Summer 2002

High-quality wetland has undergone an amazing transformation as restoration encourages a rich array of flora and fauna

McHenry and Lake Counties, Illinois

On a disappointingly chilly and overcast day in late April, I was surprised to step into an amazingly green, wet and expansive restored area, with chorus frogs chanting everywhere, invisibly.

A male and female sandhill crane, their gray bodies tinged brown, loafed by a brush pile while four more sandhills bugled overhead. A male bluebird zipped by, electrically blue against the dark branches of bur oak. A flicker called, and a woodpecker drummed in the distance.

This was Lyons Prairie and Marsh, unexpectedly throbbing with phenomenal numbers of flora and fauna. Marsh marigold, toothwort and rue anemone were blooming; May apples and trout lily were on the verge. Vast sedge meadows burst with tussock sedge and Joe Pye weed, and marshes answered with bulrush and cattail. A rookery was already filled with wetland birds — cormorants, egrets, great blue herons and black-crowned-night-herons.

A gradual yet truly amazing transformation has taken place here. When the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission dedicated Lyons in 1982, the area contained some of the highest quality wetlands remaining in Illinois. It also contained old cornfields, brush and disturbed woodlands left over from the Redmond Lyons farmstead and hunting preserve. In 1990, the McHenry County Conservation District (MCCD) implemented a careful plan of burning, cutting, brush clearing and herbiciding to remove aggressive invasives and open up habitat for natives to flourish. They left intact a spring feeding one of the sedge meadows and opened up an additional 180 acres of meadow. John Peters, restoration technician for the district, has guided the plan since 1993. His docket includes further restoration of the property's woodlands and drier uplands prairie.

With a rich array of 297 different plant species (276 of which are natives that depend exclusively on the types of habitats at Lyons) as well as 27 butterfly, 7 fish, 4 frog, 4 turtle, and 65 bird species, this area is a rare treasure, and a not-to-be-missed treat. Butterflies that might cross your path as you wander include the Baltimore checkerspot, Dion skipper, northern-eyed brown, mulberry wing and great spangled fritillary.

The entire prairie and marsh consists of 440 acres, 300 of those in the nature preserve. Located in the floodplain of the Fox River, most of the preserve is too wet and fragile for trails. But there is a floating boardwalk across the sedge meadow, and if you move quickly enough, you can avoid having your feet drenched. Crayfish mounds stud the area, and in the summer, cattails and bulrush abound.

There is also a wet-mesic prairie here, and restoration is currently underway. In August, big bluestem and Indian grass will be eight feet tall. Volunteer stewards lead groups that perform land management throughout the preserve, and more volunteers are welcome. Call the Conservation District at (815)338-6223.

The adjacent Hickory Grove Conservation Area has equestrian and hiking trails that run into the woodland section of Lyons Prairie and Marsh. This hillier land consists of glacial knolls, moraines and savanna islands of shagbark hickory, bur and white oaks.

MCCD education staff offer programs throughout the year. On July 18, join an evening stroll for families with children six years old and up, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Registration is required. Call Prairieview Education Center at (815) 479-5779. For more opportunities to explore and learn, visit the MCCD Web site, www.mccdistrict.org.

— Gail Goldberger