THE SCENE
High-quality black-soil prairie remnant, with savanna and wetland

Highlights
Large displays of wild hyacinth and wild geranium in spring, odd sidewalks through ancient prairie, 1850s Prairie House

Stats
80 acres,
north-south trail is 0.5 mile

Behind the scenes
Conservationists are working to protect an important buffer to the west

Getting there
From I-290 westbound, exit south on Wolf Rd and go 3 miles to 31st St. Turn right/west on 31st and park in any of the three aprons on the north side of the road. Parking is also available at the Franzosenbusch Prairie House on Constitution Drive.

Spring 2004

The finest and largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississipppi River, with savanna, marsh, and wet prairie areas

Cook County, Illinois

In the early 1920s, developers had their own ideas about the 80 acres in Westchester, Illinois, that are now Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve — they had planned a housing subdivision. But today there is little development beyond three concrete entrances on the north side of 31st Street.

Wild hyacinths at Wolf Road Prairie. Photo by Patricia Armstrong.

Rather, in the spring a savanna welcomes the visitor with a canopy of bright green oak leaves. Here, one of the Chicago region's best displays of wild hyacinth and wild geranium reaches its prime around Memorial Day. A bur oak estimated at 250 years old stands nearby. Rue anemone, trout lily, and violets round out the savanna's spring display.

It was the Great Depression that brought those old development plans to a halt. Today the only surviving "improvement" is a grid of paired sidewalks (with no streets between) that crisscross the southern half of the preserve, imposing a strange suburban structure on this wild landscape.

North along the sidewalks, the savanna's trees taper out into a high-quality black-soil prairie. According to Save the Prairie Society (STPS), which has worked for about 30 years to save this dedicated Illinois Nature Preserve from development, Wolf Road Prairie is recognized as the finest and largest black-soil prairie remnant east of the Mississippi River.

One spring attraction here is the mating flights of the male woodcocks. Their spectacular aerial display, immortalized in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, occurs in April at dusk. The Chicago Audubon Society holds a number of Twilight Woodcock Walks. Starting in May, the rare Indian paintbrush reddens its leaves. In summer, prairie dropseed, purple milkweed, Indian grass, and nodding wild onion bloom.

Indian paintbrush. Photo by Casey Galvin.

Continuing north, the ground becomes lower. Wet prairie plants emerge here in the summer, such as prairie cord grass, ironweed, and Culver's root. In the northern part of the preserve, the sidewalk ends and a path curves east and north. Here, summertime reveals Indian grass, stiff goldenrod, vervain, and blazing star. The marsh soon comes into sight on the left, where the Middle Fork to Salt Creek flows through the preserve. Look for blue-flag iris blooming here in early summer. The trail ends at the Franzosenbusch Heritage Society's 1850s Prairie House, being restored to house a nature center and historical museum.

To the west, STPS is currently working with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission to preserve and restore an important buffer of open land that protects Wolf Road Prairie's natural conditions.

No pets or bikes are allowed, and visitors should stay on trails and sidewalks. Call STPS at (708) 865-8736 for information on guided group tours and monthly activities. To volunteer at a workday, call Phil Cihlar at (708) 485-2680. To join a woodcock walk, call (708) 482-8197.

— Ben LeFort