Chicago Nature Now! Alert
September 12, 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.
Click here to subscribe to receive FREE wildflower alerts!
SHARE YOUR LOVE OF NATURE BY BECOMING A NATURE SCOUT! Each week, we help your neighbors find peace. Lean about becoming a nature scout.
WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR WEEKEND GETAWAY IN CHICAGO NATURE:
The Month of Gold continues in Chicago’s prairies and savannas, as they shine with many species of sunflower and goldenrod. Again, our Plant of the Week is sawtooth sunflower. For the most spectacular displays, visit Wolf Road Prairie and Spears Woods. And bring along your tape measure to find the tallest one. This year, I found a ten-and-a-half-footer, but I think you can do better. Now’s your last chance to experience stunning displays of rough blazing star, which have reached peak bloom at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and Pembroke Savanna, and are fading at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, and Theodore Stone Preserve. This is also the time to see many species of goldenrod in bloom. NOTE: Goldenrod does not provoke allergies. Their pollen is heavy, and drops to the ground. Therefore, it can’t float through air to be inhaled. The real culprit is common ragweed, which blooms at the same time. Many of the asters are now flowering, marking the end of the blooming season. There are so many asters and goldenrods that it’s really hard to identify them all. Click here for a complete (pdf) list of local asters and goldenrods. And, right now, you can see white snakeroot, the deadly plant that killed thousands in the 1800’s. You can smell it and touch it, BUT DON’T EAT IT! Watch this video to learn more:
For a greater appreciation of our native habitats, touch and smell the plants. (But don’t eat them unless you know what you’re doing.) Run your fingers across 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!”):
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (9/10=): Spectacular! Come see the prairie as an ocean of gold, with sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, and several species of goldenrod (stiff, tall, grass-leaved, field, elm-leaved in woodland, 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 9/10=): 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, field, tall, grass-leaved, elm-leaved under the trees, etcetera). Many asters are now blooming along with bushy populations of the white-flowered false aster in the wetter spots. Adding a touch of purple to the prairie is smooth ironweed with the occasional slender false foxglove.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (8/31+): This beautiful preserve was not scouted, this week. We can really use your help. Learn about becoming a scout, here. If I would interpolate, I’d say that it’s worth making a long trip to Zion. Based on our scouting from two weeks back, I expect the black oak savanna to be showing omnipresent displays of rough blazing star, western sunflower, and possibly displays of 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 will probably be giving a beautiful show of rough blazing star and western sunflower. The show of rough blazing star is this preserve’s grandest display of the year. And that’s saying a lot!
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (9/11+): 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 sun with beautiful expanses of sawtooth sunflower alongside tall coreopsis, goldenrods, obedient plant, savanna blazing star, many asters that are just starting (see list below), and the tall grasses of big bluestem and Indian grass. You also find several gentians: cream gentian, bottle gentian, stiff gentian, and prairie gentian. The gold continues under the trees with 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, savanna blazing star, and the deadly white snakeroot (watch video above).
Here’s a list of asters that you can find at Somme Prairie Grove, thanks to our wonderful resident plant expert and steward at Somme, Eriko Kojima.
In the shade: Drummond’s aster, Short’s aster, and Calico aster (aka side-flowering aster)
Open woods: forked aster
Under the sun: sky blue aster, smooth blue aster, flat-topped aster, and New England aster
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 (9/11+): 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 cutleaf coneflower rise alongside spotted Joe-Pye weed to provide a glorious scenic view. Continuing under the oaks of the savanna, you’ll see golden wingstem, cutleaf coneflower, and brown-eyed Susan with spotted Joe-Pye weed, the deadly white snakeroot (see video above), 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 the fen, and distanct kames. 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, 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 fading display of rough blazing star. This is good spot to pause and absorb the panoramic view of the prairie and wetland to the south. Soak up the purple hues of the grasses and golden sparkles of flowers. As you descend westward, turn left towards the creek, and you’ll find goldenrods, great blue lobelia, cutleaf coneflower, spotted Joe-Pye weed, the glorious fringed gentian, and more.
NOTE: Consider checking out nearby Shoe Factory Road Prairie.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (9/11+): The annual show of rough blazing star is mostly gone. The stars of the hill prairie is showy goldenrod. Obedient plant still looks good alongside fading spikes of rough blazing star. You’ll also find sunflowers, newly blooming asters, and other goldenrods (stiff, field, etcetera). The subtle, yet gorgeous, round-headed bush clover is showing off its fuzzy green head. 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 sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, goldenrods, big bluestem, and Indian grass. 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 9/7=): This is a great preserve to visit if you want to get away from it all! The grand vista of towering grasses and forbs is wonderful. Tall goldenrod, showy goldenrod, and sawtooth sunflower populate good portions of the preserve. Also omnipresent are big bluestem. Indian grass, and tall boneset. You’ll also find rough blazing star and 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 betony, and Grass-of-Parnassus.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (9/7-): Expect to see the dramatic display of rough blazing star which has reached peak bloom, but the display is not as prolific as previous seasons. Field goldenrod is also exhibiting its golden hues. The fluffy plumes of the elegant round-headed bush clover provide added texture and whimsy as they bob in the wind.
Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest (9/11=): The yellow hues of the prairie predominate, primarily from the goldenrods, sawtooth sunflower, tall coreopsis, sneezeweed, and sweet coneflower. Highlights of pearl can be seen in tall boneset, false aster, hairy aster, and in the fading, fragrant flourishes mountain mint. The purples of ironweed, New England aster, and pasture thistle add splashes of visual excitement. And there’s much more to see: obedient plant, great blue lobelia, and the sublime cream gentian. In the wetter areas, you’ll find the deep-pink blooms of spotted Joe-Pye weed.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (last scouted on 9/5+): We didn’t scout this prairie, this week. But, if you’re in the neighborhood, you’ll enjoy the golden highlights of the September prairie 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 purple from pasture thistle.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (9/11+): Right now, this intimate remnant prairie is not nearly as showy as the preserves on our “Go” list (above). But, if you’re in Downers Grove and have a few minutes, check it out. Currently, you’ll find sawtooth sunflower, goldenrods, newly blooming asters, towering grasses, some remaining rough blazing star, and bottle (or “closed”) gentian. The flowers of bottle gentians are always closed, so don’t expect them to ever open. To detect these low-lying plants, keep your eyes to the ground. They’re easy to miss as you swim through the sea of tall grasses. A special thanks to Greg Jerzyk who provided us with a list of asters at Belmont Prairie: Drummond’s aster, Heath aster, New England aster, hairy aster, and smooth blue aster.
NOTE: If you visit in the morning, make sure to wear rain gear or you’ll get drenched from head to toe.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (last 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 fading patch of rough blazing star flowers alongside reddish sprays of the beautiful little bluestem grass, yellow blossoms of field goldenrod and prairie dock, and some remaining rays of the unusual white goldenrod. The rest of the preserve is mostly made up of tall grasses, but you’ll also find a mix of tall coreopsis, goldenrods, smooth ironweed, spotted Joe-Pye weed, great blue lobelia, sneezeweed, sweet coneflower, native thistles, and dense 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+): We did not scout this preserve, this week. If you’re in the area and can’t get to our other featured preserves, go for the grand expanse of grasses and the flashes of gold. 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 sunflower 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 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.*
Fringed Gentian
Gorgeous fringed gentians bloom in September. However, the flowers are diurnal, meaning that the the blooms only open up with the sun and are closed at night and, sometimes, on cloudy days. You can find them at preserves like Bluff Spring Fen, Chiwaukee Prairie, and Lake in the Hills Fen.*
Asters, Asters, Asters!
Asters come in a variety of colors: white, pink, purple, and blue. The name comes from an Ancient Greek word for “star.” You can find them in most prairies and savannas, and in some wetlands around the region. This is an image of New England aster, which is just one of the many species of aster that bloom at this time of year. Click here for a complete (pdf) list of local asters and goldenrods.
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.*
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.*
Somme Prairie Grove
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
Rough blazing star colors the foggy hill prairie at Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.*
Bluff Spring Fen
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.*
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. However, this year, the purple flower is not as abundant. You can also find the best show, right now, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.*
Field goldenrod and rough blazing star bring an air of autumn to the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois.*
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.*
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
