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Fall
2002
Woodland
and wetland combine to create a rich collection of flora
and fauna
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| Kane County, Illinois |
Beyond the mini-malls and subdivisions
of suburban Carpentersville, an ecological sanctuary of
surprising richness remains. Named for the Helm family who
settled Dundee Township in the late 1800s, the property
has seen cows, pigs, horses, wire fences, paddocks, and
farm buildings come and go. Surveyor notes dating back to
1838 describe the site as a very open woodland.
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DIRECTIONS
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Take I-90 to Elgin and exit at
Rte 25 north. Follow Rte 25 north 5 miles to Helm
Rd. Turn right/east on Helm Rd. Helm Woods is approximately
1 mile down the road on the right, just past a sign
for South Barrington. The address is 157B Helm Rd,
however there is no entry sign. Limited parking is
permitted in front of the bent metal gate.
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Today, more
than half of Helm Woods is dedicated Illinois Nature Preserve.
A product of glaciation, this rare flatwood ecosystem makes
its home on gravel-based soils and pockets of heavy clay
soils. Due to this impermeable foundation and slow drainage,
flatwoods are prone to flooding and periodic wetland conditions.
Helm Woods provides the perfect habitat for mud puppies,
northern water snakes, coyote, fox, hawks, owls, warblers,
and the black-billed cuckoo. Neither farmed nor cleared,
the preserve's flatwoods were used for cattle grazing.
Acquired by the Forest
Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC) in 1980,
this 200-acre site hugs the county line and boasts a myriad
of trees including swamp white, bur, white, red, black
and Hill's oaks, black ash, and bitternut and shagbark
hickories. Cardinal flowers, great blue lobelia, buttonbush,
and a host of sedges adorn the autumn forest floor.
To protect and encourage diversity,
the FPDKC has conducted landscape-scale woodland burns,
enlisted the help of staff and volunteers to clear buckthorn,
and, this past winter, employed a one-time contractor
to rid a 35-acre parcel of buckthorn, box elder, and wild
black cherry. "On average, we have had a really big
burn - 100 or more acres - every three years since 1992,"
shared Drew Ullberg, FPDKC habitat restoration manager.
Over the course of the past eight years, the district
has also reintroduced 40 species of habitat-appropriate
grasses and wildflowers, including native woodland bottlebrush
grass, woodland and silky rye, and foul manna grass.
A mysterious wet prairie separating
the northern and southern woodlands provides the perfect
habitat for rice cut and white grass, common wood reed,
and a variety of sedges. It also harbors some unambiguous
sections of poison ivy. According to Dick Young, renowned
author of Kane
County Wild Plants & Natural Areas, this lovely
prairie contains a host of New England, side-flowering,
and swamp asters along with zigzag and elm-leaved goldenrods.
The trail through Helm Woods loops
five miles. There are no bathrooms or camping facilities.
Pets are permitted on leashes, but bicycles, horses, and
motorized vehicles are not allowed. Open from 8:00 a.m.
to sunset, the preserve offers a sensory feast for the
autumn visitor.
Repeat visitors to Helm Woods will
observe the progress of habitat restoration as volunteers
combat invasive species, collect and plant native seeds,
and monitor various wildlife populations. To plan a workday,
please contact Volunteer Coordinator Shelly Brown at (847)
741-9798.
— April Anderson
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2008 Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Inc.
Revised.
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