All Categories - Palos Restoration Project

McMahon August 23, 2025

8/28/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday August 23
Perhaps the toughest of invasive plants in McMahon is Asian bittersweet (though white sweet clover on the prairie makes a strong case too). The bittersweet vines are a terrible trip hazard, and if you cross the woodlands regularly, you've likely been grabbed by the ankles on numerous occasions.

Last Saturday Joe and the volunteer group tackled some of it - depending on size it can be cut with loppers, bowsaw, of gas brush-cutter. He's returning to McMahon this Saturday - hasn't said if it's another bittersweet day or something else. Well worth the effort if we're able to check its spread.

Cap Sauers August 16, Black Partridge August 17, 2025

8/21/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday August 16
We had a decent group at Cap Saturday, collecting seed while Joe and members of Palos Resource Management crew were off spraying weeds.

We focused on woodland grasses, primarily bottlebrush which ripens early and is one of our abundant woodland grasses. We also gathered some rye, though many of those flowers were not yet ready for collection. It was a decent morning to be out there. Thanks, first-time Palos volunteer Daniel, for joining us!

Black Partridge Woods Sunday August 17
Overnight rain and an overcast sky made me think it would be an easy day, spent collecting seed then deadheading teasel plants. About the time we shifted from the former to the latter task, the sky began clearing and we began feeling the heat. By 11:00 I was soaked with sweat, and since we had bagged all the teasels in our little pasture we decided to break off early.

One month ago we attacked teasel in the same location, cutting flowers as we did on this day. John could not herbicide due to rain, so many of the flowers were from plants we'd already be 'deflowered' once. The instructive part is that in one month, while able to produce new flowers, none had yet gone to seed.

Better to herbicide and get rid of 'em, of course, but good to know they need more than a month to move through the flower/seed cycle.

McMahon Woods August 9, 2025

8/14/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday August 9
I wasn't at this one and didn't get a report or see any post on FB so I'm awaiting a response from Margaret who might have attended. I was at Little Red Schoolhouse, didn't want to tackle the vine-infested walk, or the direct sun at McMahon while dealing with a minor hip issue. so I went to Little Red instead.
Update: per Margaret Tobin, Joe canceled this one after a couple of volunteers bowed out for assorted reasons.

Little Red Schoolhouse
It's a pleasure to drop in here - Karen Garrett is a terrific leader and Little Red a place I've always enjoyed. Better still, we cut brush right by the parking lot which was an ideal situation for me. Palos RM crew members cut bigger tree of heaven and buckthorn not far away, while we worked on smaller buckthorn, honeysuckle, and multiflora rose. The crew then chipped all of it - what a blessing on a hot August day!

McMahon Woods August 2, 2025

8/7/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday August 2
We welcomed August with a return visit to McMahon for another shot at white sweet clover. In addition to a small number of volunteers, Joe had help from the Palos Resource Management crew. White sweet clover has a fairly long growing season, so if you're following us here that's why Joe keeps returning. That plus the tenacity of the stuff - it doesn't give up easily and the seeds last a long time.

Kickapoo Woods Saturday August 2
I missed the above weed session due to another great opportunity, to climb in a canoe, paddle a short distance down the Little Calumet River, and plant native species along the riverbank to mitigate erosion.

Called Paddle and Plant, it's run by Friends of the Chicago River - they provide the boats, gear, and plants as well as a set of guides to watch and help if help is needed. It's quite fun and we got lucky with a somewhat cool morning. That, and standing ankle to knee-deep in the river took the edge off the August sun.

Thank you, Joy Vrchota, for telling me about this program and being open to trying something new. Friends of the Chicago River is doing important work in cleaning Chicago waterways; check them out right here.

McMahon July 26, 2025

7/31/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday July 26
While the original intent meeting place was Morrill Meadow, Joe moved volunteers to the McMahon Grove parking lot. This may have been due to the recent rain that would have soaked volunteers walking thought the woodland and prairie to get to the work site. I can only surmise since I was otherwise engaged that morning.

Once at McMahon, they deadheaded invasive thistles that have gotten a foothold there - much thanks to Kristine Linquist for her FB post and photos which gave me this information. They'll get another shot at the prairie this Saturday, August 2.

Little Calumet River - African-American Heritage Water Trail
The Calumet region is rich with history of African-Americans in Chicago, inspiring Openlands to put together this self-guided tour five years ago. I am fortunate to know three experienced paddlers (Andy, Joy, & Nicole) willing to make a mini-adventure on a recent Sunday morning.

We covered almost five miles, from Beaubien boat launch to Little Calumet boat launch in Blue Island. For 'Little' Calumet I was impressed with both the depth and width of the river - at no point were shallows a concern. We were passed by numerous powerboats, allowing us to bob in their wakes.

We saw many birds, egrets, cormorants, and great blue heron among them, along with Canada geese and mallards. Numerous people fishing suggest some sort of fish population as well. One personal note: my uncle fished here as a child and that his ashes be distributed on the river after his death.

There are no boat rentals at Beaubien so you normally will need your own boat and transport. Follow Openlands as they sponsor occasional canoe trips with boat provided.

Cap Sauers July 19, Black Partridge July 20, 2025

7/24/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday July 19
The threat of storms accompanied our volunteers into Cap Sauers Saturday morning, and eventually prompted them to shut down early. In the meantime, Margaret split her volunteers into two small groups, each pulling white sweet clover and stacking it along the trail.

After a light rain bega, with radar showing a storm approaching, they scrambled to pack bags (and people) into Margaret's car for the escape. Margaret and Doug returned to deal with the remaining melilotus, bagging and loading it onto a compost pile.

Reliable weather radar; such a valuable tool, guiding our decisions about when we should and should not be out in the preserves. Well done, volunteers!

Black Partridge Woods Sunday July 20
John and I were the whole story on Sunday, when plants were still soaked from the previous day's rain and more sprinkles occurred throughout the day. No conditions for herbicide so we focused on beheading teasel flowers, found in abundance in a former pasture on the south side of Bluff Road.

In under two hours we collected a big bag of teasel heads. We also saw a decent assortment of native plants, including a few specimens of white monarda, pictured below. We stopped about an hour early, leaving me time to visit Cherry Hill prairie on the way home.

McMahon Woods July 12, 2025

7/17/2025

McMahon Woods Saturday July 12
We had a small group at McMahon which included Emily Russell from Forest Preserve's Volunteer Resources, who took a backpack sprayer and helped Joe herbicide while the rest of us pulled melilotus (sweet clover). This morning was not oppressively hot making the work tolerable, though we still had to clip many of the larger stems - too well-anchored to uproot.

The prairie is actively blooming now, with coneflowers (ratibida and echinacea), monarda, starry campion and numerous others. It looks beautiful, and appreciation of all the native blooms is amnple motivation to continue the assault on invaders like the sweet clovers. This season I've worked on sweet clover at four different sites, though I'd put McMahon with the largest population.

McMahon July 5, 2025

7/10/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday July 5
This was our second week in a row at McMahon, targeting while sweet clover on the prairie. Not the last, we're returning again Saturday July 12. Joe had a couple members of Resource Management crew show up last week, on another hot day, to help him. This week I may be able to get out and pull some - thus far my sweet clover pulling has been confined to Hidden Pond and Cherry Hill. two places with small populations that I hope to keep that way.

Several of us went to Little Red Schoolhouse for Karen Garrett's program on beavers last Saturday. It was excellent, and as we approached one of the beaver dams on a path we were treated to the sight of a beaver swimming across a stretch of open water. This was past 11:00 am, a time when beavers, a nocturnal species, generally are not seen.

McMahon Woods June 28, 2025

7/3/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday June 28
This was Day One of the white sweet clover season in Palos, a local tradition that goes back more than a decade. This plant is tough and prolific, requiring tenacity on the part of everyone involved in managing it. Once well-established it responds only to repeated, vigorous efforts, and when we first started working on it at McMahon it already was spread over a large area. Over the years we've pushed it back but much remains to be done.

On occasion we've spotted a handful of plants at Hidden Pond, usually right along the edge of the prairie. We pull them right immediately, and so far it's only been isolated plants. I hope it stays that way.

Cap Sauers June 21, Black Partridge June 22, 2025

6/26/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday June 21
On one of the hottest days of the season, Margaret and volunteers ventured into Cap Sauers to snip some reed canary seed heads. They knocked off early, a concession to the heat, choosing to live to fight another day. Well done!

Nature Walk at Spears Woods, Saturday June 21
I expected a small turnout for the third of our spring walks with Jessica Rock and Palos Park Library and was tremendously gratified to see a group of 12 show up. Better still, six of them were either descended from or married to descendants of John Spear, the 19th Century farmer who gave Spears Woods its name.

We had some great conversations, shared information, and will try to assist them in their search for more information on their ancestor. Very cool to meet these fine folks!

We also managed a shade over two miles of walking at a very pedestrian pace, with frequent stops and the cooling effect of a stiff breeze.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday June 22
This was a small turnout - John, myself, and volunteer Jose. We went in search of weeds, whacking a few teasel on the south side of Bluff Road before escaping to the more shaded parts of the nature preserve. Lots of water and several breaks kept us from over-exerting ourselves and the absence of any concentration of weeds made our morning an easy one..