Chicago Nature Now! Alert
July 16, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Report
Featuring Chicago’s Best Nature Outings & Outdoor Getaways”
Best Wildflower Walks & Weekend Getaways!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
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WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
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PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VISITING OUR SHOWCASE PRESERVES DURING THIS TIME OF INCREASED OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
ChicagoNatureNOW! preserves are Sacred Cathedrals of Nature, NOT playgrounds or amusement parks. Please treat these sanctuaries with reverence. Behave as you would in any house of worship:
- No foraging. And don’t pick flowers or plants or remove anything from a preserve.
- Our preserves are small and rare. That’s why Chicago has grocery stores and flower shops.
- Share cherished moments through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
- 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.
- Many of these preserves do NOT allow pets, even if they’re leashed.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I do this in a house of worship?”
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:
- Forest Preserve District of Will County
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
- Lake County Forest Preserves
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- McHenry County Conservation District
BE SAFE:
- WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be.
- Respect Science: Science doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Nature: Nature does what it’s programmed to do. It responds to provocation and, like science, doesn’t care what you think or do.
- Respect Each Other: People DO care about what you do, especially when it affects them. If you don’t respect others, they won’t respect you.
- WATCH YOUR DISTANCE by giving each other at least TEN feet of space because a breeze can carry the virus.
- Don’t obstruct people’s progress by blocking trails or gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- 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.
WE NEED SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEEKEND OUTDOOR GETAWAY:
The best flower shows are happening at Somme Prairie Grove and Bluff Spring Fen, where you’ll find a fanfare of color from myriad flowering species, including purple prairie clover and yellow coneflower (our Plant of the Week). Lavender wild bergamot, white blooms of Culver’s root, rattlesnake master, and mountain mint, and golden rays of rosinweed, compass plant, and yellow coneflower are blooming across the region.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is also offering a diverse wildflower display, starring the orange butterfly weed. And wildflowers also abound at Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Theodore Stone Preserve, and Wolf Road Prairie.
The dramatic aquatic American lotus is now flowering. The pale yellow blossoms resemble those of a water lily, but they’re much larger—up to eight inches wide atop stems that can reach six feet high. And that isn’t all. The circular leaf is gorgeous and enormous, up to two and a half feet in diameter! See the Photo Section below for images of American lotus (and where to find it) along with the many flowers featured in this report.
The scent of the flowers are especially invigorating right now. Experience the eyeopening minty freshness of wild bergamot and mountain mint, the licorice scent of yellow coneflower, the rosy aroma fragrance of pasture rose, and the wonderful lemon-carrot scent of purple prairie clover.
And now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I recently invented. It describes leaves that glow bright-green from sunlight shining through them. The green glow of compass plant and prairie dock is spectacular. Prairie dock is especially delightful when its large heart-shaped leaf is transformed into a projection screen, as plants that fall between the sun and the screen cast their silhouettes in a kind of prairie shadow play.
TIP: I recommend visiting grasslands at the beginning or the end of the day when it’s much cooler and the sunlight is beautiful. Prairies are treeless expanses with no escape from the sun. It’s a challenge to appreciate the prairie in the blinding light of ninety-degree afternoon.
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!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (7/11+): This preserve tops our list because of the many plant species that provide a vibrant mix of color. Blooms include purple prairie clover, black-eyed Susan, leadplant, rattlesnake master, marsh phlox, butterfly weed, Michigan lily, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower compass plant, mountain mint, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, and lots of wild quinine, daisy fleabane, and rattlesnake master. The preserve was recently burned, which cleared away the brambly dead growth from last year, leaving behind verdant emerging sprouts that pop out against a backdrop of bare black soil. It’s quite pleasing to the eye. I especially like the many bright-emerald tufts of prairie dropseed. Come early or late in the day to experience green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (7/15+): More than twenty flower species are blooming across the preserve, which is why it’s near the top of this week’s “Go!” list. Begin your hike at the main trailhead that winds you under the trees and along the kames of the oak savanna, around the sunny prairie, and through the main wetland known as a fen. Before the path leaves the savanna, take the out-and-back trail on your left to the top of the large kame, where you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve. Among the most conspicuous flowers, this week, are yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, pale Indian plantain, cup plant, false sunflower, black-eyed Susan, wild quinine, compass plant, marsh blazing star, and purple prairie clover—my favorite smelling flower that thrives in the gravel left behind by ancient glaciers. Aside from pale Indian plantain, most of these can be found under the sun along with many others: Illinois tick trefoil, rattlesnake master, rosinweed, prairie loosestrife, Culver’s root, mountain mint, daisy fleabane, St. John’s wort, spotted Joe-Pye weed, fading pale purple coneflower, a few white prairie clover, and the mauve and white blooms of common milkweed that fill the air with a scent reminiscent of overly perfumed old Bingo ladies who’ve lost the sense of smell. In the woodland, look for aptly named bottlebrush grass, the white blooms of starry campion and the tall plants of blue American bellflower, golden cup plant, pale Indian plantain, and the fluffy sweet Joe-Pye weed.
NOTE: Go in the morning. Later on, the parking lot fills up with people coming to swim illegally in the water-filled quarry. You probably won’t see these people on your hike. Unfortunately, they trample across the sensitive habitat to reach the swimming at the back. As you’re leaving, feel free to report the activity to the forest preserve police at (708) 771-1000.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (7/12+): Most of the color can be found in the black oak savanna, where you’ll be treated to many bright orange blooms of butterfly weed, pink marsh phlox, pearly blooms of flowering spurge, and the blue morning blossoms of Ohio spiderwort. Other milkweeds are blooming under the trees, as well: purple milkweed, common milkweed, and short green milkweed. This is also your last chance to smell the pink blossoms of pasture rose. In the sand prairie, you’ll find flowering spurge and shrubby cinquefoil. And if you’re lucky, you might find the spectacular yellow blossom of a late-blooming eastern prickly pear cactus.
NOTE: Trust me when I tell you to GO EARLY IN THE DAY to avoid the noisy beachgoers and COVID-19 spreaders without masks. Also, the trail that extends along the Dead River has lots of water that may prohibit your journey unless you wear high boots.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (7/13+): Our Plant of the Week, yellow coneflower, is playing the leading role throughout the western mesic prairie alongside other flowers that include wild bergamot, daisy fleabane, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, Culver’s root, false sunflower, and mountain mint. In the dry dolomite prairie to the east, you’ll find a much different landscape with a very open feel. It’s my favorite part of the preserve. Unlike the mesic soil of the western prairie with its tall, dense communities of plants, the soil here is rock—a porous limestone called “dolomite”—which makes it harder for plants to establish themselves. Some can’t. Many that can will probably not grow as tall. And then there are the hearty plants that enjoy being between a rock and a hard place, like the purple prairie clover with a scent that’s a cross between carrots and lemons—my favorite “good” scent in nature. (My favorite “bad” scent comes from foxglove beardtongue seeds that smell exactly like vomit. Be still my heart!) You’ll also find another of my favorite plants that seems to love sand, gravel, and rock: whorled milkweed. The smell is great, too. I also found the glorious hairy wild petunia. It’s a wonderful plant for any prairie garden, no matter the soil, because of how much it spreads to prevent weeds. And I just adore the fuzzy touch of the leaves. To find these three species growing together, look for a sentinel of pale purple coneflowers. There aren’t as many flowers blooming there, but there’s a lot of texture and a clean, beautiful garden-like feel.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (7/13+): 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 much the flowers vary along the way. I usually begin with the trail that leads left from the gate. This preserve is a “Go” because of the various textures and at least two dozen species in bloom, including many that are just beginning to flower. Here’s an abbreviated list of the many flowers that you’ll find that range from white to yellow to pink: compass plant, purple prairie clover, white prairie clover, yellow coneflower, rattlesnake master, wild quinine, wild bergamot, wild senna, tuberous Indian plantain, tall green milkweed, swamp milkweed, and Culver’s root.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (7/14+): At the moment, the floral color of the prairie is building to a crescendo. As instructed on this website, park at the south end along 31st Street, and then hike the sidewalk trails to the north. The preserve extends north for one-half mile, terminating at the newly renovated prairie house. Many plants with white or yellow flowers cover the prairie, this week. The ivory flowers include daisy fleabane, Culver’s root, wild quinine, tuberous Indian plantain, white wild indigo, the flower heads of rattlesnake master, and very early blooms of flowering spurge. The golden hues are brought to you by black-eyed Susan, rosinweed, false sunflower, and the many fresh blooms of yellow coneflower. And there is the sublime orange Michigan lily, many miniature lavender explosions of wild bergamot, and the inflorescence of prairie blazing star is just starting to turn purple. During the late and early hours of the day, the sun stages a dramatic green glow show with prairie dock and compass plant.
NOTE: In the evening, you might experience a natural fireworks display from the deck of the prairie house, thanks to fireflies searching for mates. See a firefly photo from July 6.
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GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (7/13+): This intimate remnant prairie is featuring some nice floral color. Our Plant of the Week, yellow coneflower, is blooming in large numbers alongside golden rays of black-eyed Susan, false sunflower, and rosinweed, and the alabaster blossoms of rattlesnake master, wild quinine, and New Jersey tea. Still, the many orange bushes of butterfly weed steal the show, while hues from purple to blue come from leadplant, wild bergamot, and the remaining floating filigree of scurfy pea. I suggest visiting early or late in the day to experience the glorious green glow—leaves that glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (7/14+): This preserve is on our “Go, if you’re in the neighborhood” list because it’s one of the most beautiful sites in the region. Plus there’s a decent amount of flowers to see, most of which are just starting out. Along your walk through the prairie, you’ll find at least fifteen species in bloom, including pearly blossoms of mountain mint, daisy fleabane, rattlesnake master, Culver’s root, and wild quinine. Yellow coneflower and lavender wild bergamot are fairly abundant and just beginning to flower. And if you’re perspicacious, you may find the sublime orange blossom of Michigan lily.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin (7/9=): This prairie-by-the-lake features marsh phlox, butterfly weed, and black-eyed Susan. You’ll also find other flowers, like the yellows of Kalm’s St. John’s wort and rosinweed. To see a nice nice display of phlox, take the narrow dirt path located west of the gravel road. If you visit, then consider checking out Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in nearby Zion.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (7/11+): The preserve is currently offering nice displays of daisy fleabane that sparkle bright throughout areas of the savanna. Along your way, you’ll also find pink spotted bee balm and newly emerging flowering spurge.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: YELLOW CONEFLOWER
Yellow coneflower (aka, gray-headed coneflower) is a pioneer species of the prairie. It colonizes disturbed or degraded habitats until conditions improve, when it allows other plants to move in, leading to a more stable and biodiverse ecosystem. The flowers perch atop slender stems that rise to four feet tall. At that height, it’s easy to take a licorice scented brown cones. Yellow coneflowers bloom throughout the region’s prairies including here in the mesic prairie in the western half of Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*
PHOTO SECTION
Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a whimsical 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 Woods and Prairie, Spears Woods, Theodore Stone Preserve, and other local prairies over the next few weeks.*
Purple Prairie Clover and its Remarkably Fresh Scent
The flowers of purple prairie clover emanate my favorite (nice) smell in Chicago nature, giving off the fresh scent of carrots and lemon. Here, a bee flies over to purple prairie clover at Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve in Elgin You can also find it at Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and others.*
Leadplant
The propagating purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which uses its tap root to search for water as far down as fifteen feet. Hence, leadplant has one of the deepest roots in the prairie. See diagram below.*
Butterfly Weed
This is a coral hairstreak butterfly feeding on butterfly milkweed at Gensburg-Markham Prairie. But it is one of dozens of flying insects, beetles, and even hummingbirds that find this plant tasty. The flowers have no noticeable scent, unlike its cousin, common milkweed, that smells like a bunch of old ladies on Bingo night.
Great spangled fritillary butterflies (species Speyeria cybele) and butterfly weed in the prairie at Spears Woods in Willow Springs.
Butterfly weed (or butterfly milkweed) 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, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Spears Woods, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
Michigan Lily
Michigan lily can be found at a handful of our showcase preserves, including Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie.*
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.*
Leadplant, Prairie Coreopsis, and Wild Quinine
In the golden sun of morning, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen from atop the reconstructed kame and the remnants of Healy Road Prairie transplanted here at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. The typically purple leadplant is now maroon thanks to the golden light.*
Culver’s Root is Beginning to Flower
Culver’s root is beginning to bloom en masse at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester.*
Mountain Mint
Inhale the invigorating white flowers of mountain mint that grow here at Spears Woods and at many other preserves on our list.*
Wild Bergamot & Yellow Coneflower are Just Beginning
“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.*
What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!
Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found beginning in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs.
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs teems with the grand American Lotus. You an reach the wetland by first parking at the far end of Pulaski Woods parking lot and then walking a short distance along the trails.
Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant beginning to blooming atop a stalk that reaches for the sky.*
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
Compass Plant, Prairie Dock, and the Glorious Green Glow
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 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.*
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.*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen.*
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
Here at Somme Prairie Grove we see the large, deeply lobed leaf of compass plant among a sea of purple prairie clover.*
Purple prairie clover and mountain mint steal the show in this area of Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook.*
Fireflies at Wolf Road Prairie
On July 6, fireflies lit 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.*
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
