The Scene
High-quality woodland growing on a terminal moraine that slopes down to the Chicago River

Highlights
Year-round wildflowers, great spring display; river overlooks; large, old oaks

Stats
160 acres, approximately 4 miles of trail

Behind the scenes
The North Branch Restoration Project workdays can go all day, attract large volunteer groups, and often have multiple brush piles burning at once

Getting there
Take I-94 to Old Orchard Rd exit. Turn left/west and go to where Old Orchard ends at Harms Road. Parking is available north or south on Harms Rd. To access bridge over the river, park in the lot north of Old Orchard and south of Glenview Rd.

Spring 2005

A high-quality woodland on a moraine that slopes down to the Chicago River, this preserve is popular with restoration volunteers. And their work shows.

Cook County, Illinois

Within a 160-acre woodland forest preserve in Cook County, the battle against invasive plants is being won. Active management is reversing years of neglect, and Harms Woods, located along the North Branch of the Chicago River in Glenview, Illinois, now bears the hallmark of a diverse, healthy woodland — a blanket of native flora sprinkled with beautiful wildflowers, bathed in sunlight.

The walking trail into Harms Woods takes visitors over a bridge spanning the murky but scenic river and into a patch of golden Alexanders, pimpernel, and false Solomon’s seal. From there, visitors can head south along a wide, easy path along the river — a favorite for hikers, joggers, skiers, dog walkers, and equestrians from nearby stables. The preserve’s location along the North Branch bicycle trail makes it ideal for bikers looking to hop off their bikes for an easy and fun hiking diversion. In spring, a great (if often muddy) time to visit, visitors can see wild geranium, hepatica, and trout lilies without leaving this path. Harms is also home to a fine display of white trillium — the view west from roughly three-quarters of a mile south is a real treat, especially at sunset.

Bellwort. Photo by Casey Galvin.

For a deeper immersion, intimate dirt trails meander up a gravel moraine where 325 native species of plants have been identified. Weaving through gentle, hilly terrain and occasional springtime streams, visitors may find shooting stars, bellwort, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Virginia waterleaf, and blue cohosh. Unlike many preserves where the shrub layer has been shaded out, Harms Woods still has a high shrub component. Look for viburnums, native honeysuckles, and witch hazel.

Restoration at Harms Woods began in 1987, when the North Branch Restoration Project began working with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to pull invasive garlic mustard, remove European buckthorn, and bring controlled burns back to the land. Stewards Jane and John Balaban have participated from the beginning. “One of the benefits of being involved for so long is to see how the system responds,” says Jane. “In contrast to many degraded woodlands, where only the spring flora still hangs on, Harms has native plants blooming and setting seed throughout the growing season, spring into summer into fall. Fire keeps the encroaching brush in check.”

Wildflowers are not the only beneficiary of the preserve’s increased openness. Ponds that were once shaded and barren now provide breeding habitat for chorus frogs. The large stands of oak and the preserve’s riverside location draw migrant birds, such as the chestnut-sided warbler, that flit from tree to tree making a meal of the bugs that feast on oak leaves. Visitors may also spot scarlet tanagers, bluebird pairs, great crested flycatchers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and great horned owls, or be treated to a rare glimpse of mink or fox.

The Restoration Project welcomes volunteers year-round to assist in weed control, brush cutting, site monitoring, seed collecting, and writing a quarterly newsletter. For more information, visit northbranchrestoration.org. Dogs on leashes are allowed.

— Jennifer Tang

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