Winter 1998

[TEXT ARCHIVE WEB-PUBLISHED AUGUST 2001.
ORIGINAL PRINT PUBLICATION DATE: WINTER 1998.]

Natural Events

Here's what's debuting this season
on nature's stage in Chicago Wilderness

By Sheryl De Vore

FEBRUARY

Dark-mantled gulls winter near lakes.
The great black-backed and lesser black-backed gulls can be observed wintering here and even seen into the spring. Bring a bird guide and a spotting scope to these places to look for different gulls.

Lake Calumet area (Cook County). To reach this prime gull-watching spot in the southeast section of Chicago, begin at Stony Island Ave. just north of the closed incinerator plant. Also, check the bridges that cross the Calumet River at 100th, 106th, and 130th streets. The O'Brien Lock and Dam off 130th Street is also another good gull-watching area.

Mallard Lake Forest Preserve (DuPage County). This 928-acre lake is off Lawrence Ave. in Bloomingdale, south of Rte. 20 and north of Shick Rd.

Buds are set on shagbark and bitternut hickory trees.
Though the leaves are gone, you can learn to identify trees by their characteristic buds and bark. The shagbark hickory has a shaggy bark and a 1Ž2 to 1-inch long pointed brown bud with two-to-four overlapping, loose-fitting scales. The bitternut hickory, usually a slender tree with a crown of stiff ascending branches, wider at the top, has a strikingly sulfur-yellow bud.

Hickory Grove (McHenry County). At the intersection of Routes 176 and 31 in Crystal Lake, head south on 31 to Crystal Lake Ave., east to South Rawson Bridge Rd., then north to Hickory Nut Grove Lane. Turn right to the entrance.

McDowell Grove Forest Preserve (DuPage County). The entrance is at the intersection of Raymond Rd. and McDowell Grove Rd., one mile north of Ogden Ave. in Naperville.

Wintering ducks begin pair bonding in open water.
In mid-winter, ducks (such as the bufflehead) begin to establish pair bonding. You might observe the black-and-white hued bufflehead male dramatically throwing his head back to drive away other males and invite females for a closer look.

North Point Marina near Spring Bluff Forest Preserve (Lake County, IL). Just south of the Wisconsin border. Take Sheridan Rd. north to Ninth Street head east and park in the marina lot. Walk to Lake Michigan.

Montrose Beach and other sites along the Lake Michigan shoreline (Cook County). From Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, exit at Montrose and continue east to the bait shop. Turn right, park and walk to the lake.

MARCH

Skunk cabbage emerges near river backwaters and other wet areas.
Sometime near the vernal equinox on March 22nd, the skunk cabbage peeks through the wet forest floor. This plant's leaves smell as if a skunk had been disturbed, hence its name. Look now for the buds of several basal leaves surrounding green hooded flowers that last from early March to early May. Later in summer, discover the huge cabbage-like leaves.

Fox River Shores Forest Preserve (Kane County). Located west of Carpentersville, off Rte. 3 (north of Rte. 25, and south of Rte. 62).

Black Partridge Woods Nature Preserve (Cook County). From Lemont, take Lemont Rd. north across the Des Plaines River to 11th Street or Bluff Rd. Go west one mile to the entrance.

Squirrels enjoy maple sap icicles. Humans can enjoy maple syrup time, too.
In a gravity-defying feat, sap begins flowing upwards from tree roots to begin spring renewal. Sap provides the nutrition needed for buds to uncurl into leaves and begin producing food. Maple tree sap is particularly tasty because of its sugar content; oak sap contains tannic acid, making it bitter.

Call any Forest Preserve District or Nature Center for information on maple syrup festivals.

First spring greenery of the woodland floor appears.
Look for bunches of broad green leaves emerging from the ground. Behold, the wild leek. Rub the leaves on your fingers, then smell the mild onion-like aroma.

MacArthur Woods (Lake County, IL). Park at the canoe launch on the east side of Rte. 60, just south of Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville. Walk back north underneath the bridge into MacArthur Woods.

Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve (Will County). From Rte. 50 and Crete-Monee Rd. near Monee, take Rte. 50 south 1.7 miles to Pauling Rd. Turn east to the entrance.

APRIL

Bloodroot blooms in rich, moist woods.
In late March and early April, look for three-inch heart-shaped leaves with a white flower bearing up to 15 petals, each about an inch long. If you broke off a stem or root, a blood red liquid would emerge, thus its name.

Busse Woods Forest Nature Preserve (Cook County). From Elk Grove Village, at Higgins Rd. and Arlington Heights Rd., take Higgins west .6 mile. Turn north on the forest preserve rd. The preserve is west of the road, east of Salt Creek and south of the Northwest Tollway (I-90).

Norris Nature Preserve (Kane County). In St. Charles, at Rte.s 64 and 25, go north on Rte. 25 to preserve entrance.

Salamanders emerge from little holes in the ground.
The secretive salamander, which grows to about six inches long, looks like a lizard, but is actually an amphibian. In spring, salamanders awaken from their winter hibernation and migrate to breeding ponds. The best way to see salamanders in the wild is to take a flashlight, put on some rubber boots, and visit a pond on a rainy spring night.

Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve (Will County). Note: This preserve is open to the public on weekends only. From Braidwood, at Highways 53 and 113, take Highway 113 southeast about a mile. The preserve is on the south side of the road Tiger salamanders have been observed here.

Elm Road Woods (Lake County, IL). From Rte. 22 (Half Day Rd.) in Lincolnshire, take Elm Rd. north to Tamarack School. Park there and walk to the woods. Blue-spotted salamanders have been seen here.

American woodcocks dance for their mates.
When it is nearly dark and the robins and red-winged blackbirds have stopped singing, the male woodock begins to court females in an unusual and breathtaking display. First he utters "peent" several times from an open area on the ground. Next, he flies high into the sky, then twitters his wings as he spirals back to his starting place to begin the ritual all over again. "Peent."

Spring Bluff Forest Preserve (Lake County). Just south of the Wisconsin border. Take Sheridan Rd. north to Ninth Street, head east and park in the marina lot. Walk along the road at dusk and listen for sounds of the woodcock.

Wolf Rd. Prairie (Cook County). Wolf Rd. at 31st St. in Westchester. Park on the north side of 31st west of Wolf.