Spring 1998

[TEXT ARCHIVE WEB-PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2002.
ORIGINAL PRINT PUBLICATION DATE: SPRING 1998.]

Here's what's debuting this season
on nature's stage in Chicago Wilderness

by Jack MacRae

JUNE

Snapping Turtles
Female snapping turtles lay six to seven dozen eggs on open, slightly hilly areas. The female uses water carried in her bladder from a nearby lake or river to loosen soil. In early morning or toward evening, she digs a hole and lays the eggs. This is a large turtle, measuring up to three feet in length and weighing up to 30 pounds as an adult. Observe from a distance.

Grassland Birds Display For Mates
Look for the male bobolink, with its black stomach and white back, as if it were wearing a reverse tuxedo. Listen for its rollicking call as it flies over the grasslands to attract a mate. Look for the eastern meadowlark with its lemon yellow breast decorated with a large black "V." Can you hear its "see you-see-see-yer" call as it perches atop a grassland shrub?

Gensburg-Markham Prairie Nature Preserve (Cook County). In the town of Markham, Illinois, at the Junction of I-57 and Highway 6 (159th St.), go east on 159th for one mile to Whipple Ave. Turn north 2 blocks to the preserve entrance.

Herrick Lake and Danada Forest Preserves (DuPage County). South of the town of Wheaton, IL, and north of I-88, take Butterfield Rd. to the main entrance, just east of Herrick Rd. Take the Meadowlark trail off Regional Trail to search for grassland birds.

Monarch Butterflies
Monarch butterflies return to feed in nectar and lay their eggs. They wintered en masse in Mexico. Now they are flying north to mate. The female lays translucent white eggs beneath a milkweed leaf, which provides food for the caterpillars after hatching. Adults sip sweet nectar from the flowers. Why not plant some milkweed in your backyard to attract these orange and black beauties? Find them in any open flowery area.

JULY

Woodpeckers
Young woodpeckers beg for food from parents. Tree cavities provide perfect habitat for nesting woodpeckers including the Downy and the Hairy Woodpecker, which look the same except that the Hairy is larger. The adult males have red on their heads. The females don't. The young look like miniature adults with shorter tails. The tail feathers are the last feathers to grow on young songbirds. Providing sunflower seeds at backyard feeders may attract adults with young.

Black Partridge Woods Nature Preserve (Cook County). Take the trail leading through mesic forests of basswood and oaks. In Lemont, IL, take Lemont Road north across the Des Plaines River to 111th Street (Bluff Rd.), then southwest one mile to the preserve.

Chain O' Lakes State Park (McHenry and Lake Counties, IL). Hairy woodpeckers have nested at the Oak Point Day Use area. In Spring Grove, IL, at the intersection of Wilmot Rd. and Rte. 173, take Rte. 173 east to the Oak Point Day Use Area entrance. The main entrance to the park is off Wilmot Rd., south of Rte. 173.

Savannas and Woodlands
Gorgeous wildflowers and grasses bloom at restored savannas and oak woodlands. Walk through these restored areas and note the openness of the woods, with scattered oaks and enough sunlight to let the native flowers and grasses grow. Compare this to unrestored areas — often right nearby — that contain thickets of buckthorn, which have shut out the sunlight, preventing native species from flourishing.

Listen for the "Wheep calls" of the great crested flycatchers in oak savannas, too. This species prefers open woodlands for nesting. Its nesting success has increased in restored oak savannas.

Swallow Cliff Woods (Cook County). In Palos Hills, IL, the woods entrance is off Rte. 83. From 107th St. and 104th Ave., go south to Rte. 83. Continue southwest on Rte. 83 to the Swallow Cliff Toboggan Slide entrance.

Old School Forest Preserve (Lake County). In Libertyville, IL, at the intersection of Rte. 60 and St. Mary's Rd. (east of Milwaukee Ave.), go north on St. Mary's Rd. to the preserve entrance. Take this opportunity to compare restored with unrestored savanna. Drive the main road through the preserve and note "The Trails" parking area. The Trails is an unrestored savanna. On the other side of the road is the restored savanna, which was burned as well as seeded and planted several years ago. Which area has blooming wildflowers and grasses? Where can you hear great crested flycatchers?

AUGUST

Katydids
Katydids sing their buzzy songs on hot summer nights in the woods. In late summer at twilight, the male katydid sings, "chi- chi (pause). chi-chi-chi." A member of the long-horned grasshopper family, the true or northern katydid lives in trees where the female deposits her eggs on twigs or underneath bark. The katydid, among other insects, provides food for birds and other animals.

The Grove (Cook County). Located on Milwaukee Ave. in Glenview, IL, just south of Lake Ave. You can reach the Grove off I-94 west from Chicago by exiting at Lake, going west six miles to Milwaukee Ave., then south to the preserve.

Bliss Woods Forest Preserve (Kane County) At the intersection of Rte. 56 and Rte. 47 in Sugar Grove, IL, go north of Rte. 47 until it veers to the right to Bliss Rd. Follow Bliss Rd. to the entrance.

Perseids meteors
Perseids meteors shower the sky at night. Choose a clear, warm evening just before midnight at your favorite country road away from town lights. Look near the constellation of Perseus for meteor showers, which occur in August every year. Meteors are bits of stone or metal from space that glow when they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Meteor showers occur regularly each year.

Compass plants
Compass plants bloom in prairies. Look for this 4-to-10-foot tall native prairie plant with stiff, bristly, large, deeply-lobed, alternate leaves. The small yellow, sunflower-like bloom bends toward the sun, hence the species name: compass plant.

Skokie River Nature Preserve (Lake County) In Lake Forest, IL, at the intersection of Rte. 41 and Rte. 60, go south to Westleigh Rd. Then backtrack west toward Waukegan Rd. (Rte. 43). Parking is just east of Waukegan Rd. The Lake Forest Open Lands Association owns this area. Call (847) 234-3880 to check before you go, but the area is open to the public.

Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve (Cook County) In Westchester, IL, take Wolf Rd. 1.1 miles south to 31st St. Turn right (west) and park in the north lot.