Fall 1997

Unique marsh habitat is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna

Kane County, Illinois

More than 10,000 years ago, glaciers moving through Illinois produced a large depression in what is today the Kane County Forest Preserve District. Over time, the basin filled with Houghton muck, a soil consisting of organic deposits more than four feet thick in some places. The result is a unique marsh habitat which today provides a home to many species of rare and endangered flora and fauna. In 1981, 157 acres of this site were dedicated as Nelson Lake Marsh Nature Preserve.

Though the diverse preserve contains natural features other than marsh, ranging from fen and open water to savannas and woodlands, the site’s namesake is the focal point of the preserve.

The marsh is home to a variety of aquatic plant life, including swamp milkweed, great water dock and water parsnip, as well as mad-dog-skullcap, blue flag and clearweed. Beaver and muskrat also make their homes in the swamp, which is partially blanketed by floating peat mats.

Forty acres of the preserve are occupied by a lake, providing habitat for plants such as hornwort, duckweed, great bladderwort and coontail. During the summer, water lilies cover the surface, creating a beautiful white blanket of blooming flowers.

Many species of butterflies, including meadow fritillary, purplish copper, swamp meadowlark and Baltimore checkerspot, flourish at the preserve. Among the varied bird populations that can be found at Nelson Lake are northern harrier, black tern, Wilson’s phalarope and American bittern.

For more information about Nelson Lake Marsh Preserve, call the Kane County Forest Preserve District at (630) 232-5980.

— M. Kathleen Pratt