Chicago Nature NOW! Alert
August 12, 2021
“Weekly Wildflower Reports Featuring
Chicago’s Best Outdoor Getaways & Nature Trips”
Chicago’s Best Weekend Walks & Outdoor Getaways!
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WILDFLOWER HIGHLIGHTS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES INTO CHICAGO’S WOODLANDS:
The midsummer wildflower explosion that we’ve enjoyed over the past several weeks is now transitioning into a late-summer celebration that begins with blooms of pinks and purples of obedient plant, nodding wild onion, ironweed, and cylindrical blazing star (our Plant of the Week) to replace the similar hues of prairie and marsh blazing star. Sparkling flowering spurge replaces the fading whites of wild quinine. And tall coreopsis, prairie dock, and rosinweed more than make up for any lack of gold.
Spears Woods is still looking great during the transition with floral beauty in the prairies, woodlands, and wetlands. This preserve also provides great trails far away from traffic, varied habitats, and dramatic vistas. And while you’re there, catch a glimpse of the aquatic American lotus in Hogwash Slough. The pale yellow blossoms resemble those of a water lily, but they’re much larger—up to eight inches wide atop stems that can reach six feet high. And that isn’t all. The circular leaf is gorgeous and enormous, up to two and a half feet in diameter! See the Photo Section below for images of American lotus (and where to find it) along with the many flowers featured in this report.
NOTE: It’s August. But I sometimes call it Foggust because August is the foggiest month of the year. So, if you visit a preserve in the morning, wear gear because you could end up soaked to the skin from the dew.
At Wolf Road Prairie, if the forests of prairie dock don’t blow you away, the kooky expanses of rattlesnake master surely will.
Somme Prairie Grove is putting on shows in the woodland and the savanna. Belmont Prairie is a beautiful little dream. Nodding wild onion is blooming across the vast grassland of Lockport Prairie, and also at Shoe Factory Road Prairie and Bluff Spring Fen. And the latter two preserves are also blooming strong with many different species.
SKINCARE TIP: To experience the best skin exfoliation Chicago nature has to offer, twist and turn through a tangle of delightfully bristly compass plant stalks. Talk about the best arm-scratch ever! The best spa I’ve found is in the northwest corner of Bluff Spring Fen.
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve (and probably Pembroke Savanna, which was not scouted) is overflowing with sparkling florets of flowering spurge.
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 bright, 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.
If you’re looking for longer walks, try our larger preserves: Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Lake in the Hills Fen, Spears Woods, and Somme Prairie Grove.
WHERE TO GO THIS WEEKEND FOR A SPRING WILDFLOWER GETAWAY 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 on the coming weekend: “+” is Probably Better; “-” is Probably Less Dramatic; “=” is Probably the Same. Notice the word “probably.”
THIS WEEK’S BEST (“GO!”):
The order of the preserves below is based on the quality of the wildflower experience, starting out with the best.
Spears Woods in Willow Springs (8/9=): This preserve tops our list because of the many blooms and habitats you can experience while you’re hiking about. The freshest wildflowers come from flowering spurge, nodding wild onion, and prairie dock (I found a nine-footer). The flowers atop prairie dock’s cousin, compass plant, are gone. But the middle and bottom of the plants are in full bloom. The ivory Tinker Toy shapes of rattlesnake master are still showing their white balls while the once alabaster wild quinine is fading to brown. The white button flowerheads of mountain mint don’t have many flowers left, but they still retain their stimulating scent. As the purples of the occasional ironweed try to replace the pinks of fading prairie blazing star, I can see that the falling yellow petals of rosinweed, woodland sunflower, and early goldenrod will soon be replaced by the budding grass-leaved goldenrod, long-bracted tickseed sunflower, and the skyward blooms of sawtooth sunflower. Notice the pink filigree of showy tick trefoil that can look like a purple mist mingling amongst the other flowers. And turkey-footed heads of big bluestem grass are now aflower. The woodland is also alive with the fluffy mauve heads of sweet Joe-Pye weed and golden rays of woodland sunflower. And the magnificent aquatic American lotus flower is still blooming at the north end of Hogwash Slough. Its cream-colored blossoms resemble those of a water lily, but they’re much larger—up to eight inches wide atop stems that can reach six feet high. Note: Theodore Stone Preserve and Wolf Road Prairie is not too far away.
Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester (8/10=): Most of the action is taking place in the southern portion of preserve, which includes both oak savanna and grassland, where the soaring jungles of golden prairie dock, again, steal the week’s show. The savanna is alive with fading blooms of woodland sunflower alongside pink plumes of sweet Joe-Pye weed and bristly sprays of bottlebrush grass. And the prairie is overflowing with all manner of flowers, including incredible forests of golden flowering prairie dock and compass plant, with rosinweed, grass-leaved goldenrod, early goldenrod contributing a matrix of yellow to the palette. The white bursts of flowering spurge add a beautiful lift of contrast to the prairie bouquet as the cauliflower heads of wild quinine brown and playful scenes of rattlesnake master bring their usual delight. Flickering purple torches of prairie blazing star, royal puffs of ironweed, and light-pink balls of nodding wild onion add beautifully to the mix of silver and gold. And big bluestem grass softens the sharp textures. Note: Theodore Stone Preserve and Spears Woods are not too far away.
Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin (8/5+): Many species are now aflower across the preserve, which is why it’s near the top of this week’s “Go!” list. Begin your hike at the main trailhead that winds you under the trees and along the kames of the oak savanna, around the sunny prairie, and through the fen. Enter the oak savanna from the kiosk to find beautiful patches of sweet Joe-Pye weed and American bellflower, along with pale Indian plantain, starry campion, wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, and whimsical bottlebrush grass. At the troll bridge, where friendly trolls have helped to restore the adjacent wetland habitat, look to your right for a grand expanse of spotted Joe-Pye weed. Continuing under the protection of oaks, on your right at the base of the kame, you’ll see the tall cutleaf coneflower and the start of wingstem. When you reach the big kame, take the narrow trail on your left to the top. On your way up, look for a display of sprawling and whimsical bottlebrush grass. Once at the gravelly peak, you’ll experience a unique view of the preserve and freshly blooming cylindrical blazing star, hoary vervain, whorled milkweed, and fading wild quinine. Go back down from whence you “kame,” turn left on the main trail, and then make a right as you reach the end of the wooded savanna. Once under the sun, you’ll find blue vervain, fading marsh blazing star, lots of wild bergamot, creamy tuberous Indian plantain, pearly flowering spurge, wild quinine, and rattlesnake master, plus flowering big bluestem, beautiful flourishes of Canada wild rye, and a “forest” of compass plant in the southwest corner. To experience the best skin exfoliation service that Chicago nature has to offer, twist and turn through a tangle of delightfully bristly compass plant stalks. Talk about the best arm-scratch ever! As the trail veers left to the east, you’ll again pass through stands of blooming big bluestem and into a gravelly area with hoary vervain, named for its soft hairy leaves, and some remaining blooms of purple prairie clover. Ahead to your right is what we call the “transplant kame.” We call it that because Healy Road Prairie, located six miles away, was being mined for its gravel, and a community of hundreds of volunteers dug it up and transplanted it here. Years before, the transplant kame was also mined to the ground, but it was reconstructed to become the new home of Healy Road Prairie. Blossoming on the kame, you’ll find many blooms of compass plant, wild quinine, and yellow coneflower. Make a left at the end of the kame to descend into the bowl of the fen. Move slowly and watch your step as you pass through dense willows (which desperately need trimming). Be careful not to trip on the narrow boardwalk that immediately awaits you by the willows! Cross the boardwalk to find mountain mint, prairie loosestrife, some fading blooms of purple marsh blazing star, black-eyed Susan, early goldenrod, showy tick trefoil, spotted Joe-Pye weed, and shrubby cinquefoil. After you cross the second boardwalk, stay straight (don’t veer left), as the trail ducks under a low tree so that you can scale up the side of the switchback kame where cylindrical blazing star awaits you. As the trails steers left and down, you’ll see some of the same species as before, with especially nice stands of American bellflower. Continue left across the creek and to the left of the big kame that winds right and takes you back to the trailhead.
NOTE: If you visit early in the morning, wear rain gear or you’ll end up soaked to the skin from dew. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook (8/10=): This is one of the finest preserves in the region, yet we don’t have enough people to scout it for you. Please help us scout, donate, or purchase my nationally acclaimed book from my website that celebrates Chicagoland’s natural wonders. This week, the woodland surrounding the savanna is making a strong statement with a glorious displays of woodland sunflower and many more flowers and grasses that include the pink-plumed sweet Joe-Pye weed, blue American bellflower, alabaster starry campion and lofty pale Indian plantain, the yellow-petaled sweet coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and large flowered false foxglove, the purple buttons of ironweed, and the perfectly named bottlebrush grass. Under the open sky, golden rays of prairie dock, compass plant, and tall coreopsis stretch for the clouds. Closer to the ground, you’ll find scores of other flowers that will take your breath away with sparkling textures and colors that include the following species: swamp milkweed, rattlesnake master, white filigrees of flowering spurge and mountain mint, the goldenrods of early and grass-leaved, fluffs of nodding wild onion, and the pinks of obedient plant. If you run into the yellow-flowered rosinweed, run your fingers over the stiff foliage and you’ll instantly understand the name. The floppy stringy hairdos of prairie dropseed is growing everywhere under the sun, but watch your step. Trust me. They are very easy to trip over. NOTE: If you visit in the morning, wear waterproof pants and shoes, otherwise you’ll probably get soaked from the dew.Â
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion (8/10+): Â The floating white blooms of flowering spurge are aflower across the preserve, in both the savanna and sand prairie. It’s a beautiful sparkling scene. There are other flowers blooming here and there, but not many. However, there is a beautiful one that always makes me happy: the round trumpeted yellow blossom of large flowered false foxglove. Along your way, you’ll find a few remaining blooms of purple prairie clover, the lovely scented whorled milkweed, some grass-leaved and early goldenrod, shrubby cinquefoil and blue vervain. The tall golden rays of western sunflower are beginning to flower, but will often bloom throughout the site.
Shoe Factory Road Prairie in Hoffman Estates (8/6+): This Illinois Nature Preserve is located inside the fence, where the color is dominated by yellow and white with patches of pink. Rosinweed is the main contributor to the yellows along with its cousins prairie dock and compass plant, plus yellow coneflower and early goldenrod. The whites come mainly from rattlesnake master and flowering spurge. And nice patches of obedient plant provide most of the pink and a smattering of nodding wild onion, a growing display of cylindrical blazing star, and the final blooms of purple prairie clover. Outside the fence, you’ll experience a wider array of flowers, including a vast display of Tinker-Toy shaped rattlesnake master. Notice how they smell. I can’t put my nose on it, but it’s odd, bordering on unpleasantly sweet. Let me know how you’d describe it by writing a comment below. You’ll also find nodding wild onion and lots of yellow coneflower, flowering spurge, and wild bergamot. Just along the perimeter of the fence, you should see both white prairie clover and purple prairie clover. The latter has the best smell—a refreshing mix of lemons and carrots. But the white species has a traditional floral scent. Ordinary. Nothing special. Vanilla. Just as the color suggests. A fabulous show of prairie blazing star is purpling up the southern base of the hill. You’ll also see early goldenrod, wild quinine, rosinweed, compass plant, and round-headed bush clover. NOTE: Consider visiting Bluff Spring Fen while you’re here. It’s roughly in the neighborhood.
Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove (8/10+): This remnant prairie is toned in yellow and fading whites with the most prominent show being staged by towering golden blooms of compass plant. You’ll also find the yellow rays of rough-leaved rosinweed, the whimsical rattlesnake master, sparkling sprays of flowering spurge. Cream gentian, rough blazing star, and pasture thistle are just beginning to flower.
GO, IF YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Lockport Prairie in Lockport (Unscouted. Last scouted on 8/2.): In last week’s report, the blooms of nodding wild onion were the main reason to visit, and probably still is, and it’s putting on a big show right now amidst a jade haze of big bluestem grass. On your walk along the out-and-back trail that, for me, ends soon after the trees begin, you’ll find the wonderfully fragrant whorled milkweed and a sprinkling of blue vervain, hoary vervain, pale-spiked lobelia, and spotted Joe-Pye weed amidst the waves of grasses that dominate this dolomite prairie.
Gensburg-Markham Prairie in Markham (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/27): If you’re in the area, you should definitely give it a try, even though we didn’t get to scout it. First of all, the preserve is NOT LOCKED. It only looks that way. The chain is just draped over the top of the gate. Just move the chain and enter. Once inside, I suggest walking all of the trails because of how the prairie and flowers vary along the way. Here’s what I think you’ll find:
The Tinker Toy heads of rattlesnake master should still be quite prominent along with the yellow blossoms of partridge pea and the white-pink blooms of nodding wild onion. You should also find the pinks of ironweed, swamp milkweed and spotted Joe-Pye weed. The whites of flowering spurge should still be blooming well alongside fading blooms rosinweed and early goldenrod. And don’t forget to appreciate the oceans of grasses that wave in the warm summer winds.
NOTE: Under the summer sun, this prairie can feel hot and bright. For a more enjoyable time, visit in the morning or late-afternoon.
Theodore Stone Preserve in Hodgkins (Unscouted. Last scouted on 8/2.): In last week’s report, the dramatic large expanse of yellow coneflower is the star of the show. But there are other flowers to be experienced, as well, including wild bergamot, early goldenrod, rosinweed, prairie blazing star, compass plant, and the new yellow flowers of partridge pea. The deep pinks of ironweed are a great addition to the panorama. And you’ll also find lots of rattlesnake master and wild quinine along with some mountain mint. Look for the beautiful pink swamp milkweed in the low or wet areas. The fragrant blooms of whorled milkweed and purple prairie clover can still be experienced in the eastern dolomite prairie. Note: Spears Woods and Wolf Road Prairie are not too far away.
Lake in the Hills Fen in Lake in the Hills (Unscouted. Last scouted on 7/19+.): We haven’t scouted this preserve in a while, but this is the time when it starts to fire up. This preserve offered a beautiful expansive view that is best enjoyed at edges of daylight, when it’s not hot and sunny. Enjoy an array of flowers that flow along the vast rolling landscape of the prairie and fen.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: CYLINDRICAL BLAZING STAR
Cylindrical blazing star (Liatris cylindracea if you care) likes dry sunny conditions. I often find it growing in gravel or moist sand. The plant only stands two feet tall, which is short for a late-summer bloomer. But it makes up for its above-ground stature by possessing the deepest roots of any prairie or savanna species, reaching down as far as fifteen feet. In August, cylindrical blazing star blooms, here, in the sand savanna at Indiana Dunes National Park and in the gravelly prairies of Bluff Spring Fen and Shoe Factory Road Prairie. *
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PHOTO SECTION
Wolf Road Prairie: A State of Glorious Chaos
A jungle of prairie dock reaches for the sky at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester.*
Wolf Road Prairie puts on a lesson in biodiversity. Pictured are prairie blazing star, wild quinine, rattlesnake master, flowering spurge, Culver’s root, rosinweed, and yellow coneflower.*
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Bluff Spring Fen is Teeming with Blooms
Soon after entering Bluff Spring Fen, you’ll find yourself in an intimate oak savanna, where majestic bur oaks with outstretched limbs protect you in their nurturing embrace.*
Sweet Joe-Pye weed grows tall in the oak savanna at the side of a kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin*
Bottlebrush grass and wild bergamot glow in the morning light in the oak savanna at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
In August, cylindrical blazing star covers the northeast kame at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin.*
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Shoe Factory Road Prairie
Atop this hill prairie called Shoe Factory Road Prairie, obedient plant andIndian grass take in the view.*
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Lockport Prairie
The dolomite prairie at Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve is putting on its annual August show of nodding wild onion.*
Illinois Beach Nature Preserve
Flowering spurge glows in the summer morning light on the sand prairie at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Zion, Illinois.*
In late summer, large flowered false foxglove blooms in profusion in the black oak savanna at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois. You can also experience this flower at Pembroke Savanna, Indiana Dunes National Park, and Bluff Spring Fen.*
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Obedient Plant
Obedient plant can be found at many local preserves, like here at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, and Wolf Road Prairie. Use your finger to pivot the flower on the stem and it will obediently remain in place, hence the name. Though, grow it in your garden, and it has a habit of spreading and not staying put.*
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Nodding Wild Onion
On this sweltering and sticky August evening at Lockport Prairie, I returned to the car relieved to unload my nearly thirty pounds of camera gear and sweat-soaked photo vest. As I took my seat and started my Easy-Bake Oven of a car, the air conditioning suddenly circulated a cold breeze from below and I recognized a familiar scent, one that made me instinctively glance to the floor expecting to find a discarded Burger King bag baking in the heat. But there was no bag. Then it came to me. I was smelling exactly what I had been photographing: these pink, nodding wild onions that had transferred their sweet aroma to my boots. The pink blooms of nodding wild onion are the highlight of Lockport Prairie. But the sweetly stinky plant can also be found at many other prairies in our region and in our showcase preserves.*
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Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake master is a whimsical Chicago prairie flower with heads that resemble Tinker Toys, or molecular structures, plants you might find in Arizona or Texas. The plant gets its name because Native Americans brewed a tea from the root as an antidote for rattlesnake venom. To prevent bites, some chewed on the root, then spat on their hands before handling a rattlesnake. Of course, I’m interested to know if this really works. What’s more, the research may not even require a flight to the desert. That’s because, believe it or not, the rare and endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake lives right here in the Chicago area. So, if you perform the experiment, please get back to me with the results, either you or next of kin. To experience rattlesnake master, visit Belmont Prairie, Somme Prairie Grove, Shoe Factory Road Prairie, Wolf Road Prairie, Fermilab Prairie, Gensburg Markham Prairie, Kickapoo Woods and Prairie, Spears Woods, Theodore Stone Preserve, and other local prairies over the next few weeks.*
The prairie at Spears Woods teems with midsummer plant life: rattlesnake master, prairie blazing star, ironweed, early goldenrod, and sawtooth sunflower.*
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American Bellflower
The beautiful blue American bellflower blooms alongside sweet Joe-Pye weed and woodland sunflower, here at Somme Prairie Grove in Northbrook and other local woodlands.*
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Sweet Joe-Pye Weed
In the open woodland at Spears Woods in Willow Springs, summer brings tall blooms of sweet Joe-Pye weed.*
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Woodland Sunflower
At Somme Prairie Grove, masses of woodland sunflower take over the grove to envelope this majestic bur oak.*
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Flowering Spurge
The floating white blooms of flowering spurge erupts across the sand savanna at Pembroke Savanna Nature Preserve in Hopkins Park, Illinois. And you can find this flower at many other of our showcase sites, including Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, Wolf Road Prairie.*
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Compass Plant
The golden flowers of compass plant begin to bloom atop a stalk that reaches for the sky. They’re an iconic species that can be found in most of our mesic prairies. *
Landscape of compass plant at Springbrook Prairie in Naperville.*
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Mountain Mint
Summer storm clouds brew at Kickapoo Prairie where mountain mint, rattlesnake master, Indian grass, and compass plant glow in the sun.*
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American Lotus at Tomahawk Slough & Hogwash Slough
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs fills with American Lotus. You can also see it from a distance at Hogwash Slough in Spears Woods.*
Tomahawk Slough in Willow Springs teems with the grand American Lotus. You an reach the wetland by first parking at the far end of Pulaski Woods parking lot and then walking a short distance along the trails.*
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Canada Wild Rye
In the morning, this plume of Canada wild rye and all the plants of the prairie become drenched in morning dew. Wear your rain gear!
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Big Bluestem Grass
The towering height of big bluestem grass gives true meaning to the term “tallgrass prairie.” It can be found at every black soil prairie on our list.*
Miniature flowers delicately hang from the tassel of big bluestem grass.*
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Side-Oats Grama
Side-oats Grama grass blooms with delicate red flowers in the tallgrass prairie at Bluff Spring Fen in Elgin, Illinois.*
Marram Grass
Near the Lake Michigan shore at Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, amidst marram grass and bearberry, the low light of morning revealed shapes in the sand that chronicled the secrets of time and affirmed the existence of wondrous creatures and invisible forces.*
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Prairie Root System
The root system of some common prairie plants. Note that cylindrical blazing star has the deepest root that reaches over fifteen feet! Click the image for a bigger view.
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—Mike
