“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”—Jimmy Buffett
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This was a great week for visiting four Illinois prairies, all of them with their own personalities.
Let’s go for a short hike on each of them, and enjoy the turning of the seasons on the tallgrass prairie.
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Drive south of Chicago an hour or so, and you’ll discover the largest prairie restoration east of the Mississippi. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a preserve in process. Once a military arsenal, today it’s an ambitious showcase for Illinois’ native plants, birds, and other prairie community members across more than 20,000 acres.
I had visited here several times on my own, but it was a first visit for Jeff and myself together, and #30/40 in our “40 for the 40th” anniversary adventures this summer. It was also by far the most difficult prairie we’ve had to navigate. Scattered across a patchwork of commercial buildings, towns, and homes—and despite a good map and some prep work before our visit—we found ourself unable to find one trailhead we had in mind. So, we went for “Plan B”—ice cream (carrot cake and moosetracks) in Wilmington, with a bonus of lots of Route 66 memorabilia.
Thus fortified, we settled on a different trailhead, easily found just off historic Route 66.
No bison were out…
…but we did see monarchs, and this beautiful butterfly…
…and at least a hundred migrating dragonflies. Old bunkers are still half-hidden in the tallgrass, a reminder of a different history that belongs to this place.
The vast prairie skies and long prairie vistas gave us an inkling of what Illinois must have looked like, hundreds of years ago.
Applause for the vision of those who established this incredible place!
It merits many return trips. We’ll be back.
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We had hoped to visit Fermilab’s large prairie restorations on Sunday—it’s long been a favorite place for our family to hike, bird, and even in the past, to bike the trails past the bison barn. On this trip, a government gate guard stopped us and asked for our driver’s licenses. I learned that mine, although it doesn’t expire until 2025, was not the new “Real ID.” Real…what? At any rate, we were politely turned away. Determined to visit, however, we waited until Monday and tried again. This time, I brought my passport. We were in! It’s probably the only prairie I’ll ever visit that I’ll need it for. Wish they had a bison stamp to show I visited.
Fermilab, to those who have hiked there, is worth any hoops and hurdles. The brainchild of Chicago region’s early restorationists—and specifically, Dr. Robert “Bob” Betz, this is a vision of a different sort than Midewin’s. Rather than restoring a defunct government military site, Fermilab’s prairies are integrated into a sprawling, active government complex. When the National Department of Energy decided to build an accelerator in Batavia, about 30 miles west of Chicago, they were also presented with 6,800 acres of farmland, wetlands, and woodlands—and two very small remnant prairies.
Dr. Betz, along with other restorationists, made a case for a number of these acres to be planted in tallgrass prairie. Today, according to the site history, almost 1,000 acres continue to be restored.
As we hike the Margaret Pearson Interpretive Trail, we marvel. The gentians are having an outstanding year. Cream gentians are splashed everywhere.
Dotted among them are the bottle gentians…
…and the prairie (or downy) gentian.
It’s sweltering. and we have the requisite migratory green darner dragonflies buzzing overhead. A rather grizzled blue dasher dragonfly pauses on a stem, then does a handstand. Known as “obelisking,” this common dragonfly behavior helps the dragonfly cool down when temperatures are too hot.
We’re feeling a bit too hot, also. But it’s difficult to leave—there are so many native plants here; so many intricate fall blooms to enjoy. Next time.
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Nachusa Grasslands is a 4,100 acre Nature Conservancy site in Franklin Grove, IL, about two hours from Chicago, where I’ve worked with dragonflies for the past decade. The colors this past week showed the turn toward autumn. Everywhere I looked on my hike was an impressionist painting.
As temperatures rose through the day, I was drawn to Nachusa’s cool ponds and streams.
Most visitors come to see the bison, but I am mesmerized by the tiny creatures, like this mint moth…
…and of course, the tiny damselflies.
Nachusa is Dragonfly monitoring season is coming to a close, however. Nighttime temperatures cool. Migratory dragonfly species are heading south.
At dusk, we watch them gather in swarms in our backyard in Chicago’s western suburbs. Green darners. Black saddlebags. Wandering gliders. On their way to new adventures.
Late Monday afternoon, I head south too—a few miles south of my home to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL., where I have five dragonfly routes I walk from March to early October. This Labor Day, the temperature hit 90 degrees. Too hot for the dragonflies to be very active, it seems. The only odonates I see on my hour-long hike are the expected migratory green darners. But, there are plenty of prairie plants to enjoy on the 61-year-old, 100-acre Schulenberg Prairie, considered one of the oldest planted prairies in the world. The prairie or downy gentians, cream gentians, and bottle gentians are all here, as well as the stiff gentian (in bud, but not bloom).
There’s also some hybridizing going on. The Schulenberg Prairie includes an unusual example, G. x curtisii, a hybrid between the prairie or downy gentian (G. puberulenta and the cream gentian (G. alba). Read more about it here.
September is already opening her treasure chest and spilling out riches beyond imagination on the tallgrass prairie. From tiny orchids…
…to the sweep of grasses and fall wildflowers.
And to think—autumn is just beginning to get underway. So much to love!
Four amazing prairies. A good way to begin the fall season. Who knows what else is waiting to be discovered?
I can’t wait to find out.
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The opening quote is from Jimmy Buffett’s “Barometer Soup.” Buffett (1946-2023), a songwriter best known for his song “Margaritaville,” passed away last week. His songs were the songtrack to summer.
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Upcoming Programs and Classes (More on cindycrosby.com)
September 6 — The Tallgrass Prairie: Grocery Store, Apothecary, and Love Charm Shop, hosted by Field and Flower Garden Club, Lake Barrington, IL. (Closed event for members)
September 11— Literary Gardens, hosted by the Long Grove-Killdeer Garden Club, Barrington, IL (Closed event for members)
September 21-– The Tallgrass Prairie in Art, Music, and Literature, hosted by the Lincolnshire Garden Club (Closed event for members).
September 26 — Dragonflies and Damselflies: The Garden’s Frequent Fliers, 1-2:30 p.m., hosted by the Itasca Garden Club (Itasca Park District Recreation Center). Free and open to the public!
September 27 — Literary Gardens, 7-8:30 p.m., hosted by the Barrington Public Library (Barrington, IL). Free and open to the public! For more information and to register, call 847-382-1300.
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A note to my wonderful readers: Jeff and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary by visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall this year. Please let us know where you think we should head to next. Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas! So far, we’ve enjoyed visiting the 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; #19 Nachusa 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) and #31 Fermilab Prairies (Batavia, IL). Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions last week!
Tuesdays in the Tallgrass 