Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
…and the never-ending hiss-shrill of cicadas.
Periodical cicada (Magicicada spp.) on white wild indigo (Baptisia alba), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Break out the lemonade and lawn chairs. It’s June.
Pearl or northern crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos or cocyta) on non-native oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Lots of jam-making ahead! I’ve made progress with this year’s purchased plants still sitting on the porch, waiting for their assigned seats. This week, Jeff expanded the front yard prairie garden by a few feet, and I planted wild geranium, another butterfly milkweed, rattlesnake master, and a few more prairie smoke plants.
Crosby’s front yard prairie planting, Glen Ellyn, IL.
They join the golden alexanders, butterfly milkweed, common mountain mint, common boneset, rough blazing star, pale purple coneflower, purple coneflower, prairie smoke, sky blue aster, royal catchfly, wild quinine, june grass, ohio goldenrod, showy goldenrod, stiff goldenrod, foxglove beardtongue,and…well, I’m starting to forget what all is in there. We’ll see how things made it through the winter as the bloom season progresses.
In the backyard, I planted prairie smoke, a blazing star, and two sedges into a large container. In prairie classes and programs, gardeners ask me if they can grow native plants in containers. I’ve never tried it for myself, so that’s my challenge for this season.
Trying a native plant container garden for the first time, Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
My inspiration comes from a wonderful webinar “Container Gardens: Native Plants in Urban Landscapes I attended put on by the West Cook Wild Ones this winter. Chicago Botanic Garden’s Dr. Jeremie Fant grows numerous and diverse woodland and prairie plants on his apartment patio in downtown Chicago, mostly with success. And he’ll save you a lot of money by also telling you about his failures! Check out his terrific webinar on Youtube here. My only regret is I didn’t buy more plants to put into my container. I may add more this summer.
First attempt at native plant container gardening, Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
Of course, the big action right now is on the tallgrass prairie. Let’s go take a look.
Once there, I hike slowly, stopping and turning 360 degrees, trying to absorb all the blooms, blooms, blooms.
Canadian Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Porcupine grass starts its slow bend to drill its seeds into the prairie soil.
Peck’s skipper (Polites peckius) on non-native red clover (Trifolium pratense)on the Schulenberg Prairie path, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
A question mark butterflies samples something a little less savory on the trail.
Question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) on scat, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Cicadas whine and thwapp me on the back; little hitchhikers that follow me along the trail. Green darner dragonflies patrol, occasionally dodging a bird looking for a snack.
Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) on white wild indigo (Baptisia alba), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
And look! There’s a pale purple coneflower, almost in bloom.
Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
The small sundrops aren’t numerous on this prairie, so I feel lucky when I spy one.
Small sundrops (Oenothera perennis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Carrion vine flowers have begun their transition from bloom to seed. I sniff and sniff, but can’t get a whiff of their namesake fragrance.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
There are amazing adventures there. Waiting for you.
*****
The opening quote is from John Steinbeck (1902-1968) from his last novel, The Winter of Our Discontent. He is best known for such books as the Pulitzer-Prize winning The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, and the (said to be) non-fiction Travels with Charley. Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962; although he is recognized today and widely acknowledged as a great American writer, he was not always appreciated by his contemporaries.
*****
Join Cindy for a program or class in June!
Wednesday, June 5, 7-8:30 p.m. — “Bison Tails and Tallgrass Trails.” ONLINE only! Bensenville Public library. Free and open to the public. For registration details, call the library here.
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 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.
On the prairies in my part of northern Illinois, cicadas are everywhere this week. You may even find their exuviae, which they leave behind after emerging.
Soon, their singing will be the soundtrack to our summer. You won’t be able to shut out the sound! But for a few more days, the world is fairly cicada song-free. They are still a bit of a novelty. Each one is a marvel.
But while you’re admireing the cicadas, don’t miss the other mid-May prairie wonders. It might be a savanna sparrow, singing its three-part buzzy trill.
Maybe you’ll spy a day-flying eight-spotted forester moth resting in the undergrowth. The caterpillars use grapes and virginia creeper as host plants.
Eight-spotted forester moth (Alypia octomaculata), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
Or if you’re lucky, you’ll see an odd-ball eastern forktail andromorph female damselfly, which showed up on one of my dragonfly data collection routes this week. It’s only the second time I’ve seen this unusual variation on a common damselfly species.
Along the prairie paths, you may discover edible valerian—sometimes called “tobacco root” or “common valerian”— which is turning pink and going to seed.
Common valerian (Valeriana edulis var.cilata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
You’ll notice that bastard toadflax has begun its transformation from bloom to seed.
And the meadow anemones and american vetch pair up to make a floral arrangement that beats anything a florist could pull together.
American vetch (Vicia americana) and meadow anemone (Anemone canadensis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Look closely in the tallgrass. See the spittlebug foam?
Spittlebug foam (probably from Philaenus spumarius), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Smoosh that froth with your fingers (ewww!), and you’ll find the tiny pale insect inside. The spittlebugs feed on everything from daisies to goldenrod. The “froth” helps keep the insect moist, and protects it from predators.
Nearby, the first common whitetail dragonflies perch, ready for flight.
Common whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Their emergence is eagerly awaited in the wetlands by hungry green frogs…
Green frog (Lithobates clamitans), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
…and ravenous bullfrogs.
American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
They’ll add their froggie songs to the cicada chorus, punctuated by cries from the scolding, vigilant red-winged blackbird.
The red-winged blackbird is highly protective of his nest sites. He would like you to stay off the prairie. But hey! Don’t listen to him.
Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
You won’t want to miss a day in the magical last half of May.
****
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was a Japanese haiku master. You can read more about him at the Poetry Foundation here, then have fun creating some haikus of your own.
*****
Join Cindy for a class or programin June:
Wednesday, June 5, 7-8:30 p.m. — “Bison Tails and Tallgrass Trails.” ONLINE only! Bensenville Public library. Free and open to the public. For registration details, call the library here.
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 Center, and Cindy in conversation. (The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, Prairie Visitor Station– held outdoors, weather permitting). Registration and ticket costs here.
“January observation can be almost as simple and peaceful as snow, and almost as continuous as cold. There is time not only to see who has done what, but to speculate why.”—Aldo Leopold
*****
Ice. Slush. Mud. But that’s what boots and a trekking pole are for. Let’s go for a hike.
Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
Okay, maybe not that trail. How about this one?
Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
There. That’s better, isn’t it? You can always hike “the icy trail not traveled” on a warmer, sunnier day when it’s a little less treacherous.
Danada Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL.
Now that you’ve found your trail, take a moment to look around. The thaw-fog makes everything dreamlike. Pixelated. A little grainy. Even bright colors seem muffled.
Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) on shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) in the fog, Danada Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL.
Listen. Some birds are quieter at this time of year, but others are chattering away. This is a great time to turn your Cornell Lab’s Merlin birds phone app to the “Sound ID” setting and find out what birds are calling around you. Then keep your eyes open.
Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) on invasive multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Danada Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL.
Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedorum)and eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), on invasive multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Danada Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL. Is that a catbird nest? Could be!
Probably rosette or frost lichens (Physcia sp.), Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
Fungi whirls.
Fungi (the large disc is likely in the Trametes genus), lichens, and moss at Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
Strange surprises that show up in winter.
Fungi (including Giraffe Spots(Peniophora albobadia), mold, lichen, and moss at Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
You could spend a lifetime just learning the names, habits, and history of fungi, lichens, and moss.
Fungi, lichens, and moss at Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
There’s so much to discover, on a hike at the end of January.
Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
What are you waiting for? Pull those boots on. Who knows what you’ll see?
*****
The opening quote is by Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) from the chapter “January Thaw” in A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There (1949). This classic conservation collection—part ethics, part storytelling, part philosophy, part natural history observation—would go on to change the way we think about the natural world (and the laws that help govern it).
*****
Join Cindy for a program or class:
Monday, February 5, 7-8:30 p.m.—“The Tallgrass Prairie: Grocery Store, Apothecary, and Love Charm Shop”, hosted by the Naperville Community Gardeners. Free and open to the public! For registration information, check their website here. (In Person)
Saturday, February 10, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.–“Writing and Art Nature Retreat” — Hosted by The Morton Arboretum; the writing portion is co-taught by Cindy and naturalist Kristy Belton. Click here for registration and costs. (In Person)
February 13, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. —“Literary Gardens” — Hosted by Mt. Prospect Garden Club. Free and open to the public! For more information, visit their website here. (In Person)
February 15 — “Illinois Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers,” —Middlerock Conservation Meeting, Oregon, IL. (Closed Event).
Sunday, February 18, 2-3:30 p.m. — “Bison Tales and Tallgrass Trails” — Hosted by West Cook Wild Ones. Free and open to the public! For more information on how to register, visit their website here. (Online)
Thursday, February 29, 7-8:30 p.m.—“Literary Gardens”— Hosted by the Downers Grove Public Library. Free and open to the public! For more information and to register, click here. (In Person)
“When the frost is on the punkin’.. .” —James Whitcomb Riley
******
“I feel sad to see the trees lose their leaves,” one of my young granddaughters said to me as I drove her home from school last week.
White oak (Quercus alba) leaves, Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
We talked about the season of cold that was on the way. A time of rest. A time of letting go. We marveled at the beauty of the changing maple leaves, turning scarlet along the road where we waited in the school pick-up line. But in truth, I agreed with her. October always makes me feel a little bit melancholy. It is a season of goodbyes.
Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL, during the solar eclipse on 10/14.
Jeff and I gathered the last tomatoes from the garden last week before the frost. Now, we pluck them from a bowl on the kitchen counter, one by one, as they slowly ripen. We’re reminded that there will be no more until next July, knock on wood.
In the backyard, the zinnias and dahlias plug along, their growth slowed by light frost, but still cheerful. I gather bouquets and bring them inside, defiantly orange, red, yellow, and pink against the shorter, darker days. The prairie and woodland wildflowers have mostly gone to seed, although the late asters, goldenrods, and bonesets hold on in sheltered spots. Even the gentians have finished their business.
Stiff gentian or agueweed (Gentiana quinquefolia), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Goodbye, I whisper to the wildflowers as I collect their seeds. See you next year.
Blazing star (Liatris aspera), Crosby’s front yard prairie planting, Glen Ellyn, IL. (2022).
There are other farewells to make. This past week we said goodbye to poet Louise Glück (1943-2023), who passed away at 80. She won every prize under the sun, including her recent Nobel Prize in Literature (2020), and served as our United States Poet Laureate in 2003.
Likely an orange sulphur butterfly (Colias eurytheme) although they are tricky to tell apart from the clouded sulphur (Colias philodice), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
When I read the news of her passing, I pulled my old copy of The Wild Iris from the shelf. This 1992 volume, which won the Pulitzer Prize, is set in the garden and includes some ostensibly about tomatoes. “…it was my heart broken by the blight, the black spot so quickly multiplying in the rows.” Her dark poetry has an autumnal feel, perfect for October.
Autumn at Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
Whenever we lose a poet, a light goes out in the world.
Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
About as far away from Glück’s writing as you can imagine is folksy poet James Whitcomb Riley. As a child growing up in central Indiana, our teachers read many of his poems to us, including the iconic “When the Frost is on the Punkin.” A sample:
They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere; When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here—; Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees, And the mumble of the hummin’-birds and buzzin’ of the bees; But the air’s so appetizin’; and the landscape through the haze; Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days; Is a pictur’ that no painter has the colorin’ to mock—; When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.
Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley, sometimes called starry Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum), Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Go back and read it out loud. Isn’t it fun to recite? The Poetry Foundation notes: “Neglectful of his studies, Riley preferred to take walks in the countryside, read books of his own choosing, and create rhymes, the first of which he sent to his young friends on home-made valentines.” He sounds like a kindred spirit.
Of course, unlike Glück, a popular modern poet who is widely revered, Riley’s poetry is long out of fashion today. But hearing a line or two brings back my childhood; the smell of chalk dust, the murmur of the teacher, and the heft of a textbook. Do you have a favorite poet, or one who brings back childhood memories? (Leave me a note in the comments with your favorites.)
Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
As I think of the goodbyes we are saying this week: in the garden, in the prairies, and in the woodlands—and the farewells to those whose words have left an imprint on our minds and hearts—I also think of the firsts to come. The first snowfall, which sometimes happens in October here in the Chicago Region.
I’ve yet to see the first junco at my feeders, although I hear they’ve arrived in our region. I know they’ll show up in my backyard any time now. Other seasonal firsts are just days or weeks away. It won’t be long before the first first sandhill cranes are headed south.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis),Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, Medaryville, IN (2016).
Bittersweet.
Non-native Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) with the introduced seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Do you sense a foreshadowing?
Prairie dock (Silphium terabinthinaceum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Farewell to the season of warmth and growth. It went so fast.
Moon over Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Hello, season of reflection.
Welcome, season of rest.
*****
The quote that opens this post is from James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1960), and his poem “When the Frost is on the Punkin.” Some of Riley’s verses that I learned in school still rattle around in my head, like ones from “Little Orphant Annie”, more than 50 years later. You can read the full “punkin” poem, perfect for October, here.
*****
Join Cindy for a class or program to close out 2023!
10/19– 10:30pm-noon: “Literary Gardens.” Hosted by the Garden Club of Iverness, Palatine, IL. Free and open to the public! For more information, click here.
11/1 — 11am-12:30 pm: “Winter Prairie Wonders” hosted by Town and Country Gardeners in Libertyville, IL. (Closed event for members). To learn more about the club, click here.
11/6 — 11am-12:30pm: “Dragonflies and Damselflies” hosted by Elmhurst Garden Club (Closed event for members). To learn how to join the garden club, click here.
11/10 –1-2:30pm: “A Brief History of Trees in America” hosted by Lombard Garden Club. Free and open to the public! For more information, click here.
11/15 –7-8:30 p.m.: “A Brief History of Trees in America” hosted by the Downers Grove Organic Garden Club. Free and open to the public! For more information, click here.
12/1 — 10-11:30 a.m.: “Bison Tales and Tallgrass Trails” at the Morton Arboretum’s beautiful Sterling Morton Library in Lisle, IL. (SOLD OUT — call and ask to be put on a waiting list.)
12/12 6:45-8 p.m.: “Winter Prairie Wonders” hosted by the Buffalo Grove Garden Club. Free and open to the public! For more information, click here.
***** A note to readers: Jeff and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary by visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall. Please let us know where you think we should head to next. Only two more to go! Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas. So far, we’ve enjoyed visitingthe following places: Kayaking at #1 Rock Cut State Park (Rockford, IL); hiking at #2 James “Pate” Philip State Park (Bartlett, IL); #3 Potato Creek State Park (North Liberty, IN); #4 Indiana Dunes State Park (Porter County, IN); #5 Indiana Dunes National Park (Beverly Shores, IN); kayaking Silver Lake at #6 Blackwell Forest Preserve (Wheaton/Warrenville, IL); hiking #7 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #8 Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve (Winfield, IL), #9 Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, IL), #10 Herrick Lake Forest Preserve (Wheaton, IL); Jeff’s family reunion at#11 Hawthorn Park (Terre Haute, IN); hiking #12 Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN) and at #13 Shades State Park, Waveland, IN;hiking and bison viewing at #14 Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN; hiking at #15 Hidden Lake Forest Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #16 Peck Farm Park (Geneva, IL), #17 Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL); #18 Busse Woods Forest Preserve, Elk Grove, IL; #19Nachusa Grasslands (Franklin Grove,IL); reading in a swing along the Rock River at #20 Lowell Park (Dixon, IL); cabin overnight and hiking at #21 White Pines State Park (Mt. Morris, IL); hiking to the overlook at #22 Castle Rock State Park (Oregon, IL); enjoying the views at a prairie remnant gem #23 Beach Cemetery Prairie (Ogle County, IL); #24 Springbrook Prairie (Naperville, IL); watching eagles and hiking at #25 Starved Rock State Park (Oglesby, IL); watching the dragonfly migration at #26 Matthiessen State Park (Oglesby, IL); river overlook at #27 Buffalo Rock State Park (Ottawa, IL); #28 monarch and dragonfly migration at Wolf Road Prairie (Westchester, IL); and hiking #29 Russell R. Kirt Prairie at College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL); hiking #30 Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Wilmington, IL), #31 Fermilab Prairies (Batavia, IL); and #32 Danada Forest Preserve (Wheaton, IL); #33 Fullersburg Woods (Oak Brook, IL); #34 Dick Young Forest Preserve (Batavia, IL); #35 Lyman Woods (Downers Grove, IL); #36 Harlem Hills Prairie Nature Preserve (Loves Park, IL); #37 Greene Prairie (Madison, WI; and #38 Curtis Prairie (Madison, WI). Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions last week! Two adventures still to come.
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 