Summer 1998

Extensive trail system winds through natural wet and mesic prairies, sedge meadows, woodlands

DuPage County, Illinois

West Chicago Prairie spreads out over 300 acres of relatively flat land in western DuPage County near Fermilab. Less than seven feet separate the highest and lowest points, but the lack of dramatic topography belies a tremendous variety of plants, animals, and habitats. It's a DuPage County Forest Preserve, but don' t come looking for developed recreation areas: the emphasis here is on enjoying nature and viewing natural processes in action. And it's a great place for that.

West Chicago Prairie features nearly every type of natural landscape found in northern Illinois. There are prairies, of course, both wet and mesic varieties. Sedge meadows, a bur oak savanna with some gnarled trees nearly 200 years old, woodlands, ponds, and swampy glacial potholes round out the scene.

An extensive trail system provides great views of the preserve's wide range of habitats. A short hike along the West Loop Trail, near the parking area, passes a high-quality mesic prairie whose plants flower in a succession of tremendous color from spring until the first frost. Nearly every two weeks, a new set of flowers are blooming. In July and August, Culver' s root and tall coreopsis are flowering.

The Cross Trail passes through one of the least disturbed wet-mesic prairies in northeastern Illinois. One sees few invasive species here. Shooting star and hoary puccoon bloom in spring and early summer, while the colors of plants like sky-blue aster and prairie dock dominate in late summer and fall.

Other trails pass a cottonwood swamp, which developed in the recent past when fires were suppressed. Thanks to prescribed burns, the area is slowly returning to its natural state as an open wetland. Not far away is a large bur oak. This whole area was a savanna before it was farmed; today, the old tree is surrounded by oak saplings forming the first stage of a new savanna.

The prairie grasses here grow too tall for most grassland birds. But other species flock to the wetlands, woods and savanna; nearly 170 bird species have been recorded at the site. Summer visitors may see American kestrel, teal and wood ducks, red-tailed and Cooper's hawks, and flickers, among others. The Old Stockyards Trail, in the southeast corner of the site, leads to Heron Pond, a good place to see green and great blue herons.

Several species of turtles (including Blanding's), snakes, and frogs live at the preserve. The list of mammals ranges from white-tailed deer and coyote to meadow vole and thirteen-striped ground squirrel. Butterflies and skippers congregate near the wet potholes; volunteers are working to create a butterfly habitat near the savanna to attract even more.

The core of the site is 150 acres of high-quality land, bought by the Forest Preserve District and the city of West Chicago in 1978. Another 155 acres have been added as a buffer; some of this land was in good shape when it was acquired, while some had been degraded by farming and grazing. Active restoration is on-going in some parts; in others, as with the lone bur oak and its saplings, nature is slowly recolonizing the disturbed land.

The Illinois Prairie Path marks the preserve's northern border and several of the preserve' s trails intersect the Prairie Path. The trails are unpaved. The preserve is open from one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset. For more information, call the DuPage County Forest Preserve District at (630) 942-6075.

— Chris Larson