“There is something uniquely compelling about our few unspoiled natural communities… .” —Dick Young
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June skips along, unseasonably cool and windy. Impossible blue skies. Lengthening days full of sunshine.
Along our suburban street, ghost-like young trees and shrubs, wrapped in tulle, still startle me, although I’m getting used to them. The ghost wrap is to prevent the periodical cicadas from doing damage.
I’ve already noted damage to some of my own, including the dying tips on my three-year-old northern spicebush shrubs. I’ve chosen not to wrap them, but rather, to literally let nature take its course. We’ll see if it was the right decision next year.
In the garden, I pick bowls and bowls of red raspberries, juicy and slightly tart. The tomato plants—among them Cherokee Purple, Supersteak, Sweet Million—are smaller than I’d expect for this time of year. Maybe the cooler weather? Or perhaps I’m just impatient. The fall-planted garlic unspools its scapes in rollercoaster curves.
I need to clip those garlic scapes now, so the strength of the plant goes into making fat bulbs. In previous years, I’ve cooked the scapes. but can’t report any real deliciousness. Anyone love them? Please let me know. Maybe I just haven’t tried the right recipe.
*****
It’s too pretty to stay inside—or even, to stay in my own backyard. On Sunday I head for Nachusa Grasslands, a 4000-acre Nature Conservancy site two hours west of Chicago. For more than a decade, I’ve volunteered there, collecting dragonfly and damselfly data. It was one of those idyllic June days, not too hot, just a little windy to keep the biting flies off.
The dragonflies are out and about…
…including the tiny eastern amberwings, only about an inch in length.
It’s nice to see the common green darners, ovipositing and ensuring generation to come.
The damselflies are eye-popping as well, including this unusual sighting of a river bluet damselfly.
So many beautiful insects! Not just dragonflies and damselflies. There are so many butterflies and skippers flying. Common buckeye.
An American lady, with her wings open…
…and then, shut.
Looks like a completely different butterfly when the wings open and close, doesn’t it? Nearby, a viceroy tenses for takeoff…
…and a least skipper scouts the prairie for more blooms.
A red admiral butterfly shows off its colors. Its wings look like velvet.
The butterflies are “puddling;” drinking minerals, salt, and liquids from the mud in the gravel two-track. This muddy lane is a favorite mass transit route for the herd of more than 100 bison, which—thank goodness—is nowhere in site today. So, I am free to hike through the wetlands and prairies with my clipboard without keeping a wary eye out for large charismatic megafauna. Bison have much been in the news recently, mostly stories of tourists trying to get selfies without regard for the danger. I feel a tremendous amount of respect for these creatures, which can run four times as fast as I can, and outweigh me by…well…never mind. Let’s just say bison weigh up to 2,000 pounds—the size of a Mazda Miata sportscar. They are nothing to mess with.
The star of the Nachusa prairie show right now is not the bison, however. It’s the pale purple coneflowers. Legendary Illinois conservationist Dick Young, author of Kane County Wild Plants & Natural Areas, calls this wildflower “a graceful prairie classic.” They wash lavender across the acres of green, green grass, and they are in all stages of bloom. Each individual coneflower seems to have its own personality.
Confident.
Happy-go-lucky.
Calm.
A little frazzled.
Or the ones that remind you of those three besties you knew in high school that always seemed inseparable.
I never tire of these prairie stalwarts.
They are prairie ambassadors, for those who don’t necessarily “like” prairie. Most people recognize a prairie coneflower, and have a good association with it from our home gardens. Seeing acres and acres of them at Nachusa this week is food for the soul.
Or, as Young writes, they are “jewels from the primordial crown of balanced prairie splendor.” He goes on to say of all unspoiled natural areas, “If one treads softly here, she or he can meld into the ageless unfolding natural drama and find a measure of wisdom and contentment that transcends our feverish accomplishments.”
Oh, Nachusa! What a glorious place you are in June, with your butterflies and dragonflies, your different habitats, and your bison and incredible flora. You remind us why Illinois is “The Prairie State.” And you prompt us to keep our tallgrass prairies healthy and vibrant for generations to come. Kudos.
******
The opening quote is from Dick Young (1924-2011) an expert botanist and author of Kane County WIld Plants & Natural Areas. Along with such Illinois’ legends Robert “Bob” Betz, Ray Schulenberg, Floyd Swink, and Gerould Wilhelm, Young helped bring Illinois native plants to the attention of people, and promoted their conservation. He was co-founder and director of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District, and Kane County environmentalist. The thousand-acre-plus Dick Young Forest Preserve in Batavia, IL, was named in his honor, as is the Dick Young Preserve Trail near Yorkville, IL.
******
Join Cindy for a program or class in June:
Wednesday, June 12, 7-8 p.m. —“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers” at Des Plaines Public Library, Des Plaines, IL. (In person) Free and open to the public. For registration details, visit here.
Thursday, June 13, 10-11:30 a.m. —“A Tallgrass Prairie Hike,” Hilltop Gardeners Garden Club, Oswego, IL (offsite, private event).
Thursday, June 13, 6:30-8 p.m.— “Potawatomi Prairie Perspectives” with Gina Roxas, Executive Director of the Trickster Cultural Center, and Cindy in conversation. (The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, Prairie Visitor Station– held outdoors, weather permitting). Registration and ticket costs here. (SOLD OUT; call to be put on the waiting list).
Monday, June 17, 7-8:30 p.m.–“The Tallgrass Prairie: Grocery Store, Apothecary, and Love Charm Shop” hosted by the Lagrange Park Public Library.(In person) Free and open to the public. See here for details.
Thursday, June 27, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. —“Beginning Dragonfly and Damselfly Identification.” Rain or shine (program will be indoor/outdoor if weather is nice; indoors if inclement weather). Hosted by the Morton Arboretum. For registration and class fee, visit here.
Discover more programs and classes at http://www.cindycrosby.com.
Tuesdays in the Tallgrass 
I started out tulle wrapping a 4 foot oak I planted as a 1 foot sapling. It has really come along the last few years and is a great photo op for growing grandkids. Somehow the cicada kept getting in, then I decided to just wrap the top leader still with no luck, guess I’m not the best at keeping nature at bay. Ha! Yesterday I noticed that there are egg laying slits in the leader and the top leaves are toast. I’m sure it will recover as it’s a strong tree and we’ll just see what “damage” or as I prefer to think “character” the tree will have from witnessing/surviving it’s first emergence of many to come. It is best to just let nature do it’s thing…
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Lovely description of Nachusa Grasdlands. The pale purple coneflower descriptions made me smile! Garlic scape pesto is delightful!!
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I try to choose my native plants from my home county in northwest Ohio, but because of your writing, I’ve added a few that are midwest natives in a wider sense. A few years ago, I planted prairie dropseed and prairie smoke, and just this year, I added pale purple coneflower. I can’t wait to see what it does in a year or two.
Regarding the garlic scapes, my new CSA has promised to give us some great recipes for everything in our veggie boxes each week. My first box of the season starts next week, so maybe I’ll have some suggestions for you.
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Thank you SO MUCH for the beauty of this morning escape with you, Cindy! Wow! And how I’d love to try a home-grown raspberry as I am buying them by the large carton weekly here. Blessings!
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The coneflower “personality descriptions” made me laugh. Keep up the great writing and descriptions!
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