Severson Dells

Come experience the north central Illinois landscape. Walk where flowers carpet the forest floor and birds fill the air. Develop a greater appreciation and understanding of our natural heritage. Severson Dells Nature Center and the Natural Land Institute are the organizing agencies of the event, with the following groups providing leaders from their organizations: Boone County Conservation District, Rockford Park District, Sand Bluff Bird Observatory, Sinnissippi Audubon Society, and Wild Ones.

All walks begin at 6:00 p.m.

This is a brief synopsis of each walkabout. Click here to download detailed descriptions of the walks.

April 16, Wednesday- Kinnikinnick Creek Conservation AreaM, hunt for early spring wildflowers of the hardwood forest.

April 24, Thursday - Rockton Bog Nature Preserve, sedge meadow, prairie and open sand forest. See blue-joint grass, sensitive fern and rushes. Various shrubs such as bridal wreath, prairie willow, dwarf birch and black chokecherry

April 30, Wednesday - Burr Oak Valley, oak woodland with three small hilltop prairies. blue-eyed grass, columbine, maidenhair fern, and rare kittentails.

May 8, Thursday - Beach Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve. 4-acre dry hill prairie with one of the best displays of shooting stars in northern Illinois

May 14, Wednesday - Colored Sands Forest Preserve. Flowers and grasses unique to dry sand prairies, which once dominated the area but now are very rare

May 22, Thursday - Howard D. Colman Dells Nature Preserve, any unique plants restricted to limestone and dolomite outcrops; upland woods wildflowers among Winnebago County’s best.

May 28, Wednesday - Searls Prairie Nature Preserve, among highest quality wet prairies in Illinois, prairie dropseed, Indian grass, big bluestem and little bluestem grow.

June 5, Thursday - Stone Bridge Nature Trail, great prairie pocks along abandoned Chicago Northwestern Railroad line, big and Little Bluestem, Indian grass, Compass Plant and other dry gravel prairie plants.

June 11, Wednesday - Pecatonica Ridge Prairie. upland prairie with prairie smoke, leadplant, birdsfoot violet and New Jersey tea.