Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Palos Play Dates July 4, 2020: Ashburn Prairie

7/9/2020

Saturday July 4, Ashburn Prairie, Marquette Park
Joe went off the reservation on this day, going to Ashburn Prairie in Marquette Park, Chicago. This is a rescue/restoration Joe did many years ago, moving plugs of plants from a prairie in the Ashburn neighborhood that was being 'developed' (that's a word that sometimes can be a synonym for "destroyed") to a site in Marquette Park.

Volunteers cut gray dogwood and hawthorn that were encroaching on the prairie, on yet another in a succession of warm sunny days. Summer on the prairie is often a challenge due to the lack of shade, yet, much of the work that needs to be done in the summer is right there on those prairies.

Cap Sauers June 27, Hidden Pond June 28, 2020

7/2/2020

Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday June 27
First time out at Cap since the pandemic began and it's as lush and lovely as I remembered it. Our major target on this day was reed canary grass. We worked our way south and east along the green trail, snipping the seed heads along the way.

It's a shame we're not brush-cutting at this juncture. The multi-flora rose is in full bloom and screams its presence; you make a mental note to come and get it at a later date.

Hidden Pond Sunday June 28
More reed canary along Kean Avenue at Hidden Pond, but our major target was sweet clover, both white (Mellilotus alba) and yellow (M. officinale). They were mostly found near the sidewalk, while the reed canary was distributed more widely. Cyndi's collapsible yard waste containers were a boon, allowing us to easily deposit the 'bad guys' while limiting the dropping of seeds.

It was quite the warm and sunny morning and two hours was a good duration. We pulled a lot of weeds out in that time and felt we accomplished some good.

Spears Woods June 20, 2020

6/25/2020

Spears Woods Saturday June 20
This was my first time at Spears since the pandemic began, and it was good to be back. Our small group removed a variety of weeds, pulling butterweed and garlic mustard and snipping tops of reed canary grass as we encountered it.

For such a small group we hauled an impressive amount of weeds back to the parking lot. Much of it was the butterweed, a plant that is native to regions south of us but becomes problematic in our area. Like the catalpa tree, also historically found farther south, we may find ourselves battling this one more if we continue to see climate change. Curious to see how this plays out.

If Given Lemons...
Subtitled, good things arising out of the undeniably bad pandemic:

Filled gas tank just once since mid-March
Discovered Julie and I are probably compatible
Sleeping in - with the rationale that proper rest promotes a strong immune system
Riding bicycle more than I have in many years
More reading than in recent memory
Several weeks (long gone now) of blessedly light traffic in the neighborhood
Witnessing parents actively engaged with their kids (pretty much gone now too)
Even picked up the guitar a few times
Whittling away at the honey-do list

Willow Springs June 13, 2020

6/18/2020

Willow Springs Saturday June 13
We were again a small group, with three members carrying backpacks and spraying invasive weeds. The rest of us pulled garlic mustard and butterweed, and clipped the seed heads from reed canary grass. Great to see people I hadn't seen in many weeks.

Jim Carlson pointed out a catalpa tree, cut down two winters ago (probably January 2019), lying on the ground. In several places along its length, new growth was coming out of the bark. No roots, no way of getting nourishment from the ground, yet this tree was still fighting to stay alive. Quite impressive.

As summer arrives, both prairie and woodland are thriving, no doubt loving the abundance of rain that fell in May. There are fewer blooms in the woodland now that the spring ephemerals' time has passed, but the prairie is compensating nicely.

On a recent walk at Hidden Pond I saw numerous Ohio spiderworts and an absolute abundance of foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitals) in flower. Other plants spotted, not blooming yet, included two members of the Silphium genus, cup plant and prairie dock. The latter were especially numerous and should grace us with a splash of yellow later in the summer. Prairie dropseed looks like it's thriving in the lower part of the prairie.

Restoration in Palos, June 4, 2020

6/4/2020

Phase 3 Begins in the Preserves
Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) released new guidance under Illinois Phase 3 last week. The good news is that volunteers are allowed to resume restoration activities in our local preserves.

There are certainly limits, which we expected. Volunteer groups can't exceed than 10 people, including the steward/leader. We won't host any organized groups under Phase 3 or solicit new volunteers. The rationale is that having experienced volunteers limits the amount of face-to-face interaction needed to get the work started.

Workdays will be private, by invitation, so dates and locations won't be listed on the FPCC website, on this website, or in our weekly email. Volunteers interested in participating can contact me via this website's contact page or by email at janaugust@sbcglobal.net I will forward their names, contact info, and day preferences (weekday, Saturday, or Sunday) to our stewards.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own water and snacks, so we won't create a risk of virus transmission via shared food or beverages. Tools and gloves will be handled differently, to minimize risk. Workdays will initially be three hours, our standard, but may be adjusted.

There will still be no bathroom facilities open in the preserves. We were told a couple days ago that CDC pandemic guidelines call for bathrooms to be cleaned every two hours, which is not remotely possible in a setting like a forest preserve. If you're coming to volunteer please be aware of this.

Cicada Time
Apparently we have a brood of cicadas on a 13 year cycle, or maybe they are calendar-challenged. At any rate, a week ago we started seeing them in out yard, and I now have numerous exit holes in my small vegetable garden. A couple of our visitors are pictured below.

Palos Play Dates May 28: 11 Weeks In

5/27/2020

Last Weekend's Storms
Trails in our area took a severe beating from last weekend's rain. Try as they might, and FPCC puts a lot of work into mitigation of storm damage, sudden downpours in a hilly area like Palos move so much water so fast that damage is inevitable,

The vast majority of the plants survive. The vast majority of the trees survive, though the double whammy of saturated ground and high winds will knock some of them over. Erosion of soil is a huge problem; on bare areas there are no roots to retain it. Prudent restoration work can help.

As we near the end of May, it looks like our state is moving into a new phase. Without knowing what might happen in the restoration field, it is encouraging that we're making progress. I mentioned last week that Conservation Corps crews are at work now in the preserves. Eventually the volunteer program will get back on its feet again and I/we look forward to that day.

So let's keep on being safe, throttle that impulse to sprint when a slow jog is more suitable. As someone with a few marathons under my belt, I can tell you how important it is to have something left for the finish.

Palos Play Dates May 21, 2020: Graduation Edition

5/21/2020

May 21, 2020

By midweek we had surpassed record rain totals for the month of May for the third year in a row. Go Chicago, we're on a roll!

Much of that water ended up in our basement, courtesy of a failed egress window and an abysmal storm drain, last Sunday evening. We're doing all right; never lost power, were able to spend the night at home, and by 3:00 a.m. the bulk of the water was cleared by the three pumps we had running.

It HAS forced us to spend several days cleaning our basement, so I haven't been able to visit the preserves as I normally would. Here are pictures taken either in 2018 or 2019, within a week of today's date. When the cleanup is finished I will go look for this year's version. In the meantime, you get three pictures featuring wild ginger, with its bashful, understated flowers that shelter in place.

Palos Play Dates May 14, 2020

5/14/2020

Small Steps
Forest Preserves of Cook County is phasing in restoration activities for its adult, trained crews. Through April 30 their activities were deemed non-essential and they were grounded. Now they will be allowed to return.

Friends of the Forest Preserves crews resumed work with garlic mustard removal, I'm told. They will transition to other tasks, like herbiciding of invasive weeds. This is great news for the land; there was no way to make garlic mustard, reed canary, or others stay at home and they certainly benefited from the absence of both professional crews and volunteers.

Still no word on when volunteer group activities will be allowed, and I don't expect that to happen real soon. One need only look at daily news reports to know we're not over the hump yet.

Meanwhile nature continues to amaze. Our native plants also are flouting the stay-at-home orders, growing and thriving throughout the county. This despite a series of cold nights, rainy days, and overall conditions that don't appear conducive to plant growth.

Chance to Win Something?
That's right. We have a lightly-loved copy of Ansel Adams' "Our National Parks" which will be awarded to the first person who answers the question found within today's slideshow below.

Palos Play Dates May 7, 2020: Mothers Day Edition

5/7/2020

Spring Ephemerals
As the trees continue to leaf out and the canopy fills in, the spring ephemerals will fade. They're still putting on a vivid display, though, eagerly taking in the sun on my walk this morning.

In my weekly email I included a link to a talk on spring ephemerals by Chris Benda; I'm leaving the same link here, for anyone who got here other than via the email.

In the 17th edition of the IEC Lunch and Learn Series, IEC is joined by plant ecologist and IEC board member Chris Benda (aka the Illinois Botanizer) to discuss wildflowers and prairie habitats in Illinois. Click here

Diana Krug posted this on FB yesterday, and thought I'd share here for those who did not see it. Chris Benda has a wealth of knowledge about plants.

The "Don't We Already Have Enough to Think About?" Department
Maybe you've heard about the so-called murder hornet, Vespa mandarinia, an invasive species that has the potential to decimate honeybee populations if left unchecked. It's been the subject of numerous, breathless news reports. Well, there's at least a modicum of good news on this front. I've read that beekeepers can protect their hives by swatting the hornets with tennis rackets when they arrive to attack the honeybees.

Julie watched an hour-long presentation on Vespa mandarinia and heard no mention of the tennis racket control method so I can't vouch for the veracity of my source. It sure sounds interesting though.

Happy Mothers Day to all our moms, to all who nurture selflessly.

Palos Play Dates April 30: Restoration Vacation Week Seven

4/29/2020

April 30, 2020
Between rainfalls I've been able to get out a couple times. Finally the Virginia bluebells I've watched for weeks are starting to bloom. Perhaps they're timid and should be approached more gingerly?

A Year Ago Today - Beam-Suntory at Sundown Meadow
Since we don't have any recent work to report, I'm going to revisit last April 30. We had several sites scheduled to host a large corporate group, from Beam-Suntory. Two of the sites were in Palos, while one, Sundown Meadow, was in Countryside. Rainfall led to both of the Palos sites canceling, so both of those groups came instead to Sundown. All told we had more than 85 volunteers!

We'd never plan for a group that large; 25 is a much more manageable number. With a huge assist from FPCC staff (Volunteer Resources and Little Red Schoolhouse) we made it work. Included is a picture because the crazy days are often the best ones.

Virtual Trek to Andrews Glacier & Andrews Tarn, Rocky Mountain National Park
In September 2012 I drove to my favorite destination, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. It's a day-hiker's dream, with a fantastic assortment of trails within a relatively contained space. The scenery is off-the-charts.

Upon my arrival on September 12 snow was falling in the mountains, and I immediately drove as high on Trail Ridge Road as was allowed. Snow at any time thrills my soul - in September it's sheer ecstasy!

Several days later I hiked to what one writer describes as "a vanishing species - the North American glacier." A fairly strenuous trek, but well worth the effort. The first stretch of trail takes you past the lovely Alberta Falls to the equally striking alpine lake called The Loch.

Several trail junctions and much rock-hopping and route-finding bring you above treeline and eventually to the cirque terminating at Andrews Glacier and Tarn (Lake). The top of the glacier borders the Continental Divide - if you look closely at the photos you can see tracks winding through the snow. Not my tracks, I wasn't equipped for snow travel and opted for prudence.

Instead I just hung out a while, enjoying the view and the solitude. Over a span of three hours I only saw two people, were heading down while I was still on my way up. This was one of the more memorable hikes I've done over my multi-year fascination with the mountains.

As I arrived in Illinois, remnants of Hurricane Ike were moving through the state. Julie was, at the same time, returning from her parents' house in Arkansas, and she essentially was chased north by the winds and squalls. The last couple photos below are from Starved Rock, with the Illinois River well over its banks. Nature in multiple manifestations, in the matter of a few days.