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McClaughrey Springs September 25, Swallow Cliff September 26, 2021

9/27/2021

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McClaughrey Springs, Saturday September 25
I must begin by saying what a glorious weekend it was to be outside in the woods! Both Saturday and Sunday were pleasant, sunny, not too warm, and totally lovely. On Saturday we were joined by 20+ volunteers from SWIFT (Southwest Interfaith Team) who did a terrific job. We cut and burned near Kean Ave. and Mill Creek, and had three fires going to dispose of all the cut brush.

Our thanks go both to the SWIFT group and to the group of regular volunteers who assisted and helped make this day such a success.

Swallow Cliff South Sunday September 26
We had two activities going Sunday. Most of the group cut brush, going after stray honeysuckles inside the loop trail in the South woods. This is something we've talked about doing for a couple years, happy to get it done. Though we were cutting and dropping, with no fire, we cleared one thicket that could almost warrant a brush pile burn

At the same time, a couple of volunteers collected seed in the same area, getting a goodly amount of Joe Pye, bottlebrush grass, and several others. We even got a small amount of spikenard seed that John Marlin found.

Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Curtis and Ryan, and to all present, for a good day!

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Cap Sauers September 18, Black Partridge September 19, 2021

9/23/2021

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Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday September 18
Last weekend remained warm and sticky, and we had small groups for both our Saturday and Sunday sessions. Margaret cut brush on Saturday, her efforts bolstered by the presence of the Palos Resource Management crew. Thank you Brendon, Erin, and Jim for your help.

It was a brush-cutting day complicated by a lot of Oriental bittersweet vine, a nasty invasive plant that's become as ubiquitous as Amazon delivery vans in recent years. This vine not only girdles and can kill a tree, it moves from branch to branch tying everything together and forcing much hacking to separate the pieces and get them to the fire.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday September 19
Too warm Sunday for strenuous work, so John chose to collect seed from the woodland to scatter across the street, in an area that was pasture land for the dairy farm in a previous life.

We collected bottlebrush grass, wild Canada rye, and small amounts of whatever forbs we could find, then crossed the street and distributed it. I'm hoping some of that seed will sprout and compete with the mass of white snakeroot that has taken hold there. Much thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Randy for joining us in this effort.

Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes has been an occasional day trip for years. Tuesday we made our first visit since the area acquired national park status, drawn by the forecast of high winds and big waves. Both were found in abundance and an impressive bank of clouds hung over the lake, not so low as to obscure a good look at the Chicago skyline to the northwest.

Leaving home, we drove through a downpour, and Julie warned me she wasn't getting out of the car to be rained on. Divine intervention? As we crossed the state line we could see traces of blue sky to the east, and once we got past Indianapolis Blvd.
the rain stopped. Such a beautiful place, Indiana Dunes. Got to get there more often.
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Paddock Woods September 11, Hidden Pond September 12, 2021

9/16/2021

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Paddock Woods Saturday September 11
I missed most of this one due to our nature walk (below), managed to get an hour of dragging in at the end of the day. It was warm by then, and strenuous, moving along the side of a ravine where most of the targets were located. A tip of the cap to the hardy group who worked the entire session. The area opened up nicely, and Doug got in his first licks with the brush-cutter in several months. I think he was happy.

Spears Woods Nature Walk Saturday September 11
We had about a dozen walkers from Palos Park Library on our tour of Spears. If a bit warm for burning brush, it was ideal for an easy stroll through Spears, with a soothing breeze and lots of shade along the trail. The site cooperated, putting on a beautiful show of color featuring vibrant yellows of goldenrod and sawtooth sunflower, the subtler tones of prairie grasses, and an assortment of asters along the way.

Our final walks of the year will be Saturday October 16 at Cap Sauers, meeting at Teason's Woods, and Saturday November 13 at Sagawau ELC. Both start at 10:00 am and will be noted on our calendar and in my weekly email.

Hidden Pond Sunday September 12
On another warm, sunny morning, we focused mostly on seed collection, though Joy was brimming with energy and took down a few weedy trees that infiltrated the prairie. We were within the (small) window when prairie dropseed has not yet dropped its seed, so we collected some of that, along with big bluestem, Indian grass, monarda, wild quinine, and rattlesnake master. We were unable to find any liatris, though it's been there in past years, and no coneflowers to speak of. We'll have another shot in October, when we plan a hybrid workday with some seed collecting and some brush-cutting.

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Paw Paw September 4, McClaughrey Springs September 5, 2021

9/9/2021

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Paw Paw Woods Saturday September 4
Our first burn pile of the season was located just a few paces from the shore of Maple Lake, where we cleared brush in an area where we thinned trees several years ago. While there were quite a few invasive plants needing removal we also had some pleasant finds like an abundance of Smilax and a small clump of the native Eastern wahoo (gotta love that name!)

McClaughrey Springs Sunday September 5
We had close to a dozen volunteers on Sunday, including Palos first-timer Frank. We worked along a slope rising above Mill Creek, in close proximity to water as on the preceding day. With one chainsaw and one brush-cutter running, and great energy from all the volunteers, we opened up a large space and burned it all on two brush piles.



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Willow Springs August 28, Swallow Cliff August 29, 2021

9/2/2021

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Willow Springs Woods Saturday August 28
This was a day of light brush-cutting, which was the best we could muster on another warm, humid August morn.  The mosquitoes were active as well, forcing frequent applications of repellent. Other than that it was a blast, with frequent mushroom sightings and a trek along a drainage where great blue lobelia was spotted.

One of the picnic shelters hosted a church group, and their songs drifted far enough to enhance our enjoyment of the morning. Far more soothing than the music you usually hear in a picnic grove.

Swallow Cliff South Sunday August 29
When I arrived at Sunday morning the northern sky was overcast, and a trace of a rainbow was nestled between two of the white pines nearby. Then rumbles of thunder sounded, followed by light rain.

Our other volunteers all came from north of 95th Street and experienced heavy rain along the way. Bless 'em, they kept driving, undeterred, and by the time we hit the trail  the rain had stopped. Apparently the storm passed just north of us, so we got our time in without further threat.

We collected seed from a couple woodland grasses, Joe Pye Weed, and several other natives that were ripe. Many more weren't ready yet, so we'll return in September for another seed day. We've had significant contract work in two sectors of the south woods that may benefit from some of that seed. Much gratitude to Kris DaPra of VRC for her assist on this day.

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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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