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Ecologist Walk July 23, Black Partridge Woods July 24, 2024

7/28/2022

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Paw Paw Woods Ecologist Walk, Saturday July 23
Kristin Pink led a large group on this walk, emphasizing the rich mix of native shrubs found at Paw Paw. What's most notable about Kristin? Her abundance of passion for her work and for the land she helps manage.

We saw a number of those shrubs, learned some ID tips, heard about the history of the site and land management practices,  and got some hill climbing practice at the same time. One walker from outside Palos (a flat-lander) spoke a day or two later of muscle soreness from navigating the terrain.

Our walk was cut short due to nearby thunder and lightning, but we saw enough the whet the appetite for more. Paw Paw is a truly beautiful place and well worth the effort.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday July 24
We were quite the small group on this Sunday afternoon, pulling white sweet clover and snipping teasel near Bluff Road. We cleared the area where we began, near Goose Lake, then moved west to a pasture where we composted several bags of weeds.

We cut some teasel there, didn't even attempt to tackle the large infestation of melilotus (sweet clover). It was big and tall and insanely thick; we'd have needed forty people, maybe more, to clear that in the time we had left. So that will wait for another day, perhaps another strategy. Meanwhile, we got some good work done and saw numerous pollinators feasting on nectar plants in our work area.

Walkin' in the Rain
An hour after last Sunday's walk at Little Red Schoolhouse was canceled in a downpour, I made my way to Swallow Cliff. The rain was just a drizzle now (of course!) and the preserve was deserted.

Rain's aftermath is a fine time for plant photography; every surface glows with moisture and tiny droplets grace every picture. Simply beautiful!

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Cap Sauers Holding, Swallow Cliff Walk July 16, 2022

7/21/2022

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Cap Sauers Holding July 16, 2022
We were a small group, relocating near the junction of Ford Road and Will Cook Road where steward Margaret found an active population of Canada thistle. This was a largely overcast day, and relatively cool, making for a better time working in a spot with limited shade.

Some of the thistle was concentrated in small patches, though I suspect volunteers ranged farther afield once that low-hanging fruit was dealt with. Thanks to all who came, including first-time Palos volunteer Brea.

Trailblazers Walk at Swallow Cliff, Saturday July 16
Walk leader Bruce did another fine job, taking us from Forty Acres Woods through part of McClaughrey Springs, then on to Swallow Cliff. We had a big group, and a good time! Bruce has diverse interests; his opening remarks included a little geology, some meteorology, and Leave No Trace principles, all before we left the parking lot.

We also witnessed some of the  numerous signs of high usage around the site. Once-narrow footpaths have, in some places, become six feet wide or more. It's a huge burden on the land, increasing erosion of a rare soil type, Lemont drift, that, once gone, is irretrievable.

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McMahon Woods & Fen July 9, 2022

7/14/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday July 9
Unable to make this one myself, will rely primarily on pictures from Doug Bosco's FB post. It was another assault on white sweetclover (Melilotus alba) on the prairie at McMahon, a continuation of the prior Saturday's effort. The recent drought-like conditions (officially our area is "abnormally dry", one step better than the moderate drought affecting areas to our south and west) make our work tougher since the plants are harder to uproot from dry soil.

I've talked about melilotus in the past. It is a tenacious foe, a prolific seeder that, unlike many non-natives which can be controlled by prescribed fire, has seeds that seems to respond enthusiastically (by germinating) when a field is burned. It's been known to persist in fields that have been burned annually for ten years. Very tough, which is why we're typically back at McMahon a couple times or more, each year. Click here for a deep dive into this plant.

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McMahon Woods July 2, McClaughrey Springs July 3, 2022

7/6/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday July 2
We came looking for white sweet clover and found more than we bargained for. Despite a dozen or so hard-working volunteers, we were only able to make inroads into a pretty large stretch of the plant. So we'll be back there again this Saturday; not the first time we've had multiple July visits to this site.

On a more positive note, many of the summer natives are starting to bloom. We saw wild bergamot, butterfly milkweed, desmodium (tick trefoil) and others. There will be much more coming down the pike as summer advances, reason enough to put serious effort into invasive removal. Setting the table for our lovely native species!

In addition to our volunteers, we had Erin, Evelyn, Jim and Wyatt from FPCC's Palos crew, with all but Jim returning Sunday (Jim was on other duty that day).

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday July 3
Sunday's primary focus was dame's rocket, through we found a surprising (to me) amount of garlic mustard still standing. Both are well past flowering so it takes a few minutes to get the eyes to focus on the distinctive seed pods (siliques) for ID purposes.


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    Author

    I'm Jan Pietrzak with the Palos Restoration Project. This blog and website were created for your information and enjoyment.

    I hope you'll be encouraged and inspired to volunteer at any of the numerous forest preserves in our area.

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