Chicago Nature Now! Alert
September 29, 2016
“Chicago nature info and news to help you discover the region’s finest natural wonders.”
Here’s what’s happening in Chicago nature, right now!
The Autumn Prairie: A Mosaic of Colors & Textures
We’re a little over a week into autumn and it’s finally starting to feel like fall. The prairies are the first habitats to display autumn color in the foliage. And with the many asters currently in bloom, the prairie becomes a beautiful mosaic of colors and textures. You may experience towering waves of red-stemmed grasses and tawny, fluffy spikes of gayfeather that glow in the sunlight. In one small patch of prairie, it’s common to see more color than any autumn woodland in the region: oranges, golds, reds, maroons, cyans, browns, and tans. And, before they fade, don’t forget to look for the ethereal blue and purple gentians. Here’s a list of prairies (and savannas) that are looking really nice and that you can visit throughout the fall season:
- Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois: Visit the sand prairie using the trail to the east.
- Spears Woods in Willow Springs, Illinois: Click here for the location of the trailhead that goes west into the prairies.
- Lake in the Hills Fen: Visit to experience the fens, fringed gentians, and a grand grassland expanse.
- Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin: This is a beautiful prairie to see an array of changing colors, along with fringed and prairie gentians.
- Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Illinois: This is another place that feels like an escape.
- Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie in Glenview, Illinois: Though this is not an officially featured preserve on this website, visit now to see all three gentians in bloom—bottle, prairie, and fringed.
- Theodore Stone Preserve: There are two different prairies here, a mesic prairie on the west side of the preserve (near the main entrance) and a dolomite (limestone) prairie on the east side.
- Kickapoo Prairie in Riverdale, Illinois: This is a beautiful prairie very close to Chicago’s city limits.
- Powderhorn Prairie: This is the most biodiverse site within the city limits of Chicago.
- Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: Visit to see the tall grasses and fringed gentians.
- Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest, Illinois: You can take a nice long walk here.
- Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates, Illinois: Hike this hill prairie and the large grassland at its base.
- Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois: This prairie offers a hundreds of species and a wonderful mix of colors and textures.
Gentians Galore (while they last)
Gentians have a transcendent, otherworldly beauty. Look closely for some combination of prairie, fringed, and bottle gentians at Lake in the Hills Fen, Wolf Road Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove, Powderhorn Prairie, Chiwaukee Prairie, and Belmont Prairie.
Asters Mark the End of the Blooming Season
In Ancient Greek, “aster” meant “star,” which makes sense because the blooms of the aster species resemble stars. Think of daisies, but much smaller, with colors that range from white and blue to pink and purple. Right now, many species of aster can be found in our prairies and savannas.
Ferns & Canyon Tours
In fall, ferns change into wardrobes of gold and brown. Check out these preserves where ferns are most prevalent: Cowles Bog Trail, Miller Woods, and Hoosier Prairie (all in northwestern Indiana). If you’d like to experience a lush, fern-lined canyon, call Sagawau Canyon in Lemont, Illinois to sign up for their next canyon tour.
PHOTO SECTION
Gentians Galore (while they last)
At Powderhorn Prairie in Chicago, Illinois, blue bottle gentians survive under the shadow of taller plants in the late-summer prairie.*
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.*
This is the time when the beauty of bottle gentians are at their most transcendent. When I first set eyes upon these fading blooms at Belmont Prairie, I was taken aback, struck by an arrow through my heart. Instantly, I fell in love with the prettiest flowers I had ever seen. Maybe I was just having one of those days, but I was close to tears.*
Here at Chiwaukee Prairie, the glorious fringed gentian blooms in late September. However, the flowers are not open all the time. They plant is diurnal, meaning that the the blooms only open up with the sun and are closed at night and, sometimes, on cloudy days. Unlike many prairie species that are perennials, fringed gentian is an annual.*
Asters Mark the End of the Blooming Season
New England aster is just one of the many species of aster that bloom this time of year.*
Ferns & Canyon Tours
My favorite part of Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve is the trail that winds beneath the black oaks of the savanna. Here, ferns begin to don the colors of autumn.*
Get ready, this scene is not far off in the future. Prepare to visit Cowles Bog Trail at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for acrobatic cinnamon ferns take hold in the soggy ground of Cowles Bog, which is not a bog at all but, rather, a wetland known as a fen.*
These fern-lined walls will soon be turning color at 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.*
* 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
