Description: This walk will be led by Dave Schwaegler, who is a steward at the Lake in the Hills Fen. Lake in the Hills Fen is a dedicated Illinois Nature preserve featuring three diverse habitats: dry hill prairies, sedge meadows, and rare and beautiful fens. You will have the opportunity to take a few steps into a fen. If you’re adventurous, prepare for cold spring water a couple of inches deep flowing over a solid gravel bed. With a plant inventory of over 600 species, nearly 500 native, we are sure to see some interesting flowers. Here are a few that typically bloom in late June: Prairie Smoke in Seed, Low Calamint, Prairie Cinquefoil, Pale Purple Coneflowers, Hill’s Thistle, Toothed Evening Primrose, Narrow-leaved Loosestrife and Marsh Woundwort. Photos of Prairie Smoke and Narrow-leaved Loosestrife are below. In addition to the flora, late June is a great time to see grassland birds and butterflies. We will surely hear, if not see, Henslow’s sparrows. Perhaps we will see a colorful Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. For a map of Barbara Key Park (Gateway to the Fen), a photo album and additional information, see https://lithfen.org/. Dave has also published videos, including some of the fen, on his YouTube channel. This is a guided walk that will start at 10am. The walk is free of charge and no registration is required.
Directions: We will meet in the Barbara Key Park (9191 Pyott Rd, LITH) parking lot off of Pyott Rd in Lake in the Hills. From Rakow Road, take Pyott Road south toward Algonquin. Barbara Key Park will be on the right before you get to Algonquin Road. Follow the entrance road back to the parking lot.
