Summer 2000

An unusually high concentration of flowers and a low concentration of grasses are among the 150 plant species found in this dry-mesic and mesic prairie

DuPage County, Illinois

Nestled among the houses of Downers Grove is an unexpected sight: a dry-mesic prairie sloping down to a wetland. So unexpected is this prairie that naturalists didn't even know it existed until a local resident led them to it by chance.

In the 1970s Al DePree signed up for a photography class at nearby Morton Arboretum. The class had an assignment of photographing flowers, so Al took his camera to the open "field" where the neighborhood kids played. The pictures he brought to class caused a stir at the Arboretum. Where had he taken them? So Al brought Floyd Swink of the Morton Arboretum and Robert Betz of Northeastern Illinois University to what is now the Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve.

The 10-acre site had five different owners scattered across the United States. The Nature Conservancy tracked down the owners and began negotiations. Margo DePree, Al’s wife, used her inheritance to purchase a third of the site. The Nature Conservancy bought the rest, and the entire parcel was transferred to the Downers Grove Park District with the stipulation that it be dedicated as an Illinois nature preserve. In 1979 Belmont Prairie became the first nature preserve in DuPage County.

The prairie lies on the Valparaiso Moraine, formed by glaciers more than 12,000 years ago. The northeast corner of the site is well-drained soil dominated by porcupine grass. The land slopes down toward the southeast, with marshy areas at the bottom dominated by blue-joint grass. The visitor can observe the transition from dry-mesic prairie through mesic prairie to wet prairie in the short walk down the slope.

Belmont Prairie holds an unusually high concentration of flowers with a low concentration of grasses. Naturalists have found about 150 plant species on the site, two of which are on the state list of threatened and endangered species. Of the natural areas in DuPage County, Belmont Prairie has the highest rating measured by Swink and Wilhelm’s index of Floristic Quality Assessment. Insect surveys and butterfly monitoring have revealed several habitat-restricted species.

Volunteers and Park District staff are working to maintain and enhance this natural area. While the prairie portion of the site needed only burning and some brush removal to return it to health, the wetter areas, especially in the northwest portion of the site, have required more attention. The District has cleared brush and seeded in this area and has also added a wood-chip trail. Brush-clearing and seeding are also underway in a 15-acre buffer zone to the west of the nature preserve.

The Downers Grove Park District offers public tours in the summer and holds organized workdays. Tours are on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. and take an hour or a little longer. Upcoming dates are July 15 and August 5. Participants should register by phoning the Park District at (630) 963-1304. Saturday workdays, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., are scheduled for July 8, September 16, and October 21. On occasion, the District also holds impromptu seed-collecting parties during the week. For more information, phone the District and ask for Sally Kenaston or Pat Saunders.

— Barbara Hill