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Chicago Nature Now! Alert
June 26, 2020

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

Best Wildflower Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!

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WE NEED MORE SCOUTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE SOUTH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING!

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:

  • 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 through photography, drawing, painting, and writing.
  • 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:

BE SAFE:

  • WEAR A MASK to protect others. Act as if you are infected because you very well could be and don’t know it.
  • 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 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:

The show of the week is happening at Bluff Spring Fen where glorious blossoms of pale purple coneflower are making a big pink splash alongside orange butterfly weed and pearly foxglove beardtongue.

Belmont Prairie is also featuring pale purple coneflower alongside butterfly weed and the ephemeral melting blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Yes, the flowers of spiderwort begin to open a little after sunrise and last until they turn to liquid, which could be as early as noon. The best show is taking place at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. There’s also a nice display at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville. Click here to read my poem about Ohio spiderwort.

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve is offering a diverse wildflower display in the oak savanna with hoary puccoon, pasture rose, downy phlox, butterfly weed, flowering spurge, and Ohio spiderwort. Porcupine grass (our Plant of the Week) also grows in profusion here. Its seed drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. In the sand prairie, look for the bright yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! And you can find also find it at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.

The pearly white trumpets of foxglove beardtongue are in their final moments. I love this plant because, in the fall, their seeds smell exactly, and I mean “exactly,” like vomit! In stark contrast, you can now experience a most wonderful fragrance by dropping to your knees and lowering your nose into the pink blossom of pasture rose. Over several weeks in late spring, it blooms barely inches from the ground. During that time, whenever we’re together, I partake in a sacred ritual. I drop to my knees and bow in reverence, nose to petal. However, last year, I didn’t notice the poison ivy growing right next to the flower. I immediately felt a tingling on my upper lip, but it was too late. It was a small price to pay for the many years of delight that this flower has brought me.

Now is also a wonderful time to experience green glow in the prairie. Green glow is a term that I invented as I typed this sentence. It describes leaves as they glow a bright-green from sunlight shining through them. In particular, 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.

 

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!”):

Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (6/24+): The glorious pale purple coneflower is now blooming in several spots with the best display atop the big kame. To reach this spot, please use the out-and-back trail to the top. While you’re up there, you’ll have a great view of the oak savanna and the bowl of the fen to the east. As you continue your hike around the bowl, watch for the startling orange blossoms of butterfly milkweed and the white blooms of white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, and wild quinine. Ohio spiderwort is flowering in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame.

Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (6/25+): The black oak (or sand savanna) is the most colorful portion of the preserve, where a diverse array of flowers are blooming, including hoary puccoon, pasture rose, downy phlox, butterfly weed, flowering spurge, sand coreopsis, daisy fleabane, and Ohio spiderwort. Under the sun of the sand prairie and the dunes to the east, you’ll find three special grasses: marram grass, June grass, and porcupine grass. Marram grass grows in the most barren sandy soil closer to the beach. June grass is best experienced early and late in the day when it’s white plumes radiate like small torches. And porcupine grass (our Plant of the Week) has seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below.

Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (6/24+): There are many floral colors on display, this week: purple, orange, yellow, blue, and white. Blooms include purple milkweed, Ohio spiderwort, butterfly weed, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, prairie sundrop, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, and white wild indigo. You’ll also notice a white daisy in many places. This is the non-native ox-eye daisy. 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 garden-like and 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.

Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (6/25=): Right now, there is some nice color in this intimate remnant prairie. I suggest visiting early or late in the day. If you come in the morning, you’ll receive the added pleasure of experiencing the ephemeral blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Their royal blue flowers open around sunrise, but only last a few hours until they dissolve into a purple liquid. Click here to learn about spiderwort’s miraculous melting flowers. Another reason to visit in the morning or late afternoon is to experience the glory of green glow—when leaves glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them. When I visited on Thursday, I felt the green glow of compass plant lifting my heart. Also flowering are the drooping pink blooms of pale purple coneflower and the bright orange blossoms of butterfly weed that mix into a purple haze of blue scurfy pea. Black-eyed Susan and false sunflower add a touch of yellow, while wild quinine contributes a little bit of white. Adding delicate texture to the prairie is the gorgeous prairie brome and the remarkable porcupine grass as it shows off its long miraculous seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch the seed drill in my video.

Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (6/24=): This is “Go!” for the morning hours to see the tremendous show of Ohio spiderwort, especially prominent along the southeast edge of the preserve near Wolf Road. If you visit in the afternoon (and possibly later in the morning) the flowers will be gone. Plus, keep in mind that the flowers fade more quickly when it’s hot. In the prairie, you’ll also find downy phlox, daisy fleabane, prairie sundrop, purple meadow rue, the gorgeous purple milkweed, and the sublime orange prairie lily. If you’re around when the sun is low, then catch the green glow emanating from the many prairie dock leaves.

We need scouts, especially Southsiders!
Click here to learn about how you can help us share the beauty.

GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

Miller Woods in Indiana Dunes National Park (UNSCOUTED): Click here to help us scout this preserve. Come on southsiders! You have a lot of great southern preserves, but most of our scouts are from the north and western suburbs. Volunteer to help out your neighbors discover nature in your area.

Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park (UNSCOUTED): Sorry! We didn’t have the woman- or manpower to cover this far southside preserve, either. My guess is that there is a good amount of hoary puccoon and June grass.

PLANT OF THE WEEK: PORCUPINE GRASS

Porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea, previously known as Stipa spartea, for anyone who cares) is a particularly fun and interesting plant because of its fascinating seed. The common name refers to its long needles, which apparently resemble the spines of a porcupine, though I think the needle-like fruit best resembles a six- to seven-inch spear. The seed head represents the blade, and the long shaft is known as the awn. As the javelin-shaped fruit falls from the plant, the heavy seed head leads the way and embeds its sharp tip into the soil. As the awn dries, it twirls counter-clockwise until the shaft becomes so tightly wound that the implanted seed head begins to drill into the ground. Humidity and moisture have the opposite effect on the awn, causing it to uncoil, allowing rain or heavy dew to straighten it out. As the awn unwinds, the seed is left in place. The drilling process resumes when the environment dries out, and the cycle repeats until the seed is deposited as far as three to four inches beneath the surface, where the awn decays and the grain germinates. Seeds of porcupine grass can’t help but drill, so much so that they’ve been known to cause fatal wounds in animals. Hence, trust me when I tell you that putting them in your pocket is a big mistake.

The seeds of porcupine grass are located at the tip of long sharp needles that fall off the plant and then slowly drill themselves into the soil. You can find porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie.*

The awn of this porcupine grass seed is tightly twisted, as you can see by the winding yellow and black stripes along its length. The pointy seed head of porcupine grass is bearded, with hairs pointing upward to keep it lodged in the soil. As a fun experiment, drop the entire fruit into a tall glass of water and remove it after it has mostly straightened out. Dab it dry with a towel, and then stick the seed head into a small pot of dirt or, if in a pinch, a dry sponge. Now watch. Soon, you’ll begin to see the awn wind like a very slow second hand of a backwards-running clock.

The awn of this porcupine grass seed is tightly twisted, as you can see by the winding yellow and black stripes along its length. The pointy seed head of porcupine grass is bearded, with hairs pointing upward to keep it lodged in the soil.
As a fun experiment, drop the entire fruit into a tall glass of water and remove it after it has mostly straightened out. Dab it dry with a towel, and then stick the seed head into a small pot of dirt or, if in a pinch, a dry sponge. Now watch. Soon, you’ll begin to see the awn wind like a very slow second hand of a backwards-running clock.

Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!


 CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.

PHOTO SECTION

Pale Purple Coneflower is in Full Flower

In addition to experiencing the prairie as a whole, take a closer look and discover the many attractions that hide in plain sight. Here, within a scene of a thousand coneflowers, I attended a iniature, slow-motion rodeo that was taking place upon one prickly flower head. I watched as a tiny ant rode the back of a slinking inchworm.*

Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine because I love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproot, allowing it to survive drought and to thrive in gravel and dolomite limestone prairies. In the warm light of rising or setting sun, the flowers turn a stunning orange pink. Here at Belmont Prairie, I picked out this scene from a thousand coneflowers: a miniature, slow-motion rodeo that was taking place upon one prickly flower head. I watched as a tiny ant rode the back of a slinking inchworm.*

Scattered around Bluff Spring Fen are special hills known as kames, which were formed by gravel and sand left behind by a retreating glacier. Atop this kame, you can clearly see the gravelly soil and the life that somehow manages to make this make home. Here, pale purple coneflowers explode from the rocky bed."

Scattered around Bluff Spring Fen are special hills known as kames, which were formed by gravel and sand left behind by a retreating glacier. Atop this kame, you can clearly see the gravelly soil and the life that somehow manages to make this make home. Here, pale purple coneflowers explode from the rocky bed.”

Pale purple coneflowers rise above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*

Pale purple coneflower rises above the prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin. You can also find this beautiful blossom at Belmont Prairie and Theodore Stone Preserve.*

Belmont prairie is special because it is home to an unusually high number of blooming wildflowers and fascinating plant species. During the month of June, this remnant prairie puts on a most impressive floral display: the celebration of the pale purple coneflower. Mixed amongst the coneflowers, the bright-colored grasses crisscrossing the center of the frame are porcupine grass. Its long spear-like seeds miraculously drill themselves into the earth in a counter-clockwise motion that you can actually watch.*

Belmont prairie is special because it is home to an unusually high number of blooming wildflowers and fascinating plant species. During the month of June, this remnant prairie puts on a most impressive floral display: the celebration of the pale purple coneflowersr. Growing amongst the coneflowers, the bright-colored grasses crisscrossing the center of the frame are porcupine grass. Its long spear-like seeds miraculously drill themselves into the earth in a counter-clockwise motion that you can actually watch.*

The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflowers at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois.*

The predawn clouds take on the color of the pale purple coneflowers at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins.*

Butterfly Weed

Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement.*

Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can find this plant at several high-quality preserves, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*

Butterfly milkweed (or butterfly weed) blooms in the black oak savanna at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*

Butterfly weed 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, and Bluff Spring Fen.*

Ohio Spiderwort and its Melting Flowers

The blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet a new day at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*

This was the scene of Wolf Road Prairie on Saturday, June 20, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort opened to meet the new day.

Ohio spiderwort in the morning light at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois.

In late May or early June, Ohio spiderwort
begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. Each morning, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. You can find spiderwort, right now, at Wolf Road Prairie, Belmont Prairie, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Powderhorn Prairie, Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and more.

In late May, spiderwort begins a performance that will last a month or longer, starring a cluster of buds that releases only a couple of flowers each day. At dawn, a new bud opens into a delicate blue or purple flower. But as the day wears on, it begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.

As the day wears on, each blossom begins to wither—then miraculously melts into a gem of royal jelly. An enzyme in the flower causes it to slowly decompose, and hot weather speeds up the process. It’s noon, and this flower is already shriveling.

By midafternoon, this spiderwort blossom melts blue between my fingertips, thanks to an enzyme in the flowers that causes it to slowly decompose.

By midafternoon, this spiderwort bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.

Now that you know a little something about spiderwort, click here to read my poem about this plant from my book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders.

Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Self-Drilling Seeds

Purple pale coneflowers, scurfy pea, and porcupine grass at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove.*

This is our Plant of the Week. At Belmont Prairie, porcupine grass glows in the morning light behind a profusion of pale purple coneflowers.*

Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled

Pasture Rose grows in the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve. The fragrance of pasture rose is transcendent—a spiritual experience. Over several weeks in late spring, it blooms barely inches from the ground. During that time, whenever we’re together, I partake in a sacred ritual. I drop to my knees and bow in reverence, nose to petal.*

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.*

Foxglove Beardtongue is Still Blooming

In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms in profusion at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*

In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves. In the fall, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.*

What?! Chicago Has a Cactus? Yes We Do!

Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found in late June in sandy preserves around the Chicago area.*

Eastern prickly pear cactus blooms can be found 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.*

June Grass Glows in the Low Light

June grass and hoary puccoon glow in the morning light at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park.*

June grass and hoary puccoon glow in the morning light of the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park. June grass can also be found at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve.*

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 from a cousin called compass plant.

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.

Light shines through a translucent leaf of prairie dock, as golden Alexander casts their shadows.*

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.*

* 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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