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 Chicago Nature Now! Alert
May 28, 2020

“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Memorial Day Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”

The Best COVID-19 Outdoor Getaways & Nature Walks 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:

      • 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 by 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

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. Check out these websites before you go:

BE SAFE:

  • WEAR A MASK. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.. A mask keeps your exhalations from taking to the air and making others sick.
  • Give each other at least TEN feet of space between you.
  • The wind can carry 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 blocking trails or gathering around trailheads and intersections.

WE NEED SCOUTS. CLICK TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH US!

WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN OUTDOOR HIKES AROUND CHICAGO:

Several beautiful floral shows are taking place this week, including wild lupine, wild geranium, wild hyacinth, hoary puccoon, and shooting star (our Plant of the Week).

Chiwaukee Prairie, on the Illinois/Wisconsin border, is famous for its breathtaking show of shooting star that spans the prairie panorama. And it’s happening right now! If you can’t make the trip to the cheese state, then the next best show happens in Northbrook at Somme Prairie Grove.

Another breathtaking performance comes from wild lupine in Indiana Dunes National Park at Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, and West Beach. During the best years, the green dunes turn blue. And many other species add to the mix, including the golden hoary puccoon and hairy puccoon. These puccoons, and quite possibly the sublime fringed puccoon, are also blooming at many of our prairies and savannas that include Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Somme Prairie Grove, and Chiwaukee Prairie.

Floating blossoms of wild geranium that turn our woodlands pink in fantastic displays across the region. The best confirmed shows are taking place at Messenger Woods and atop the bluffs of Black Partridge Woods. However, I presume that they are creating striking displays at most of our woodlands. The feathery plumes of wild hyacinth are reaching peak bloom at Wolf Road Prairie (savanna and prairie), Black Partridge Woods, Oldfield Oaks, and other preserves. The waxy, white flower of mayapple is now in bloom. Look for a single flower under any plant with two “umbrella” leaves.

Enjoy the emerald tones of the woodlands, as chartreuse lace fills the canopy above your head. And beneath your feet, you’ll barely see your shoes under a jade carpet of wild ginger, mayapple, wild leek, and skunk cabbage. Black Partridge Woods and Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve are perfect examples of this lushness.

WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY AROUND CHICAGO:

Before visiting a preserve, visit the website for the landholder first. Click here for some resources.

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 like on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”

THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):

Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (5/25+): The preserve is putting on its finest show of the year. The performance of shooting star is spectacular and includes a color mix of hoary puccoon, wood betony, yellow star grass, blue-eyed grass, and birdfoot violet, and wild strawberry. Golden Alexander is just beginning to show its bright yellow blossoms.. Along the edges, look for nice patches of wild lupine.

Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (5/24+): The show of wild lupine has begun with peak bloom coming soon. Adding the to the blue hues are the sublime blue-eyed grass and the remaining birdfoot violet. The vibrant yellow blooms of hoary puccoon add a golden sparkle to the savanna as the buttery blooms of wood betony end their run. The red-and-yellow blossoms of wild columbine float above the understory of the savanna. And flashes of white come from wild strawberry and bastard toadflax. While you’re here, take the trail to the lakeshore that starts at the nature center. Along the way, the trail crosses a wide gravel path that goes straight east-west. Head west, and you’ll find beaver lodges and beaver 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. On Sunday, my wife and I must have heard ten tail slaps. 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 at some places. We recommend high boots. Or just slosh on through!

Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (5/25+): The shooting star is, quite literally, the star of the week. The flower can be found in large bunches and also sprinkled across the landscape. In the shade, you’ll find some wild geranium along with wild hyacinth which doesn’t mind a little sun. The golden blooms of balsam ragwort adds beautiful highlights in many places throughout the preserve alongside the final blooms of wood betony. Golden Alexander is just beginning to show its bright yellow blossoms, though more so in the open areas than under the trees. There’s one spot on a knob where I found a handful of Indian paintbrush, which made my day! And then there’s the delicately elegant stout blue-eyed grass that makes my heart skip a beat. In the woods, there’s a beautiful pond under a canopy of magical cottonwoods and yellow water buttercup that should be experienced as the rays of sunlight pass through the flowers and the emerald wetland foliage.. It’s breathtaking. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite garden-like and pleasing to the eye because all of the new greenery stands out. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed.

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (5/25+): If you visit Chiwaukee Prairie to see the shooting stars, then you’ll be in the neighborhood of this beautiful preserve. There are many flowers blooming, though not as dramatically as Chiwaukee. Nevertheless, this is the only preserve in the region that I’d recommend visiting even if there were no flowers blooming! The yellow blooms of hoary puccoon are the star of the show, here, with hairy puccoon soon on its way. The gorgeous fringed puccoon is on full display, sometimes in small patches, but mostly sprinkled here and there. Bend down close to fully experience the elegant lacy edges of the flower petals. The light-yellow flowers of wood betony are still putting on a nice show, though they are fading. Along your way, you’ll find the delightful blue-eyed grass, sparkles of sand cress, and possibly Indian paintbrush, if you look closely. There are some wild lupine blooming, but not as prolifically as previous years.

Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (5/22=): NOTE: The main parking lot is closed, but no problem! Just use the on-street parking area located about a hundred feet west. Wow! The displays of wild geranium and the fragrant woodland phlox are gorgeous. Atop the bluffs, you’ll find the best floral color and a greater mix of flowering species, including shooting star and wild hyacinth alongside the aforementioned geranium and phlox. The lush feel that runs from floor to canopy is breathtaking. In the lowland, it’s hard to see the soil below thanks to the carpet of wild ginger. I particularly love the miniature forests of mayapple with their parasol-shaped leaves. Right now, look for a large, waxy white bloom hiding under any mayapple with two umbrellas. Exciting patches of large, acrobatic skunk cabbage add to the whimsy, along with emerald swords of wild leek, and the star-like leaves of wild geranium.

Messenger Woods in Homer Glen (5/22): A wonderful show of wild geranium is taking place with large densities of flowers in peak condition. Wild hyacinth and woodland phlox contribute to the celebration. And mayapple is now blooming. The preserve is lush and magical.
NOTE: The wooden bridge over the creek is sometimes covered in water. If there’s been a recent rain, bring boots or take off your shoes.

GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

Bluff Spring Fen in Monee (5/23+): The preserve is lush with carpets of green that include colonies of mayapple and skunk cabbage. Only a few early-spring flowers are still blooming, including marsh marigold, common blue violet, birdfoot violet, and false rue anemone. However, you’ll now find fresh displays of hoary puccoon, fringed puccoon, stout blue-eyed grass, and yellow star grass.

Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee (UNSCOUTED. Last scouted on 5/19=): The preserve was last scouted on May 19. We still need many more scouts. Learn more here. The preserve is lush with a full canopy of leaves and a dense carpet of foliage across the woodland floor. This includes the jade hues and lush patterns of wild leek, flowering mayapple, early meadow rue, and the omnipresent wild ginger. I expect that the most prominently blooming flower is wild geranium, which can often put on quite a show here. You should also find wild hyacinth. And false Solomon’s seal should also be blooming now.

Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (5/25+): The preserve is finally beginning to bloom. Both the prairie and savanna feature a beautiful display of wild hyacinth. The pink flowers of wild geranium add well-needed color under the trees, and the bubble-gum pink of downy phlox brightens the prairie. Also, the tiny starlike blossoms of starry false Solomon’s seal are just starting to show.

PLANT OF THE WEEK: SHOOTING STAR

The beautiful blooms of 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 that uses its thoracic muscles to quickly vibrate the pollen loose in a process called “buzz pollination.”

PHOTO SECTION

Shooting Star is Putting on Wonderful Shows

Springtime wildflowers bloom in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.*

Shooting star, hoary puccoon, yellow star grass, and others are blooming in profusion at Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. You can also find the plant at Black Partridge Woods, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, and Somme Prairie Grove.*

Shooting stars and woodland phlox at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, Illinois

Shooting star and woodland phlox bloom together at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, Illinois.”

Wild Lupine is Reaching Peak Bloom in our Black Oak Savannas (Sand Savannas)

Wild Lupine of species Lupinus perennis.

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 Nature Preserve, part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Gary, Indiana.*

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.*

Biodiversity is about the many, not the few. Here, it’s springtime in the savanna, where blue lupines share precious space with hoary puccoon. But, as the season advances, both will fade, making room for an array of other species, in a cycle where each has its time in the sun and then returns to the soil.*

Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, you can often find wild lupine blooming alongside hoary and hairy puccoon, though usualy not in great numbers.*

Painterly image of Wild lupine of species Lupinus perennis

An exploration into the inner world of wild lupine.

Beaver Activity at Miller Woods

Along the Paul H. Douglas Trails, part of Indiana Dunes National Park in Gary, Indiana, this path was made by beavers as they moved from their pond in one swale, over a dune, and into an adjacent swale.*

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.*

Wild Geranium is Flowering at Peak Bloom in Many Woodlands

May brings glorious displays of wild geranium to Oldfield Oaks in Darien, Illinois, part of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.*

I love wild geranium for its floating pink flowers and star-shaped leaves that carpet the woodland floor. And my love is genuine. Yet, if my love was inflicted against my will from a love potion, Iroquois Indians believed that a tea made from wild geranium root would neutralize the effects of the love charm. More legitimately, the plant was also used by Native Americans to help reduce bleeding and many other maladies. Leaves and roots were employed to treat sore throats, hemorrhoids, gonorrhea, and cholera. It was also used to treat diarrhea, but often caused constipation. Today, the extract of wild geranium can be found in herbal stores as an anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhaging medicine. The name “geranium” comes from the Latin name for crane, “geranos,” because of the crane- or stork-shaped seed pods. The pink flowers have five striped petals and are 1-1¼” across. Multiple flowers will bloom on a stalk that can rise above the foliage, seemingly floating above the plant. You can find wild geranium at all of our showcase woodlands. Here at Oldfield Oaks in Darien, a preserve that’s not on our list, the pink blooms float above its star-shaped foliage.*

You can find wild geranium at all featured woodlands. Here, at Black Partridge Woods, the pink blooms float above its star-shaped foliage.*

Here at Black Partridge Woods, the pink blooms complement green star-shaped foliage. You can find wild geranium in all of our featured woodlands.*

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.*

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.*

Wild Hyacinth in Our Woodlands

Wild hyacinth at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*

The sublime blossoms of wild hyacinth are now in bloom at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*

Wild hyacinths bloom in abundance at Oldfield Oaks in Darien.*

Right now, wild hyacinth is blooming blooming in abundance at Oldfield Oaks in Darien.*

Each May, wild hyacinths bloom iin woodlands and oak savannas across the Chicago region including, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.

Each May, wild hyacinth blooms in woodlands, prairies, and oak savannas across the Chicago region including, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. It doesn’t look nearly as dense, this year. And that’s part of the wonder of nature.*

Stout Blue-Eyed Grass

Common blue-eyed grass

The sublime blooms of stout blue-eye grass are now being revealed at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois. Wow! Do I love this flower! And you can find them at other preserves, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Chiwaukee Prairie, Miller Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.*

Woodland Phlox 

In May, woodland phlox covers the bluffs at Black Partridge Woods.*

Here at Black Partridge Woods, woodland phlox grows up the brae. This flower can also be found at the other featured woodlands, like Raccoon Grove, Messenger Woods, and Fermilab Natural Areas. The flower is reaching the end of its run.*

Mayapple is Still Blooming:

In woodlands across northeastern Illinois, like here at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, Illinois, April showers bring out the umbrellas in the form of mayapples. And the white flowers of false rue anemone sparkle like raindrops.*

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 wild ginger photo below.)*

At Black Partridge Woods, take a look underneath the fanning mayapple leaf, and you may find a hidden waxy, white bloom. You may also discover a burgundy flower hiding beneath the heart-shaped leaves of 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 is Always a Treat to Behold:

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.*

It’s springtime at Pilcher Park Nature Center, 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.*

* Photo is representational and was not recorded this year. Bloom times vary from year to year.

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

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