Chicago Nature Now! Alert
September 6, 2019
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Trips”
Get Out This Weekend to Experience
The Best Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
Don’t miss one beautiful moment.
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WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR WEEKEND GETAWAY IN CHICAGO NATURE:
September is “The Month of Gold,” when Chicagoland’s prairies and savannas shine with many species of sunflower and goldenrod. To see spectacular sunflower displays, visit Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie. Bring along your tape measure to search for the tallest sawtooth sunflower, our Plant of the Week. The other day, I found one that was ten-and-a-half-feet tall. Now is also the time to experience stunning displays of rough blazing star, which are just reaching peak bloom. You can find its flamboyant purple stalk in large numbers at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Pembroke Savanna, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, and to some extent at Theodore Stone Preserve.
To experience the full delight of the prairie, touch it and smell it. (The plants listed here are all safe to experience.) Run your fingers through the soft tan tassels of Indian grass and atop the rough, sometimes smooth, leaves of our many sunflowers. Tickle your hand as you pass through a cloudy plume of prairie dropseed. And while you’re there, stop and pay attention to its rich fragrance of slightly burnt buttered popcorn. Receive the strong and refreshing fragrance of mint from the fading flowers of mountain mint and wild bergamot. The seeds of yellow coneflower smell like licorice, while the seeds of purple prairie clover give off my favorite good smell in Chicago nature—a transfusion of lemons and carrots. So, what is my favorite bad smell? That would be the brown, teardrop seed ball of foxglove beardtongue. When in bloom, the white snapdragon flowers have no appreciable smell. But beginning around the end of August, the seeds smell exactly like vomit. Some say, “moldy socks.” Either way, it’s fabulous!
In addition to flowers, check out our special section below where we tell you where to see hummingbirds, ferns, and a Chicago-area canyon!
PRESERVES TO VISIT THIS WEEKEND FOR A WILDFLOWER WALK 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!”):
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (8/31+): Wow! Colorful flowers are everywhere, and certainly worth making a trip to Zion. The black oak savanna offers omnipresent displays of rough blazing star, western sunflower, and white goldenrod (they look like asters), along with remaining blooms of flowering spurge and large flowered false foxglove. And like the savanna, the sand prairie is offering a beautiful show of rough blazing star, western sunflower, flowering spurge, and white goldenrod. It is this preserve’s grandest display of the year. And that’s saying a lot!
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (9/5+): Splendid! Come see the prairie as an ocean of gold, with sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, and several species of goldenrod (stiff, tall, grass-leaved, etcetera). You’ll also find obedient plant, round-headed bush clover, the occasional smooth ironweed, cream gentian, big bluestem, and Indian grass.
Spears Woods in Willow Spring (last scouted on 9/5+): Wonderful! This is another prairie with fantastic golden blooms amidst a sea of purple of big bluestem and the tawny tassels of Indian grass. You’ll find dense, wide-spread populations of the towering sawtooth sunflower and the red-stemmed long-bracted tickseed sunflower, as well as tall coreopsis and various goldenrods (stiff, tall, grass-leaved, etcetera). Bushy populations of the white-flowered false aster can be found in the wetter spots. Adding a touch of purple to the prairie is smooth ironweed with the occasional rough blazing star and slender false foxglove. A small colony of American lotus in Hogwash Slough can be seen from a high point along the trail.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (9/2+): Somme Prairie Grove is known for the simultaneous blooms of many species. And that’s what you’ll find, right now. The best blooms are happening under the trees where you’ll discover beautiful golden displays of sweet coneflower and brown-eyed Susan mixed with rich purples of Missouri ironweed and spotted Joe-Pye weed. You’ll also find great blue lobelia, white turtlehead, flat-topped aster, and savanna blazing star. Under the sun, you’ll find tall coreopsis, sawtooth sunflower, goldenrods, obedient plant, rough blazing star, cardinal flower, big bluestem, blooming tassels of Indian grass, and beautiful patches of cream gentian.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is construction on Dundee Road east of Waukegan Road, but you can still drive around the “Detour” barricade because it’s open to local traffic. The preserve entrance is located on the left side about 500 feet beyond the barricade. Due to the construction, Google Maps instructs you to park on Ferndale. Ignore it! Park in the main lot, or use the alternate parking location found on our web page for this preserve.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (9/4+): There’s a lot to see across the preserve, from savanna and kames to prairie and seep. Soon after entering the savanna from the kiosk, you’ll go over the friendly troll bridge where the trolls have helped to restore the wetland habitat. Right now, you can see the stunning beauty of their work, as dense, colorful stands of yellow sawtooth sunflower and pink spotted Joe-Pye weed provide a glorious scenic view. Continuing under the oaks of the savanna, you’ll see golden wingstem, cutleaf coneflower, and brown-eyed Susan alongside sweet Joe-Pye weed, bottlebrush grass, cow parsnip, jewelweed, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and a few specimens of pasture thistle. (Our native thistles can be identified by the the whitish color under their leaves.) As you emerge from the savanna, you’ll have a great view of the bowl that contains the prairie, the seep of fen, and distance kames. Stop here, and soak up the purple hues of the grasses and golden sparkles of flowers. The grasses are prominent this time of year, with big bluestem lining many trails along with the occasional flourish of Canada wild rye. Don’t miss the glorious “forest” of tall compass plant that occupies the southwest corner of the preserve. The seep in the bottom of the bowl is also a glorious place with highlights of yellow and white. You’ll find goldenrod, shrubby cinquefoil, white flat-topped aster, more pink spotted Joe-Pye weed, and swamp thistle (another native thistle with white under its leaves). As you emerge north from the bowl, you’ll climb up the “switchback kame” where you’ll come upon a wonderful display of rough blazing star and remaining cylindrical blazing star. This is good place to pause to absorb the panoramic view. As you descend westward, turn left towards the creek, and you’ll find goldenrods, great blue lobelia, cutleaf coneflower, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and more.
NOTE: Consider checking out nearby Shoe Factory Road Prairie.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (8/28+): We scouted this preserve last week, which gives us a pretty good idea of what’s happening now. At this moment, expect to see the dramatic display of rough blazing star which usually reaches peak bloom at this time. Field goldenrod should now be exhibiting its golden hues. And you’re bound to find more yellow in the form of large flowered false foxglove and western sunflower. The fluffy plumes of the elegant round-headed bush clover provide added texture and whimsy as they bob in the wind. And flashes of white can be found in the last blooms of flowering spurge and the senescing blossoms of spotted bee balm.
Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest (8/27+): We scouted the preserve last week. Expect to see an uptick in gold, this week, due to incoming goldenrods and sawtooth sunflower. This is what I wrote last week, “Many dramatic plants are blooming in large numbers, providing colorful vistas of yellow and gold from the goldenrods, rosinweed and the towering composite blooms of cup plant, sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, and prairie sunflower. Highlights of pearl can be seen in tall boneset and in the fading rattlesnake master and mountain mint. The dramatic purples of prairie blazing star are gone, but those of ironweed add visual excitement. And there’s much more to see: blue vervain, obedient plant, nodding wild onion, great blue lobelia, the glorious red cardinal flower, and the sublime cream gentian. In the wetter areas, you’ll find the deep-pink blooms of spotted Joe-Pye weed and the big blossoms of swamp rose mallow.”
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (last scouted on 9/5+): Go for the golden highlights amidst a purple sea of big bluestem and Indian grass. Contributing the golden highlights are tall coreopsis, prairie sunflower, prairie dock, and many goldenrods that include stiff, tall, and grass-leaved. Dense patches of white come from tall boneset with occasion flashes of rose from rough blazing star, obedient plant, and pasture thistle.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (9/2+): The annual show of rough blazing star is happening right now, but the numbers are not as strong as in previous years. The stars of the preserve are rough blazing star, obedient plant, cylindrical blazing star, the various goldenrods (stiff, showy, etc.), and sunflowers like (woodland, western, and more). The subtle, yet gorgeous, round-headed bush clover is showing off its fuzzy green head. And then there’s white goldenrod, which looks nothing like goldenrod. It’s white and resembles a short aster plant. From the overlook atop the hill, soak up the colors and textures of the grassland vista to the south, where the celebration continues. Venturing out into the vista you’ll find many sunflowers, tall coreopsis, goldenrods, big bluestem, Indian grass, and lots of rattlesnake master. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s not far away.
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills (last scouted on 9/1+): Go for the goldenrods that populate most of the preserve, including the tall goldenrod and showy goldenrod species! Also omnipresent are big bluestem. Indian grass, and tall boneset. Several other flowers dot the way through the prairie. And, along the edge of the seeps, look for these beauties: Riddell’s goldenrod. Kalm’s lobelia, swamp lousewort, and Grass-of-Parnassus.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (9/4+): Right now, this intimate remnant prairie is not nearly as showy as the preserves on our “Go” list (above). Currently, you’ll find a scattered display of rough blazing star along with the towering grasses that give the tallgrass prairie its misleading name. A tunnel of big bluestem takes over much of the southern path, obscuring everything from view. If you visit in the morning, make sure to wear rain gear or you’ll get drenched from head to toe. You’ll see tall goldenrod and skyward sawtooth sunflower with other goldenrod species beginning their blooms. There are sparkles of ivory in a late-blooming patch of wild quinine, the whitish pink blooms of nodding wild onion, and the sublime cream gentian. To find this cream-colored flower that resembles blue bottle gentian (see pictures below), keep your eyes down and pay careful attention as you walk the trail.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (scouted 9/3): If you’re in the area, take a walk to experience the tall, late-summer grasses of big bluestem and Indian grass. In the eastern dolomite prairie, a small pretty patch of rough blazing star is blooming strong alongside reddish sprays of the beautiful little bluestem grass, pink blooms of nodding wild onion, yellow highlights of field goldenrod and prairie dock, and a good amount of the unusual white goldenrod. The rest of the preserve is mostly made up of tall grasses, but you’ll also find tall coreopsis, goldenrods, smooth ironweed, spotted Joe-Pye weed, great blue lobelia, sneezeweed, and sweet coneflower, swamp rose mallow, native thistles, and stands of late boneset.
NOTE: The preserve is located quite close to Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie, which are both on our “Go” list.
Fermilab Prairie in Batavia (8/31+): Much of the preserve is covered with waves of purple and brown grasses combined with soft highlights of gold. Goldenrod is starting, and many sunflower-like flowers dot the preserve, including tall coreopsis and sweet coneflower. This prairie is a reconstruction, not a restoration. It was originally a prairie that was turned into farmland and turned back into prairie (sort of). In 1971, Dr. Robert Betz embarked on a bold experiment to reconstruct the prairie from nothing, employing the same agricultural practices that caused its demise. While the soil will take eons to replenish and, though not as rich as other remnants or restored prairies, Fermilab Prairie provides the region with a large expanse of grassland for people to explore. I say “grassland” because, in proportion to the flowering plants (forbs), you’ll find much more big bluestem and Indian grass than most prairies. You can find a similar situation with the prairie at Carl Hansen Woods—the expanse south of the Shoe Factory Road Prairie. It was once thought that planting grasses first would help heal the land. But it was later learned that they prevented the forbs from taking hold. Nowadays, forbs and less-aggressive grasses (like side oats grama) are planted first. Then, after they’re well-established, the grasses are introduced. You can see an example of this success in the southwest corner of Bluff Spring Fen, where you’ll find towering compass plant and other flowers. My friend and a true man-of-the-prairie, Roger Hotham, was instrumental in restoring this area of the preserve.
PRESERVES FOR YOU TO SCOUT:
This is a category for those who’d like do a little exploring for us. The preserves listed below were not scouted, this week, but may be worth the trip. Please send us your findings and images by email or, better still, join our Friends of ChicagoNatureNOW! Facebook page. While visiting a preserve, take mostly scenic pictures, tell us which flowers are blooming, and then give us your bottom-line opinion of your experience. Tell us if it’s a “GO,” a “Go, if you’re in the neighborhood,” or a “NO.” If you’d like to scout more regularly, then learn about becoming an official Nature Scout.
Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin: This prairie-by-the-lake offers cooler temperatures during the hot summer months. Let us know what you find!
Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie in Chicago: This high-quality preserve is located inside the city of Chicago. If you live in the Calumet region, here’s your chance to help bring nature to your neighbors.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds!
The hummingbirds are here! You can find them buzzing about at many nature centers including: Sagawau Canyon, Pilcher Park (at the nature center and south of the greenhouse), and Little Red Schoolhouse.
Ferns & Canyon Tours
Miller Woods, Tolleston Dunes, Cowles Bog Trail, and Hoosier Prairie (all in northwestern Indiana) are leaping with gymnastic ferns that are beginning to change into their autumn colors. If you’d like to experience a beautiful fern-lined canyon, call Sagawau Canyon in Lemont to sign up for their next canyon tour. Hurry! They fill up fast.
See a Summer Sunset
Saganashkee Slough in Palos Hills: Sensational for sunsets, as our celestial star—a bright, burning brass ball—slowly sinks in the sky to start a sultry summer eve.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: SAWTOOTH SUNFLOWER
At Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois, towering sawtooth sunflowers blooms in endless fields of gold in one of the last dramatic displays of the summer season. It gets its name from the leaves that often have a toothed edge, like a dull serrated knife. The plant can grow in dense colonies and can reach twelve feet tall! Bring a metal tape measure with you and and find the tallest specimen. Then, let us know by sending us a comment below or post a picture by joining our Friends of ChicagoNatureNOW! Facebook group.
PHOTO SECTION
Rough Blazing Star
This is Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois, when early September explodes with rough blazing star. The monarch you see is feeding before it takes its long trek to central Mexico. You can also find this dramatic end-of-summer plant flowering in large numbers at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, and to some extent at Theodore Stone Preserve.*
Obedient Plant
Obedient plant has pink flowers that run up the stem of the plant. The name comes from the plant’s pivoting snapdragon flower that obediently stays put when you swivel it on its mysterious botanical hinge. Here, atop the hill at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, obedient plant and Indian grass take in the view.*
Bottle Gentian
Blue bottle gentians survive under the shadow of the dense late-summer prairie, where plants, like this sawtooth sunflower, can tower twelve feet into the air.*
Bottle gentian (or closed gentian) is fully dependent on bumblebees for its survival. The petals of this unusual flower are effectively closed to other insects, but the strong bumblebee is able to muscle its way in through the tip. Late in the season, when fewer plants are blooming, bottle gentian relies on the slim pickings for pollination, hoping bumblebees won’t mind the extra effort.*
Cylindrical Blazing Star
In August, cylindrical blazing star blooms in the sand savanna at Indiana Dunes National Park. You can also find it at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and Bluff Spring Fen. The roots of this plant are the deepest of any prairie plant, which is saying a lot. See illustration below of root depth.*
The Grasses of Big Bluestem & Indian Grass
The towering height of big bluestem grass gives true meaning to the term “tallgrass prairie.”*
In the dolomite prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois, feathery plumes of dew-drenched Indian grass steal the show from rough blazing star and goldenrod.*
American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough
You may still be able to find American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs, Illinois.
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs, Illinois is teeming 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.
Swamp Rose Mallow
The large blooms of swamp rose mallow is a plant that can be found in August around some of Chicago’s wetlands.*
Wolf Road Prairie
In one of the last dramatic displays of the summer season at Wolf Road Prairie, towering sawtooth sunflower blooms in endless fields of gold.*
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve
As the sun rises over the dune, rough blazing star, flowering spurge, and western sunflower grow densely in the protection of a swale at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*
Early late-summer light strikes the tops of indian grass, western sunflower, and rough blazing star at the sand prairie along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois.*
Rough blazing star and western sunflower find protection from the elements inside the swale of the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*
At the end of this late-summer day, large-flowered false foxglove blooms across the black oak savanna at Illinois Beach State Park. You can also experience this plant at Bluff Spring Fen, Indiana Dunes National Park, and Pembroke Savanna.*
Somme Prairie Grove
At Somme Prairie Grove, woodland sunflowers surround this majestic bur oak in the savanna.*
In 1985, this area was cast in total darkness, a dirt floor under an endless gray barrier of scraggly buckthorn. Now, after lots of love from volunteers, it is the edge of a woodland, well lit and teeming with tall flowers that reach for the sun. Here, we can see an August celebration of woodland sunflower, sweet coneflower, sweet Joe-Pye weed, and ironweed.*
Obedient plant can be found at many local preserves, like here at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, and more. Use your finger to pivot the flower on the stem, and it will obediently remain in place. Hence the name. Grow it in your garden, though, and it has a habit of spreading and not staying put.*
Shoe Factory Road Prairie
On this foggy August morning at Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, the sun burned through the fog to illuminate the purple blooms of rough blazing star and the bright green foliage of compass plant..*
Rough blazing star colors the foggy hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.*
Bluff Spring Fen
This was the scene from Bluff Spring Fen on Saturday, August 31, as rough blazing star glowed in the new morning light.
Soft sunlight, diffused by morning mist, filters across the preserve. Gathered at the base of the kame, fire-resistant bur oaks hover above a colorful caboodle of spotted Joe-Pye weed and goldenrod.*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Pembroke Savanna
The celebration of rough blazing star and field goldenrod is probably Pembroke’s most prolific performance of the year, but it’s by no means the only one. We’re still about a ten days away from the peak display shown here. But there’s still a lot of color, right now. You can also find this dramatic end-of-summer plant flowering in large numbers at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, and to some extent at Theodore Stone Preserve.*
Field goldenrod and rough blazing star bring an air of autumn to the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois.*
In a shining spot under the open canopy of the black oaks, western sunflowers smile in the late-summer sun at Pembroke Savanna.*
Lake in the Hills Fen
At this time of year, tall goldenrod and purple rough blazing star contribute to an explosion of color at Lake in the Hills Fen.
Rough blazing star and Indiana grass dominate the top of this kame at Lake in the Hill Fen.
Theodore Stone Preserve
The dolomite prairie on the eastern side of Theodore Stone Preserve reminds me of a planned garden or springtime in the desert, where each plant is given its own space to grow. But instead of a separation of lifeless mulch or sand, here, rough blazing star and little bluestem are connected by a downy, green veil of mysterious grass.*
Ferns & Canyon Tours
Royal ferns in the light fog of the savanna at Hoosier Prairie in Schererville, Indiana.*
In the Cowles Bog area, you’ll find many species of fern. Here, a forest of royal ferns thrives in a wetland that has formed at the base of a high dune.*
Lush ferns line the walls of Sagawau Canyon in Lemont, Illinois. But you can only see it if you sign up for their upcoming canyon tours. Register soon. They fill up quickly.*
Sultry Summer Sunsets Over Saganashkee Slough (That’s a mouthful!)
On this sweltering, sultry afternoon, a soft flavescent sun sets over Saganashkee Slough in Palos Hills, Illinois.*
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 poetically celebrates all of the preserves featured on this website.
—Mike
