“April is a promise that May is bound to keep… “.—Hal Borland
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It’s evening on the Belmont Prairie, a tallgrass remnant in Downers Grove, IL. Everything is drenched in that strange light that comes right before sunset.
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
The grasses ripple in the light breeze. Bumblebees buzz. A common green darner dragonfly patrols, looking for a late evening snack.
Common green darner (Anax junius), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL (2023).
In the distance, a train rumbles. A fly explores the starry Solomon’s seal.
Unknown fly on starry false Solomon’s seal (Smilacina stellata), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
Everywhere, is the smell of wet earth following the recent rains. Spring is in full swing.
The beautiful prairie violet is in bloom! What a treat. You can distinguish it from its heart-leaved violet cousins by its deeply palmated leaves.
As far as the eye can see, the tallgrass is dotted with its orange flowers. Belmont Prairie has the most hoary puccoon I’ve seen anywhere in my prairie rambles. Supposedly, the word “puccoon” means it was used by some indigenous tribes for dyes. What a strange name for a lovely prairie flower!
This little prairie parcel, at less than a dozen acres, is hidden in the midst of subdivisions, a park, and sandwiched between interstates and highways.
Everywhere, the tiny blue-eyed grass is in bloom.
One of the blue-eyed grasses (Sisyrinchium sp.), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
Many are closed, but a few are still open.
One of the blue-eyed grasses (Sisyrinchium sp.), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
They are so tiny! You have to drop to your knees to really appreciate them.
Wow, April. Didn’t you go by fast! You sure did put on a show. It’s tough to say goodbye.
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
Thank you for the joy and beauty you offered these past few weeks. May will have a lot to live up to.
*****
The opening quote comes from prolific writer and journalist Hal Borland (1900-1978). I have several of his books on my bookshelf, most of them gifts from a lovely reader of this blog (Thank you, Helen!). Several of them are the “through the year” type of format with daily readings, which is a lovely way to follow the seasons. In addition to his journalistic pieces and essays, he wrote poetry, fiction, and short stories. Borland won the John Burroughs Distinguished Medal for Nature Writing in 1968 for Hill Country Harvest. He was a passionate naturalist and a writer for the New York Times.
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Join Cindy for a Program or Class in May
Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m.–“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (prairie and woodland). Register here. (Weather dependent)
Tuesday, May 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.-“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by the Joliet Garden Club, Barber and Oberwortmann Horticulture Center, 227 North Gougar Rd., Joliet, inside the main greenhouse. Open to the public.
April’s full moon is sometimes known as the “pink moon,” and it will be in full phase tonight. The Farmer’s Almanac tells us the nickname is from spring flowers, rather than the color of the moon itself. It’s also known, the Almanac says, as the “Sprouting Grass Moon,” “Moon of the Big Leaves,” and “Breaking Ice Moon.”
Almost full “pink” moon, Glen Ellyn, IL. (Cell phone photo)
Pink, you say? Yes, there’s plenty of pink in the woodlands and prairies right now. Let’s go take a look.
Over there—the prairie’s first shooting star in bloom.
Shooting star (Primula meadia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Soon there will be constellations of pink.
Shooting star (Primula meadia), Beach Cemetery Prairie, Ogle County, IL. (2022).
So much pink.
Shooting star (Primula meadia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (2018).
And! The prairie smoke wildflowers continue to delight. No signs of that thready “smoke” yet.
Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum), Plainfield, IN. (2023)
Or even that strange yellowish-green of blue cohosh?
Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
From the largest wildflowers…
Large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2016)
…to the tiniest… .
Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa), Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2018).
…the prairies and woodlands are full of fleeting delights as April begins to wane. If you blink, you’ll miss them. There’s no time like the present to get out and see what’s in bloom. Tomorrow may be too late.
Why not go see?
*****
The opening quote is from musician Tom Petty (1950-2017), a singer, guitarist and songwriter, from his song “Wildflowers” from an album of the same name (1994). He was a member of the Traveling Wilburys in the 1980s, and the rock group Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976-2017). Petty was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
*****
Join Cindy for a program or class this spring!
Wednesday, April 24, 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. —“Illinois’ Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers,” presented by the Naperville Garden Club. Naperville Municipal Center, Naperville, IL. For more information about access to this event for non-members, visit the club’s website here.
Saturday, April 27, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here. (One spot left). (Weather dependent)
Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m.–“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (prairie and woodland). Register here. (Weather dependent)
Tuesday, May 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by the Joliet Garden Club, Barber and Oberwortmann Horticulture Center, 227 North Gougar Rd., Joliet, inside the main greenhouse. Open to the public.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Walk the tallgrass prairie in summer-like temperatures one evening after April showers. It’s a lesson in green. How many hues, shades, and tints can there be?
Shooting star (Primula meadia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
And of course, grass green.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Grass. So much grass.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
It ripples in the stiff wind; caresses my ankles as I hike. I try to identify the grass seedlings but give up. So many grasses. So many greens.
The wildflowers are often easier to identify. Nothing else looks like a mayapple.
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Even so young, the prairie wildflowers have distinct shapes, colors, and—dare I say it?—personalities?
Queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Queen of the prairie is certainly flamboyant. And purple meadow rue’s soft muted green, veined with amethyst, seems almost like she’s dressing up to go out somewhere.
Purple meadow rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Look at those fuzzy little seedling spears of prairie dock! You just have to reach down and touch them.
Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Some of the earliest wildflowers are in full bloom. A few seem downright bizarre. Consider common valerian, which is anything but “common.”
Common valerian (Valeriana edulis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Or prairie smoke, which will put out long wispy pink plumes after the flowers are fertilized. It won’t be long now.
What about the golden Alexanders with their humble umbel flowers?
Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) PrairieWalk Pond and Dragonfly Landing, Lisle, IL.
And speaking of humble, the violets are coming on strong. In the language of flowers, so beloved by Victorians, the violet means “modesty.”
Possibly a variation of the common violet (Viola sororia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
In the shaded edge areas of the prairie savanna, Virginia bluebells are in full swing. Look at that color!
Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
A blast of warm temperatures a month ago boosted some of the woodland wildflowers that skim the edges of the prairie proper. Now, they are finishing their flowering season. Bloodroot can be found in bloom and in seed this week. Look now before the last flowers are gone.
Bloodroot (Sanguinara canadensis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
…it’s an exciting time on the tallgrass prairie. Why not go see?
Sunset, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
You won’t want to miss a moment of April.
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The opening quote is from the poet and playwright T.S. Eliot (1888-1965). Among his great works are The Wasteland and The Four Quartets. You can hear him read some of his work here.
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A Note from Cindy: I recently finished teaching “Prairie Gardens for the Home Landscape,” and one of the top questions I fielded was “How do I identify emerging prairie seedlings so I don’t weed them?” Here are four great resources to check out if you want to learn the seedling stage of many prairie plants.
Central Region Seedling ID Guide for Native Prairie Plants. (Various contributors, NRCS USDA) Spiral bound card set with color photography and glossy stock paper. Each card shows several photos of the seedling stage, mature leaf, and bloom. The information includes a description of the plant and distinguishing characteristics, as well as difficulty and bloom time from seed. You can download it for free here, or buy it already bound on sturdy stock paper for about $25 online.
Prairie Seedling and Seeding Evaluation Guide (Various contributors, Bonestroo) .Spiral bound, small book format with more than 50 tallgrass prairie wildflowers and grasses, and 25 common weeds. It also includes some basic information for evaluating your prairie planting. You can buy it from various sources online for about $13, or download the PDF for free here.
The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest. (Dave Williams, University of Iowa Press). Very specific seed and seedling ID notes, with a key system for 72 species including both forbs and grasses. Order it from your favorite indie bookseller for around $14 or from the publisher here..
The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants (Neil Diboll & Hilary Cox, University of Chicago Press). This invaluable book, hot off the press, is jam-packed with great information on choosing, growing, and getting to know different prairie plants in the home garden. Most of the 145 plant photo pages include the seedlings (first year), emerging mature plants, entire plant, flower, early seed head, and mature seed. There are countless pages of information for the prairie gardener on everything from deer resistant plants to using prescribed fire. At $35, it’s a bargain, and I love the “lay flat” binding. Order it from your favorite independent bookseller or here.
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Join Cindy for a class or program this spring!
Thursday, April 18, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here. (Weather dependent)
Friday, April 19, 8-9 p.m.–“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by the Midwest Pond and Koi Society.” White Fence Farm, Romeoville, IL. Optional dinner before the program; program is free and open to the public, but please visit here for more information.
Wednesday, April 24, 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. —“Illinois’ Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers,” presented by the Naperville Garden Club. Naperville Municipal Center, Naperville, IL. For more information about access to this event for non-members, visit the club’s website here.
Saturday, April 27, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here. (Limited tickets left). (Weather dependent)
Thursday, May 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m.–“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (prairie and woodland). Register here. (Weather dependent)
“The sun was going, and the world was wrong.”—Annie Dillard
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Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Annie Dillard writes, “Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him… .” Well, we settled for the “kiss” here in the Chicago region, where we had 94 percent coverage for about four minutes. And it was quite a kiss.
Eclipse shadows, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Jeff and I go for a walk on the prairie, just as the moon begins its journey between us and the sun. The prairie is so bright! Not a single cloud softens the harsh sky. Familiar plants seem otherworldly in that odd brilliance, that strange glow.
Solar eclipse, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Smithsonian Magazine tells us that Indigenous Americans held many different beliefs about eclipses. The Southern Paiute, with a nod to the embrace between the sun and moon, called it a “special day to reflect on what love means to you, to remove any anger you may have, and do a deed of kindness and an act of love.”
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), during the solar eclipse, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
The Cherokee, it goes on to say, believe the eclipse is “a giant frog in the sky trying to eat the sun.”
American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL. (2023)
Ho-Chunk, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, were told to “respect both sun and moon eclipses” as a “time of transformation.”
Unknown dragonfly (Anisoptera), after emergence, in the teneral stage, Busse Woods, Schaumberg, IL. (2014)
We walk for a short while, then return home. There, we itch to turn on the lights. But we want to experience every moment. Rooms are shrouded in twilight.
Interior, solar eclipse, Glen Ellyn, IL.
We’re nearing 94 percent coverage. (See it here.) Our black kitten meows piteously, probably for a treat, but we wonder if he senses something is off. Or perhaps he’s tuned into our excitement? Or maybe we’re looking for oddities on this very strange afternoon? We marvel that it can still be so bright outside, although the light is…wrong.
The air looks a little pixelated, a little grainy. I rub my eyes, over and over, thinking I’ll see more clearly. That we’ll return to normalcy. But a solar eclipse is anything but normal.
Trout lily (Erythronium albidum), during the eclipse, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Hours later, it all seems like a dream.
Solar eclipse, Schulenberg Prairie Visitor Station, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
The next total eclipse I’ll have chance to see in the United States will occur in August, 2044. Although it seems like an eternity, the years will fly by, full of challenges and delights.
Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) during the solar eclipse, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
It’s difficult to imagine what the world will be like then, and even more odd to think I’ll be in my eighties. I hope I’m still around to see that next solar eclipse. But no matter what… .
Marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris) during the eclipse, Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
…I’m glad I saw this one.
****
The quote from writer Annie Dillard (1945-) which kicks off this post is from “Total Eclipse,” found in Teaching a Stone to Talk, and which also appeared in the anthology of her work, Abundance. Dillard won the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for Pilgrim at Tinker Creek in 1975.
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Tonight! Tuesday, April 9, 7:30-9 p.m.—“Illinois’ Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers,” for the Northwest Audubon Society Annual Banquet, Highland Community College, Freeport, IL. Banquet begins at 6 p.m. You may also register for only the program, which begins at 7:30 p.m. For ticket and registration information, visit here.
Thursday, April 11, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
Thursday, April 11, 6:30-8 p.m..—“The Tallgrass Prairie: An Introduction,” with the Oak Park, IL, Library. Free and open to the public. Register here.
Thursday, April 18, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
Friday, April 19, 8-9 p.m.–“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by the Midwest Pond and Koi Society.” White Fence Farm, Romeoville, IL. Optional dinner before the program; program is free and open to the public, but please visit here for more information.
Saturday, April 27, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
“Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain… .” —John Claude Gummoe
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Can you hear it? The sound of thunder. Rain moves into the Chicago region. The thirsty prairies soak up every drop. Watch the just-burned landscapes turn emerald.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
That green! So bright. Technicolor. With notes of khaki, olive, and lime.
Willoway Brook, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Prairie streams and ponds rise and fill. The moving water adds its notes to the spring prairie music. And then… what’s that sound? A “whistlely-twitter?”
Little flocks of golden-crowned kinglets move through, flitting from branch to branch in the trees on the prairie’s edge. I love the collective noun for a group of them; a “dynasty” of golden-crowned kinglets. The scientific genus name, Regulus, means “little king.” And their calls! So high-pitched. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the golden-crowned kinglet’s song is one of the first we are unable to hear as we age. So—I won’t take their song today for granted. Other birds are easier to hear as I hike: red-winged blackbird, killdeer, northern flicker, song sparrow. What a beautiful day to be out hiking the tallgrass prairie.
I admire the sprouts of green all around me, knowing the rain will continue to nudge new prairie plants into emergence each day. The tiny leaves are each so distinctive. Glade mallow.
The spicebush flowers arrive first, but you can see the new leaves not far behind. Down the slope, around the pond, the marsh marigolds continue to open.
Soon they’ll be a golden ring around my tiny, mud-bottomed pond. Nearby, my shooting star is being squeezed out by weedy burdock and a little non-native ground cover plant, sweet woodruff, that I wish I’d never put in 20 years ago. Looks like I have some work to do this spring.
Shooting star (Primula meadia) fights for position in Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
I still have about 30 percent traditional garden plants in my yard, including two big peony plants. If I look closely, I can see the new plants thrusting through the soil. They look like red licorice twists, don’t they?
In the vegetable beds, a few chard plants have overwintered. Fall-planted garlic looks healthy and vigorous in its new spot, and—surprise!—I must have left some garlic cloves behind when I harvested it last July, as plants are coming up in the old location. Oops!
Difficult to say. The forecast calls for two-and-a-half inches of snow on Wednesday. That might dial things back a bit. But it keeps things exciting, doesn’t it?
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy these April rainy days. And all the good things they promise to bring.
*****
Today’s opening blog quote is from a hit song, “Rhythm of the Rain,” originally made famous by the American vocal group “The Cascades” and written by group member John Claude Gummoe. The song released in late 1962, and Billboard ranked it as its #4 song of 1963. The song featured a “celeste,” also called a “bell-piano,” the same instrument used in “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from “The Nutcracker.” The song was later covered by Dan Fogelberg, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Jason Donavan, and Neil Sedaka. The group’s name “The Cascades” was supposedly inspired by a box of dishwasher detergent.
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Join Cindy for a Class or Program this Spring!
Thursday, April 4, 7-8:30 p.m. —“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by Roselle Park Garden Club, Roselle, IL. Free and open to the public. More information here.
Tuesday, April 9, 7:30-9 p.m.—“Illinois’ Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers,” for the Northwest Audubon Society Annual Banquet, Highland Community College, Freeport, IL. Banquet begins at 6 p.m.. For ticket and registration information, visit here.
Thursday, April 11, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
Thursday, April 11, 6:30-8 p.m..—“The Tallgrass Prairie: An Introduction,” with the Oak Park, IL, Library. Free and open to the public. Register here.
Thursday, April 18, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
Friday, April 19, 8-9 p.m.–“Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers,” presented by the Midwest Pond and Koi Society.” White Fence Farm, Romeoville, IL. Optional dinner before the program; program is free and open to the public, but please visit here for more information.
Saturday, April 27, 9-11 a.m.—“Spring Wildflower and Ethnobotany Walk,” The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. To register, click here.
Cindy Crosby is the author, compiler, or contributor to more than 20 books. Her most recent is "Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural, and Personal History" (Northwestern University Press, 2020). She teaches prairie ecology, nature writing, and natural history classes, and is a prairie steward who has volunteered countless hours in prairie restoration. See Cindy's upcoming online speaking events and classes at www.cindycrosby.com.
Tuesdays in the Tallgrass 