Chicago Nature Now! Alert
September 8, 2016
“Chicago nature info to help you discover the region’s finest natural wonders.”
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, right now!
Fall is upon us! Get out into the prairies and savannas to see and to smell all that Chicago nature has to offer.
September—The Season of Gold (and much more!)
In the first half of September, the prairies and savannas turn to gold with various species of goldenrod and sunflower-like plants. You’ll also find tower waves of red-stemmed grasses dancing in the prairie winds. And, right now, some prairies offer wonderful purple displays of rough blazing star. Here’s a short list of the many preserves you should try to visit:
- Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois: This preserve is magic, lush with rough blazing star, western sunflowers, and the start of the aster blooms. If I only had one place to choose, this is it!
- Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois: Lots of sawtooth sunflower and goldenrod.
- Spears Woods in Willow Springs, Illinois: Click here for the location of the trailhead that goes west into the prairies.
- Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois: This is another place that feels like an escape.
- Theodore Stone Preserve: The mesic prairie on the west side of the preserve (near the main entrance) is tall with grasses and yellow flowers. However, it’s the east prairie where the magic is happening. There is a glorious little patch of rough blazing star, little bluestem, goldenrod, and a delicate, low grass—a scene that simply steals my heart. It’s a very special and delicate spot, so please stay on the trail.
- Lake in the Hills Fen: Visit to experience the fens and the great expanse of grasses and flowers, including purple rough blazing star. The vastness of this preserve will make you feel like you’ve gotten away from it all.
- Fermilab Prairie in Batavia, Illinois: This expansive prairie currently features towering tall grasses, prairie dock, compass plant. I measured one prairie dock plant along the trail to be ten-and-a-half feet tall!
- Kickapoo Prairie in Riverdale, Illinois: This is a very pretty prairie very close to the city limits of Chicago.
- Shoe Factory Road Prairie and the much lager prairie to the south and east: The hill prairie known as Shoe Factory Road Prairie is very small, but very much worth the visit to see the rough blazing star and goldenrods. The larger prairie is great for a long walk through the tall grasses and the golden flowers.
- Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: Visit to see the tall grasses and various yellow blooms.
- Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park, Illinois: Great for rough blazing star and field goldenrod.
Bottle Gentians (or Closed Gentians)
These are not flowers that fill the landscape, but they are beautiful nonetheless. Look closely and you’ll find them at Lake in the Hills Fen, Wolf Road Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove, Powderhorn Prairie, and Belmont Prairie.
Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds!
The hummingbirds are still around and should be for the next couple of weeks. 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, Ferns, Ferns & Canyon Tours
Once again, Cowles Bog Trail, Miller Woods, and Hoosier Prairie (all in northwestern Indiana) are jumping with gymnastic ferns. And they’re starting to change to their fall colors. If you’d like to experience a beautiful fern-lined canyon, call Sagawau Canyon in Lemont, Illinois and sign up for their next canyon tour.
See a Summer Sunset:
Saganashkee Slough in Palos Hills, Illinois is sensational for sunsets, as our celestial star—a bright, burning brass ball—slowly sinks in the sky to start a sultry summer eve.
PHOTO SECTION
September—The Season of Gold (and much more!)
Morning 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.
September at Wolf Road Prairie gives proof of nature’s comfort, as sawtooth sunflower and obedient plant tangle in a glorious embrace.*
Bottle Gentians (or Closed Gentians)
At Powderhorn Prairie in Chicago, Illinois, blue bottle gentians survive under the shadow of the dense September 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.
Ferns, Ferns, 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.*
Visit the Tallgrass Prairie
Big bluestem grass gives the true meaning to the term “tallgrass prairie.”*
Check Out the Summer Sunsets at Saganaskee Slough
On this sweltering, sultry afternoon, a golden sun sets over Saganashkee Slough in Palos Hills, Illinois.*
* 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
