Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Spears Woods October 5, McClaughrey Springs October 6, 2019

10/9/2019

Spears Woods Saturday October 5
We cut brush along the back side of Boomerang Slough Saturday - when we started the water was not discernible from our vantage point.Honeysuckle, bittersweet, viburnum, multi-flora rose, we had plenty to choose from. Even a balky chainsaw didn't prevent our clearing a decent stretch along the shoreline.

Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Kenneth, from Whitney Young HS, and dad Scott. Is this the start of another round of Whitney Young bio students? Sure hope so...

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday October 6
Our numbers were increased by a couple of scouts with parents as Diana and company cut and burned honeysuckle. While I missed this one - off at Little Red Schoolhouse (see below), this was an absolute perfect day to spend outdoors.

Little Red Schoolhouse Arts & Crafts Fair Sunday October 6
This was the 54th edition of this event We encountered some old friends and supporters and hope we made some new ones. Such a beautiful day!

Big thanks to Dave Branigan, Maureen Neidle, and Kathy Bruch for helping, and to Margaret Tobin for driving over to do the same.

Paddock Woods September 29, 2019

10/3/2019

Paddock Woods Saturday September 29
Ten people in a parking lot, slipping into ponchos and other rain gear; not an auspicious start to a morning in the preserves. Neither is the squishing sound made by boots traversing the grassy stretch immediately west of the lot.

It got better after that. Our work site was a bit above surrounding ground so it wasn't terribly wet. We got a fire started though it took quite a while - think soggy everything - and even longer to get it hot enough to burn all the brush we cut, but we eventually did. One small patch of honeysuckle gone, one small step forward!

We had no choice but to cancel our Sunday session at Swallow Cliff Woods - the rain resumed Saturday night and through much of Sunday morning. On October 27 we'll be back at Swallow Cliff.

Cap Sauers September 21, Black Partridge September 22, 2019

9/26/2019

Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday September 21
Our volunteers cleared and burned a load of invasive brush, including some terrible tangles, at Cap Sauers on a morning that was overcast and humid but cooperated by not raining on them.

I could not attend this one, was told they did some quality work here.

Black Partridge Woods September 22
We expected a deluge; instead saw a light rain that allowed a couple hours of seed collecting. We took Canada rye from the established areas and spread it farther back, where the last major brush removal was done last year.

We also had five first-time Palos volunteers - thank you Julia and Amy, Matt, Brianna and Katie! Great having y'all out with us!

Fungus Time
September rains have been kind to the fungi. See below...

Willow Springs Woods September 14, Palos Picnic September 15, 2019

9/18/2019

Willow Springs Woods Saturday September 14
Doug with a brushcutter, Jim with his chainsaw, the rest of us lopping and bowsawing and dragging brush to the fire! We had another productive morning clearing honeysuckly, bucktorn, and way too much bittersweet. Should I note that ANY bittersweet is way too much?

Lots of good things happening at Willow Springs Woods; next month we're hosting a walk there to show and tell residents the story of restoration in our local preserves.

Palos Picnic Sunday September 15
When the last thing you pack for a picnic is a rain jacket, that's uncertain weather. The threat of rain was soon forgotten, though, as the sun broke through and treated us to a glorious late-summer afternoon.

Great turnout, an abundance of good food, a violinist (thanks, Jei!), even a bubble machine. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who shared a portion of their day with us.

Paddock Woods Tuesday September 17
Collecting seed at Paddock with several volunteers (thanks John, Jim, Dave) and the Palos Conservation Corps, my favorite crew. We found at least two kinds of desmodium, some grasses, and many more. Ten people gathered a considerable amount of seed which will fill in spots recently cleared of invasive brush.

Willow Springs Woods September 7 2019

9/11/2019

Willow Springs Woods Saturday September 7
Brushcutting was the order of the day, with honeysuckle as the primary target. Willow Springs Woods, the beneficiary of contract brush-mowing projects recently, is opening up more and more. It's now possible to cross areas that would have been near-impassable a year ago.

Our workday at McClaughrey Springs on Sunday was canceled due to rain - we're making up for it this week with a variety of activities - see below or go to our 'Schedule' page for details.

Brush-cutting: Saturday September 14 at Willow Springs Woods, 9 a.m. - noon

Brush-cutting and/or seed collecting: Sunday September 15, Hidden Pond Woods, 9 a.m. - noon

Annual Palos Picnic: Sunday September 15, Country Lane Woods, 1-5 p.m. We'll supply the burgers and beverages, guests are asked to bring a dish to share.

Seed collecting: Paddock Woods on Tuesday September 17, 9 a.m. - noon

Nature Walk with Palos Park Public Library- Thursday September 19, Spears Woods, 10 - 11 a.m.

Paddock Woods August 31, Cap Sauers Holding September 1, Spears Woods September 3, 2019

9/5/2019

Paddock Woods Saturday August 31
We cut honeysuckle in an area within the trail loop, finding (and eliminating) a distressingly large thicket of the stuff. Doug went gonzo with the brushcutter while Jim used his chainsaw to good effect.

We saw this dazzling green caterpillar which Dave Branigan identified as a polyphemus moth caterpillar - I have a picture of the moth he will become, taken in Princeton IL a couple years ago, hiding somewhere on my hard drive. Check the caterpillar picture below, he's a beauty!

Cap Sauers Holding Sunday September 1
We had a small crew for this one so Bob decided to collect seed. Mostly bottlebrush grass, the one seed that was consistently ripe and ready. Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Luke and John for joining us!

Spears Woods Tuesday September 3
Rain put a literal damper on this one, rain that came a couple hours ahead of the forecast I heard. We still went out to the prairie and collected, going after one sedge species which offered some ripe seed heads. I also got to see my first obedient plant blooms of the year, always a treat!

That's the payoff from our regular forays into the preserves - you're never certain what you'll see, only that it will vary by date and by location. Always another surprise!

Pioneer August 24, Swallow Cliff August 25, Seed Workshop August 25, 2019

8/26/2019

Pioneer Woods Saturday August 24
Recently FPCC reopened the Tuma Lake parking lot and cleared brush in the vicinity. Our volunteers went there on Saturday to continue the work, focusing on weed control. I'm told they found (and pulled) a lot of white sweet clover around the lake, and two members carried backpack sprayers and dealt with other invasives.

Seed Collection Workshop Sunday August 25
We started with an indoor session at Sagawau then moved to Spears Woods for the outdoor component to the class. We had a big group (ja, XXVII) coming from all around the county. Some, like me, were relative newcomers to seed collecting, while others were old pros.

A huge thank-you to Eileen Sutter from the North Branch (Watersmeet Woods) Joe Neumann from Palos (too many to list), and Becky Collings, head ecologist from Forest Preserves of Cook County for sharing from their voluminous store of knowledge, also to Cyndi Duda who helped facilitate.

There's been much contract work done in our region in the past couple years, meaning we now have large open areas in need of seed. Joe plans on holding some seed collection Tuesdays in coming weeks - if this appeals to you look at our weekly email (or calendar page on this website) for dates and locations. It's another great way to get involved.

Swallow Cliff Sunday August 25
After our seed workshop a couple of us, including one first-time Palos volunteer - Welcome, Jordan! - walked the south trail loop at Swallow Cliff looking for ripe seed. We found some bottlebrush grass, a wetland rush, and a couple others that were ready to go.

Old Friends
On Tuesday I went to my usual workday at Sundown and was pleasantly surprised to see past volunteer Steve Kirkilas. Steve volunteered in Palos, and all over the county, since 2017, then moved to Seward, Alaska to take a new job about a year ago.. Back in town for a visit with family, he found time to join us for buckthorn clearing at Sundown.

Interestingly, he said he can't find any volunteer habitat restoration activities like ours in his part of Alaska. Apparently natural areas there are relatively unspoiled, a problem that many of us might like but won't likely get. Unless we move to Seward AK?

Cap Sauers Moraines August 17, Black Partridge August 18, 2019

8/22/2019

Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday August 17
We had a small group at Cap Sauers Saturday, collecting bottlebrush grass and enjoying a variety of other plants. It was good until the rain moved in and everyone had to beat it back to the cars. Thanks to Doug Bosco for the pictures from this day.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday August 18
Sunday's team split into two groups; some stayed in the woodland collecting seed while others crossed to the prairie to cut teasel where we got soaked a month ago. Thanks to Kathy Bruch for her account of this day and the great spider picture seen below.

Road Trip
I missed the above activities while visiting in-laws in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Driving Ozark country is always a delight, but heat indices high as 109 killed any notions of active outdoor play. We witnessed an impressive thunderstorm our last night in town, coming up quickly, dropping the temp by 20 degrees or more and dumping many buckets of rain in a very short time.

Pioneer Woods August 10, Hidden Pond August 11, 2019

8/14/2019

Pioneer Woods Saturday August 10
We wandered along Old Country Lane, searching for Japanese hedge parsley again, and finding a) enough to justify our time b)too much to feel we've got a handle on it. Time will tell, perhaps next year we won't see as much.

Instant gratification and restoration work are antithetical to one another. If you like to see results RIGHT NOW you may get frustrated in this field. It's more like Eventual Gratification.

Hidden Pond Sunday August 11
Rain started falling around 7 a.m.; though it stopped before 9 we had a small turnout. We still managed to remove all the giant ragweed we could find along Kean Avenue by the prairie, and also hit some teasel and sweet clover wherever spotted. The giant ragweed is really annoying me, always on the edge and so tall it screens the view into whatever site it invades.

A good morning, capped off with brownies and coffee cake in the shade.

Spears Woods August 3, 2019

8/7/2019

Spears Woods Saturday August 3
Japanese hedge parsley has really established a foothold along La Grange Road at Spears, and Saturday we tried to do something about it. We walked the roadside with trash bags, uprooting the plants (when possible), otherwise breaking them off close to the ground.

We carried multiple bags out by quitting time, with other invasives like Canada thistle and white sweet clover mixed in. I suspect we'll be back there next year doing more of the same. Thanks to all who helped on a warm sunny morning.

Willow Fest 2019
This is Willow Spring's summer festival, starting tonight and running through Sunday August 11. Last year we had a table there; this year we do not, but Forest Preserves of Cook County does and Dave and Kathy Branigan will join them as Nature Ambassadors, .

Hours Thursday and Friday are 4 - 10 p.m. Satuday noon - 11 p.m., Sunday noon - 10 p.m. If you're in the area stop by, it's a good time.