Mike MacDonald’s
Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
June 24, 2025
“Weekly Wildflower Forecasts Featuring
Chicago’s Best Weekend Getaways & Nature Walks”
Plan the Best Nature Walks & Outdoor Getaways Around Chicago!
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WILDFLOWER FORECAST & HIGHLIGHTS to help you plan your outdoor adventures into Chicago’s Prairies, Woodlands and Savannas:
The final week of June offers fine shows starring pale purple coneflower, prairie coreopsis, Ohio spiderwort, and foxglove beardtongue. But this platform isn’t just about flowers. It’s about having a genuine nature experience, which includes being curious and expecting the unexpected. Explore these preserves and discover the many flowers from the list below. No matter what you find, if you’re open to nature’s unpredictability, as well as its gifts, you’ll open up your life to a new world of understanding and wonder. In other words, if a flower show isn’t as grand as you expected. That’s an opportunity to look more closely and to learn about what is there, not to dwell on what is not.
During the final week of June, prairie coreopsis and pale purple coneflower often stage breathtaking shows. The best shows take place at Bluff Spring Fen, Belmont Prairie, on the slopes outside the fence at Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and to some extent at Theodore Stone Preserve and Middlefork Savanna. And prairie coreopsis shines most brightly at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen. Also, the dramatic pearly trumpet-shaped flowers of foxglove beardtongue are still flowering in our local prairies, especially at Spears Woods and Bluff Spring Fen 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.
Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are also aflower with many species, including the omnipresent cauliflower heads of wild quinine, which can be found at any of our mesic prairies. And the beautiful orange pompom flower heads of butterfly weed (our Plant of the Week) are starting to flower in our prairies and savannas.
For just a while longer, you can still experience the ephemeral blue flowers of Ohio spiderwort that open to meet their one-and-only day, then dissolve into a gem of purple liquid. They are now melting hearts around Chicago as they continue their monthlong show. You can find them at many preserves around the area. Click here to read my poem about it.
If a flower that turns to liquid isn’t weird enough, you can now find porcupine grass with a seed that drills itself into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. Look for this grass and its seeds at Belmont Prairie, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Bluff Spring Fen, Pembroke Savanna, Miller Woods, and Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie. And if you visit Pembroke Savanna or Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, look for the plumes of June grass that glow brightly in the spotlight of a low sun.
As we approach July, purple leadplant will begin to prominently erupt at Pembroke Savanna, Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Bluff Spring Fen. At the latter two sites, a heart-stopping mix of leadplant and golden prairie coreopsis often bloom side-by-side. In the sandy prairies and savannas, begin looking for the large yellow blossoms of eastern prickly pear cactus. What?! Chicago has a cactus? Yes we do! You can find also find it at Miller Woods, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Powderhorn Marsh & Prairie, and Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve.
Here is my most profound recommendation for enjoying your time in nature. If the preserve allows, arrive before first light. A morning rendezvous with nature is a magical experience that vastly transcends what’s possible at other times of day. In the early light, the world expands beyond the usual three dimensions, as the transformation from darkness into light excites more than just the visual sense. As night gives birth to dawn, and the landscape gently turns from azure to gold, the soft and changing light is a spectacle for the eyes. A moist fog or a splash of crisp dew against your skin affirms your existence. The still atmosphere concentrates the fragrances floating in the air and provides a tranquil stage for birds to project their crystal melodies. In the morning, you’ll find all of this, along with the promise of a new day.
SUMMER WILDFLOWER GETAWAYS AROUND CHICAGO:
I’ve ranked the preserves on this week’s list based on the information predicted by my one-of-a-kind propriety database of wildflowers blooming events, 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 make it to the top-rated preserves.
LIKELY, THIS WEEK’S BEST CHOICES (“GO!”):
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook: In late June, the savanna blooms with flowers representing a vibrant array of color: purple, blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white. It usually starts with the bright orange pom poms of butterfly weed that steal the show, with the gorgeous yellow blossoms of prairie sundrop in a close second. Right now, leadplant usually begins to turn purple and beginning to bloom into a magnificent show. You’ll now find many more flowers that may include Ohio spiderwort, marsh phlox, pasture rose, prairie lily, black-eyed Susan, common St. John’s wort, compass plant, daisy fleabane, foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, New Jersey tea, mountain mint, the tall tuberous Indian plantain, and numerous wild quinine. Keep your eyes open for the striking blooms of purple milkweed and the beautifully scented pasture rose. And the golden flowers of compass plant may now be blossoming. There’s should still be a lot of green out there, so take this time to appreciate the beautiful textures that come from the foliage of sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. Come early or late in the day to experience the green glow from compass plant and prairie dock.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin: The grand performances of pale purple coneflower are often at peak bloom or just a little past. The white snapdragon flowers of foxglove beardtongue can be quite prominent, though they may be showing their age. And the golden rays of freshly blooming prairie coreopsis usually reach peak bloom before the first of July. The spikes of leadplant are turning purple in time for their beautiful show in July. All these flowers are complemented by the cauliflower crowns of wild quinine and sprays of porcupine grass. Ohio spiderwort may still be blooming in the mornings. And keep your eye out for fragrant pasture rose at the base of the southeast kame where the purple spikes of leadplant are still waiting to flower. You should also find flashes of orange from butterfly weed, gold from black-eyed Susan, points of blue vervain, and skewers of white wild indigo.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove: This is good time to visit this remnant prairie where several colorful plants bloom at once.The dramatic alabaster blooms of wild quinine instantly get your attention alongside golden black-eyed Susan. But the shocking orange of butterfly weed steals the show with dramatic surges of vibrancy throughout the prairie. New lavender plumes of wild bergamot should soon start to fill the pink-and-blue void left by scurfy pea. Hues from purple to blue come from leadplant, wild bergamot, and the remaining petals of pale purple coneflower Yellow coneflower is starting to flower along with mountain mint and rattlesnake master. And I just love looming forests of blooming compass plant. I suggest visiting early or late in the day when it’s cooler and when you can experience the glorious green glow—leaves that glow a bright green from the sunlight shining through them.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester: 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, white wild quinine, 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.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs: In past years, the best show around this time is in the morning prairies where you can experience the ephemeral blue blooms of Ohio spiderwort. Joining the blues you should see the alabasters of foxglove beardtongue, white wild indigo, daisy fleabane, potentially dramatic displays of wild quinine, and mountain mint that may already be getting started. You may discover small explosions of orange butterfly weed, yellow eruptions of prairie sundrop, a sprinkling of golden black-eyed Susan, and possibly an early blooming of compass plant. And you might find a few stray bloom of purple milkweed along the trail. Climbing wild rose should be at or near peak bloom. It looks like a large bush. And look for the orange Silly String of parasitic field dodder draped over and around plants that it’s feeding on. Spears Woods is one of the most beautiful sites in the region, where your walk will take you through woodlands, prairies, and around gorgeous wetlands.
Middlefork Savanna in Lake Forest: This preserve consists of prairie, wetland, and oak savanna. Ohio spiderwort often puts on a fine show alongside nice ivory displays of foxglove beardtongue and remaining meadow anemone. And tall purple meadow rue, with fluffy yellowish flowers and purple stems, can sometimes be abundant about a quarter-mile north of the entrance. False sunflower should be starting out and so should the white fragrant water lily in the wetland south of the main entrance.
Pembroke Savanna in Hopkins Park: You should find large displays of daisy fleabane along with the occasional yellow highlights of hairy puccoon and Cleland’s evening primrose, and the orange of butterfly weed. And pasture rose should also be available for you to inhale its intoxicating fragrance. This is also a great place to see spiderwort. It’s almost everywhere. But you need to arrive early.
“GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD”:
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates: This preserve is officially located within the fence at the top of the hill. However, chances are that most of the action is taking place outside the official boundary of the preserve, where hundreds of pale purple coneflower bloom on the southern and western slopes. It’s quite green inside the fence, but you’ll probably find porcupine grass, wild quinine, downy phlox, a handful of short green milkweed, and a couple of early-blooming leadplant and prairie coreopsis that usually erupt together in the first week of July. Throughout the preserve, you’ll find various lush textures and green hue from forbs, sedges, grasses, and bloomers-to-be, including the floppy hairdos of prairie dropseed, heart-shaped leaves of prairie dock, desert-looking rattlesnake master, and fern-looking leadplant. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion: The black oak (or sand savanna) is the most colorful portion of the preserve, where a diverse array of flowers should be 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 has long spear-like seeds that drill themselves into the soil. Watch my real-time video of the drilling seed below. While you’re here, consider the short drive north to Chiwaukee Prairie.
Miller Woods (at Paul H. Douglas Environmental Center for Education) in Indiana Dunes National Park: The preserve is large and provides a nice long hike to the beach. The most prominent blooming flower will probably be both hairy puccoon and spiderwort. Along your hike, you’ll see two-flowered Cynthia, wild columbine, pasture rose, downy phlox, and energetic sprays of acrobatic bracken fern. And then there are the beavers! See photo and caption below to learn where to find them.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: BUTTERFLY WEED
The orange flowers of butterfly weed are a popular source of nutrition for our native pollinators, including this coral hairstreak butterfly that sucks up nectar at Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham, Illinois.*
Butterfly weed is a milkweed, but it doesn’t possess the milky sap that gives milkweeds their name. Here at Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, the bright orange flowers of butterfly weed makes a colorful statement. You can also find this plant at several high-quality prairies and savannas, including Bluff Spring Fen, Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, and Somme Prairie Grove.*
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.*
PHOTO SECTION
Pale Purple Coneflower
Pale purple coneflower is favorite of mine. I just love how the petals droop downward. The plant has deep taproots, 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.*
Sometimes the petals of pale purple coneflowers are colored pale white. Here, a combination of pink and white coneflowers populate the kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
The predawn clouds take on the colors of the pale purple coneflower at this dolomite limestone prairie at Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins, Illinois. You can usually find this majestic plant growing most prominently at Bluff Spring Fen, Belmont Prairie, and on the slopes outside the fence at Shoe Factory Road Prairie,*
Each day, Mother Nature chooses from an array of natural elements and then fashions them into new works of art. Most Junes at Belmont Prairie, dazzling mosaics like this go on exhibit. Assembled from over one hundred pale purple coneflowers, the final work, not the individual pieces, draws our attention.*
June brings pale purple coneflower, scurfy pea, and porcupine grass to Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove.*
Prairie Coreopsis
In the second half of June atop the gravel hill of Shoe Factory Road Prairie grows deep-rooted leadplant and the happy yellow faces of prairie coreopsis that shine through the fog. You can find nice displays at Bluff Spring Fen, as well.*
Foxglove Beardtongue
The flowers of foxglove beardtongue resemble the snout of a dragon with a mouth that opens and closes as you squeeze the sides. This explains why it’s part of the snapdragon family. The flowers have no smell that I can detect. But come autumn, the seeds smell EXACTLY like vomit! Be still my heart.* In June, foxglove beardtongue blooms at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin and many other preserves around the region.
The June prairies at Spears Woods in Willow Springs often put on a big show of foxglove beardtongue.*
At Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois, pearly blossoms of foxglove beardtongue catch the morning rays and a new day awakens—one as splendid and picturesque as any place on Earth.*
The Melting Flowers of Ohio Spiderwort
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 may 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.
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 bloom was melting blue between my fingertips. Do you notice my purple fingers? I was arrested earlier that morning.
This is the scene from Wolf Road Prairie, as blossoms of Ohio spiderwort open to meet the new day.*
At Miller Woods (Indiana Dunes National Park), spiderwort and ferns cover the side of the dunes.*
Porcupine Grass and its Miraculous Drilling Seeds
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.*
Watch my video of porcupine grass drilling itself into the soil right before your eyes!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PORCUPINE GRASS.
Sand Coreopsis
The showy golden sand coreopsis is not a common plant in Illinois, but it looks familiar because we often see cultivated double-flowered and bicolored versions in our neighbors’ gardens . It’s easy to grow and can spread fast. This image of the world class display of sand coreopsis was featured in the 2022 Sierra Club Wilderness Wall Calendar. Here, blossoms of sand coreopsis spread their golden joy along the banks of the Dead River at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion.*
The turning earth is the dimmer switch, gradually recasting every dim dewdrop, petal, and blade of grass into a galaxy of blazing bulbs and lustrous lamps. On this late-spring morning at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, blooms of golden sand coreopsis and New Jersey tea are set aglow alongside shimmering spider webs that cling to last year’s grasses.*
Leadplant is Coming!
Here at Somme Prairie Grove, the purple plant in this panorama is leadplant, which can search for water fifteen feet below the arid surface. Other drought-tolerant species seen here include prairie dropseed and wild quinine, in the front; and farther out, prairie dock, compass plant, and rattlesnake master.*
Wild Quinine Can Be Found in Many Prairies
This is a common scene at Elgin’s Bluff Spring Fen. Here in the golden light of morning, wild quinine, prairie coreopsis, and leadplant overlook the foggy fen.*
Pasture Rose is a Flower that Must be Smelled:
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.*
Hoary Puccoon
The golden blooms of hoary puccoon can be found, here, at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve and many other preserves around the region including Miller Woods, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and more.*
Purple Milkweed
The striking blooms of purple milkweed can be found in the best prairies and savannas, including Somme Prairie Grove and, here, at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
June Grass
June grass and hoary puccoon glow in the morning light of the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna Nature Preserve in Hopkins Park.*
Compass Plant
The golden blooms of compass plant are just starting in some of our prairies. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies.
Indian Paintbrush
Here at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Indian paintbrush brightens up the foggy morning landscape. You can also find this flower at Gensburg-Markham Prairie and Somme Prairie Grove.*
Purple Meadow Rue Towers in Some Prairies
In June, purple meadow rue towers above the blue morning blooms of Ohio spiderwort at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, Illinois.*
The Charismatic Foliage of Compass Plant & Prairie Dock
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.*
Green Glow
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.*
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
