early pioneers. I once thought that the flowers only grew under the sun of prairies and savannas, like Chiwaukee Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove, until I found them thriving under the dappled canopy at Black Partridge Woods. Cleansing fires benefit this plant because dead vegetation can smother it. The most common pollinator is the queen bumblebee. It uses “buzz pollination” to dislodge the pollen by vibrating its wing muscles (but not the wings).
Though now fading, you can still find shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others blooming at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. You can also find the plant at Black Somme Prairie Grove.*
Sand Coreopsis is Beginning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve
In a celebration of life, blooms of sand coreopsis spread their golden joy along the banks of the Dead River at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.*
The turning earth is the dimmer switch, gradually recasting every dim dewdrop, petal, and blade of grass into a galaxy of blazing bulbs and lustrous lamps. On this late-spring morning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, blooms of golden sand coreopsis and New Jersey tea are set aglow alongside shimmering spider webs that cling to last year’s grasses.*
Golden Alexander
Golden Alexander of species Zizia aurea appears to have large flowers, but what you are seeing is a cluster of miniature one-eighth-inch blooms. The pollen and nectar of the flowers benefit insects with short mouthparts. The plant grows in both high-quality and degraded habitats. The golden blooms can be found brightening up the panoramas at preserves that include Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, and Chiwaukee Prairie.*
In May at Chiwaukee Prairie, golden Alexander blooms amidst the heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock.*
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.*
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass
The sublime blooms of stout blue-eyed grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois. And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Indian Paintbrush
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Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Wild Columbine
Wild columbine reflects the afternoon light at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park.
Blue Flag Iris
Due to the dry spring and the fact that this plant likes to grow in standing water, this isn’t the best year for blue flag iris. During a previous season, a phalanx of blue flag iris towered over the spring wetland at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Blue flag iris blooms in the late-May wetland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs. But you can see it in good wetlands throughout the area.*
Foxglove Beardtongue is Just Starting to Flower
In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. In the fall, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*
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, while the long-lobed leaf is its cousin compass plant.
Beaver Activity at Miller Woods
On the gravel road that rides a ridge at Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park, beavers created this dark thoroughfare as they moved across the ridge from one swale to another.*
* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.Donate to Our GoFundMe Campaign
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
