SPRING 

 WILDFLOWERS 



OF THE 



CHICAGO AREA 



byFLOYDA.SW!NK 



Photos courtesy of the author 

 except where indicated 



Great diversity is to be found in the wildflowers of the 

 Chicago area. Certainly one of the most interesting 

 times to see these flowers is in the spring, especially 

 in wooded areas. Flowers like sunlight, and the 

 plants bloom before the leaves appear overhead; so 

 the forest floor at this time of year has a plenitude of sunlight. 

 This means that many kinds bloom at about the same time, 

 and a trip to the same forest in July or August would reveal 

 hardly any blooms in the dense shade. 



There are many woods and parks in the Chicago area in 

 which to see the wonderful spring flowers, and five of the most 

 important areas are discussed here: Warren Woods, Indiana 

 Dunes State Park, Morton Arboretum, Starved Rock State 

 Park, and Illinois Beach State Park. 



Warren Woods. This fine botanical area is located along the 

 Galien River in Berrien County, Michigan (the county closest 

 to Chicago in the state of Michigan). By taking an east-west 

 road about halfway between the Michigan towns of Union 

 Pier and Lakeside, and proceeding about three miles directly 

 eastward, this beautiful forest comes into view. It has been 

 little disturbed, and is a fine example of beech-maple forest; 

 the trees are much taller than those on the Illinois side of the 

 lake, and a walk through the area even when flowers are ab- 

 sent is impressive. About April 30 is a good time to visit. 



Indiana Dunes State Park. Spring hikes on the open dunes 

 yield little in the way of wildflowers, but behind the dunes are 

 swamp forests, which are fine. One of the best routes is the 

 trail heading immediately eastward from the open field lo- 

 cated to the east of the Wilson picnic shelter. The trail then 

 turns northward and heads through a diversified forest (the 

 trail often wet in spring! ) , with many tree species and delight- 

 ful wildflowers. 



Morton Arboretum. While much of the Arboretum (in Lisle, 

 Du Page County, about 25 miles west of the Chicago Loop) is 

 devoted to the culture of cultivated woody plants, the east- 

 end forest is excellent for spring wildflowers. A portion of 

 these woods is dominated by sugar maple, and species such as 

 toothwort, spring beauty, false rue anemone, white trout lily, 

 rue anemone, and hepatica grow in abundance. 



Starved Rock State Park. The topography here (about 75 

 miles southwest of the Chicago Loop) is more rugged than in 

 our standard forest preserves, but this in itself adds to the 

 diversity. The park is excellent for ferns, many of them grow- 

 ing on the rock cliffs, but also is noted for fine wildflowers. 

 Some of these occur in the extra shade in or near the canyons, 

 a good example being Dutchman's breeches near French 

 Canyon. 



Floyd A. Swink is a taxonomist at Morton Arboretum, Lisle, 

 Illinois, and has served as lecturer and tour leader of Field Museum 

 botanical field trips in the Chicago area. 



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