Chicago Nature Now! Alert
April 24, 2020
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Plan the Best Outdoor COVID-19 Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
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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.
- Do not pick flowers or remove anything from a preserve.
- Share cherished moments by making pictures, drawing, painting, or 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 owned by the Chicago-area counties and Indiana Dunes National Park are open, except for visitor centers, buildings, and bathrooms. However, Will County has closed their parking lots and only allows access by foot or bicycle. Just park your car nearby and walk in. But convenient or nearby parking doesn’t exist at some of their best springtime preserves. There’s no problem accessing O’Hara Woods Preserve in Romeoville. And at Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee, you can park on either side of gate or on the gravel shoulder across the road. As for Messenger Woods in Homer Glen, I’m not sure if it’s worth the trip because you’ll have to park much farther away. Fermilab Prairie woodland (Fermilab Natural Areas) in Batavia is closed. Period.
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:
- Give people at least six feet of space. This also means giving your cars some space, as well.
- Don’t block people’s progress by gathering around trailheads or intersections.
- Wear a face mask when around people. (I drape a triangle-fold bandanna over my face, making it easier to rob a bank afterwards.)
- When you’re outdoors having a conversation, position yourselves so that the wind is blowing from the left or the right. Wear your mask.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
Spring is now in full swing with an array of flowers carpeting the woodland floor, including our Plant of the Week, cutleaf toothwort. All of these flowers are quite small. But they’re visually exciting when blooming in large numbers. Bend down and take a closer look at the individual flowers. You’ll be marveled by their intricate beauty. At the moment, most of the springtime flowers are white or light shades of pink or purple, including hepatica, cutleaf toothwort, spring beauty, false rue anemone, rue anemone, spring cress, purple cress, white trout lily, Dutchman’s breeches, and you might still be able to find bloodroot. Marsh marigold is currently at or near peak bloom at many preserves, including Pilcher Park, Bluff Spring Fen, and at McClaughry Springs Woods in Palos Park (by the parking lot across the stream). And let’s not forget the bright green leaves of spring: the umbrellas of mayapple, the spears of wild leek, the sprawling leaves of skunk cabbage, and the heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger.
In some woodlands, you’ll find the shy yellow of large-flowered bellwort. And finally, the Virginia Bluebell is still about a week away from peak bloom. The sea of blue is the most breathtaking event of early spring.
Now is also a good time to see the long emerald spears of wild leek, the plant that gives Chicago its name. In the late 1600s, Potawatomi Indians who traveled the area rivers were commonly heard to yell “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.”
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 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!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee (4/22+): Preserve is open, but parking lot is closed. Just park on the gravel shoulder across the street or on either side of the gate. This is my favorite preserve of the week because of the rich variety of flowers that are currently putting on shows. The woodland floor scintillates with large densities of small bright blooms. The most prolific sparklers are cutleaf toothwort and spring beauty They are joined by rue anemone, false rue anemone, purple cress, white trout lily, and Dutchman’s breeches. Note that many spring flowers don’t open up at the break of day. They are awakened by the light. On cloudy days, they may stay closed up safely in their buds. Fortunately, when closed, the white petals of toothwort are still visible and continue to twinkle. And if that’s not enough, the strange and wonderful red trillium is blooming in very large numbers. Finally, experience the lush jade hues and patterns of wild leek mayapple, and wild ginger that add to the springtime mix. This preserve will soon offer a nice display of Virginia bluebells, but not an overwhelming ocean like other preserves.
O’Hara Woods Preserve in Romeoville (4/23+): The preserve was once called Dynamite Woods because the site was used to store explosives during World War II. You can still see the crumbling bunkers, but they’re being taken over by woodland plants. Right now, white flowers of cutleaf toothwort are in full explosion, like sparklers across the woodland floor. Walk towards the stream along the south end of the preserve, and you’ll find Dutchman’s breeches (that look like white, puffy overalls), spring beauty, skunk cabbage, and wild leek (Chicago’s namesake), and soon-to-bloom Virginia bluebells. This will be an exciting place to visit when the Virginia bluebells reach peak bloom.
Heron Rookery Trail at Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): We didn’t scout it, this week, because we don’t have enough scouts. If you’re interested in volunteering, click here to learn more. Begin your walk at the west parking lot. Along the narrow trail, you’ll also find sparkles of false rue anemone, rue anemone, Dutchman’s breeches, cutleaf toothwort, purple cress, and spring beauty. Yellow trout lily occasionally poke up above its carpet of spotted trout-like leaves. And red trillium is in bloom. The lush, green springtime experience is further enhanced by the spreading foliage of mayapple, wild leek., and wild ginger.
Black Partridge Woods in Lemont (4/22+): Our Plant of the Week, cutleaf toothwort, is the star at this preserve. Costars include false rue anemone, spring beauty, and the occasional Dutchman’s breeches. However, I love the greenery the most. This preserve makes me happy because of its lushness and its many atterns and shades of emerald foliage, especially wild leek, mayapple, the glorious leaves of skunk cabbage, and the small heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger. Virginia bluebells are present, but not yet blooming.
Pilcher Park Nature Center in Joliet (4/22+): Begin your hike at the nature center and you’ll be surrounded by a lush understory of spring wildflowers that include cutleaf toothwort, false rue anemone, spring beauty, purple cress, and Dutchman’s breeches. My favorite flower-of-the-moment is marsh marigold, which is reaching peak bloom. Look for its yellow flowers in the low, muddy areas of the site. You can find them near the nature center and by the gate and parking area near the bridge (GPS coordinate: 41.532780, -88.016478). In theses same places, and just about anywhere with mud, look for the large fanning foliage of skunk cabbage. They’re hard to miss. Virginia bluebells also like the wet areas, as long it’s not muddy, usually along the banks of the creek. This preserve is one of the best places to experience a vastitude of bluebells, which is just beginning to flower and should be looking very good next week.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (4/22+): Visit for the marsh marigold and the lush sprays of skunk cabbage. Then visit nearby Trout Park to see many more of these plants in an intimate setting. The trail takes you up and down through the bluffs, using a wooden boardwalk that carefully guides you through the extremely sensitive wet areas. When you’re on the boardwalk, look for Chicago’s only native evergreen tree, the rare northern white cedar. Yes, all of those evergreens you see at homes and preserves are not from around here. At the top of the bluff, you’ll also find other spring wildflowers.
LIMITED ACCESS PRESERVES THAT YOU CAN TRY:
Messenger Woods in Homer Glen (UNSCOUTED): Preserve is open, but parking lot is closed. However, there’s not adjacent street parking. This preserve always provides that green and luxuriant feeling of spring. Currently, you’ll see a carpet of fresh foliage and blooming ephemerals throughout. The most common flowers in bloom are spring beauty cutleaf toothwort, Dutchman’s breeches, rue anemone, and false rue anemone. In the uplands, there are several patches of white large-flowered trillium that are soon going to bloom. This preserve was known nationwide for its vast display of bluebells, which will probably reach peak in about a week.
COMING SOON: BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES OF VIRGINIA BLUEBELL
PLANT OF THE WEEK: CUTLEAF TOOTHWORT
Cutleaf toothwort is small plant the has a big impact for the size of its flowers, especially when blooming in large numbers. Initially, I thought that the “toothwort” name came the toothed leaves or the closed flowers that look like molars. But I was wrong. It is the rhyzome, a root-like structure located just below the soil between the stem and the root. Most people would not figure this out. I mean, I only discovered it after employing my X-ray vision. However, there was a time when people relied on plants, and often their roots, for survival. And Native Americans ate the tooth-shaped tuber. Now, this isn’t the only plant named after its root. The root of bloodroot, as the name suggest, bleeds a red liquid when broken. Native Americans used this sanguine solution as body paint and to dye clothes and baskets.
PHOTO SECTION
Cutleaf Toothwort can be found exploding across our woodlands:
In April at O’Hara Woods, cutleaf toothwort blooms in profusion, like an explosion of fireworks before a backdrop of mayapples. Coincidentally, during World War II, explosives were stored on the site, earning it the name Dynamite Woods.*
Hepatica can be found in many of our high-quality woodlands:
Sharp-lobed hepatica are still blooming, but not for much longer. The flowers come in white and the pastel tones of blue, pink, and purple.
Dutchman’s Breeches (or Dutchman’s Britches):
O’Hara Woods and Raccoon Grove have a large number of Dutchman’s Breeches. I really love the leaves and, of course, the flowers that resemble suspenders worn by a Dutchman.*
False Rue Anemone:
False rue anemone can be found in all of our featured woodlands. They often grow in thick colonies, which is a beautiful sight when the flowers are wide open. Unfortunately, under cloudy skies, the flowers close up and not very noticeable.
Marsh Marigolds:
On Saturday, April 18 at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, the yellow flowers of marsh marigold were covered in a magical patina of morning frost.
On April 15 at Pilcher Park Nature Center in Joliet, I found these marsh marigolds flowering in the muddy woodland.
Marsh marigolds and skunk cabbage at McClaughry Springs Woods in Palos Park, Illinois. They can also be found at Bluff Spring Fen and Pilcher Park Nature Center.*
Red Trillium is just starting to bloom:
Red trillium blooms as the sun sets at O’Hara Woods Preserve in Romeoville. See this beautiful flower at most, if not all, of our featured woodland.*
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 can also discover these beautiful cabbage plants at Black Partridge Woods, O’Hara Woods, Messenger Woods, Raccoon Grove, Heron Rookery Trail, and Fermilab Prairie woodland.*
Mayapple:
In woodlands across northeastern Illinois, like here at Black Partridge Woods in Lemont, April showers bring out the umbrellas in the form of mayapples. And the white flowers of false rue anemone sparkle like raindrops. You can find both of these plants at any of our featured woodlands.*
Virginia Bluebell:
The bluebells are beginning to flower and, right now, this is what the blooms look like on some of the plants. However, most of them still display a cluster of unopened buds.
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
