2012 Wildflower Walkabout – Explore North Central Illinois
Co-Sponsored by: Severson Dells Nature Center and Natural Land Institute
No fee for the walks, but membership in SDNC and/or NLI is encouraged!
SDNC: 815/335-2915
NLI: 815/964-6666
Come experience the north central Illinois landscape. Walk where flowers carpet the forest floor and birds fill the air. Severson Dells Nature Center and the Natural Land Institute are the organizing agencies of the event, with local groups providing leaders from their organizations. All walks begin at 6:00 p.m.
April 25, Wednesday – Deer Run Forest Preserve.
Don Miller of Severson Dells Nature Center will lead this awesome spring walk. The trail meanders with the river through a very rich floodplain forest. We are trying to time the walk so that the bluebells will be in full bloom and the rue anemones fill in-between. There are numerous spots where one can walk down to the river’s edge and explore the tracks in the dirt and sand. Great bird life can be seen from eagles, ospreys, great blue and green herons to numerous warblers and other songbirds in the spring. We’ll take our time on this one and we’ll take it all in. Easy walking.
May 3, Thursday – Howard D. Colman Dells Nature Preserve.
Greg Keilback of the Natural Land Institute will lead this hike on this property owned and managed by NLI. This 55-acre nature preserve is located along Hall Creek, southwest of Rockford. One of the attractive features of this preserve is a series of cliffs known as the dells. Many unique plants restricted to limestone and dolomite outcrops are found here, as well as some northern relict plants. The floral display in the upland woods is one of the best in Winnebago County. Aldo Leopold and Paul Riis conducted some early deer studies in this preserve in the mid 1930′s. Moderate-difficult hiking.
May 9, Wednesday – Rock Cut State Park.
Meet Dan Riggs, Rock Cut Site Superintendent, at the West Lake picnic area, just west of the concessions and near the dam, to walk through the Willow Creek site. We will explore early riparian vegetation, such as Virginia waterleaf, trout lily and Mayapple, along Willow Creek and open woodlands. Wildlife species in the park include 33 species of mammals such as red and gray fox and flying squirrel. More than 30 species of summer resident birds are also known in the area. Several of the birds are forest sensitive species that require large contiguous areas of woodland habitat for nesting. The yellow-billed cuckoo, wood thrush and Kentucky warbler are just a few examples. Moderate hiking.
May 17, Thursday – Pecatonica River Woodlands.
Jerry Paulson of the Natural Land Institute will lead us through a bottomland forest along the Pecatonica River. NLI acquired this 142-acre tract, dominated by walnut, oak and ash trees, in 2010. More than 100 species of birds have been spotted here, including four endangered and threatened species. Bluebells should still be in bloom as well as blue-eyed Marys.
Because there is little parking, this walk will be limited to 30.
Please make your reservation by calling NLI at 815/964-6666.
Moderate hiking.
May 23, Wednesday – Colored Sands Forest Preserve.
Join Sand Bluff Bird Observatory’s naturalists Lee and Lynda Johnson for a tour of the beautiful sand country at Colored Sands Bluff Nature Preserve. The vegetation is unique to dry sand prairies, which once dominated the area but now are very rare. This easy level walk will be a great hike for beginners as well as the experienced. Bring a wildflower book, binoculars, and bug spray. Hiking will be easy to moderate.
May 31, Thursday – Piscasaw Fen Conservation Area.
Join volunteer Brian Hale on a hunt for spring wildflowers in the fen and oak savanna habitats of the Piscasaw Fen Conservation Area. Participants will also see the habitat restoration that is in process at this new Boone County Conservation District site. The Piscasaw Fen Area is located at the south end of Norris Lane. Norris Lane runs south off of Edison Road. Edison Road is just south and east of the Village of Poplar Grove. Easy hiking.
June 6, Wednesday – Barrick Oaks Homestead Preserve.
Richie Wolf from Byron Forest Preserve will lead this walk. Meet near the corner of Tower Road and Oak Grove Road in Byron. Barrick Oaks Homestead Preserve has 250 acres of pastured woodlands and stream ecosytems. Byron Forest Preserve purchased the site in 2010 from one of the oldest settler families in Byron. Red-headed woodpeckers have been seen here. We can expect to encounter a variety of stream edge wildflowers like marsh marigold and buttercup. Easy hiking.
June 14, Thursday – Harlem Hills Nature Preserve.
Gary and Judy Anderson will offer their guidance on this visit to Harlem Hills Prairie. If the season is progressing typically, the hills should be filled with thousands of shooting stars. The pale purple coneflowers should be almost ready to explode into bloom as well. Always a great place to see a sunset. Easy hiking.
June 20, Wednesday – Searls Prairie Nature Preserve.
Jack Armstrong, Rockford Park District board president and Nathan Hill, Rockford Park District staff, will take us on this hike to Searls Prairie, owned by the Rockford Park District. It is dominated by mesic and wet-mesic prairie where prairie dropseed, Indian grass, big bluestem and little bluestem grow. The site is one of the highest quality wet prairies in the state. Easy hiking, but the area may be wet.
June 28, Thursday – Kieselburg Forest Preserve.
Potluck walkabout gathering at Black Willow Shelterhouse, followed by a group-led field trip to discover the natural beauties of native prairie remnants and restorations of North Central Illinois. Kieselburg has a great prairie and sedge meadow to explore and the butterflies will be awesome as well. Hiking will be moderate.