Way back when I got paid to type things on a PC, I used to visit Trout Park,
in Elgin, Illinois on my lunch hour. I haven't been there in about 10 years, so on Saturday, my very indulgent husband (VIS) and I decided to see it again.
Trout Park is a jewel among city parks in Illinois. Because of the steep terrain, this land was never farmed. The bluffs and the springs and seeps provide a unique habitat in Illinois. I don't know who the stewards of this park are, but whoever they are, they have done a fantastic job. Regular burning has kept out invasive exotic weeds (I didn't see a single Garlic Mustard plant), and fallen trees have helped to keep out dirt bikes and ATVs,
which have devastated other hilly areas such as Deer Grove Forest Preserve in Palatine, Illinois. ("Flatlanders" - hah!) Trout Park is for the agile and sure of foot only; there are no bike paths or paved paths in the main, eastern section of the park.
At one point, VIS and I had to do a sort of limbo to get under a tree fallen across the path. At the risk of sounding elitist, this limited access is a good thing, as it helps preserve the fragile flora of the area.
(On left, the buds of a Thalictrum/ on right, Trillium sessile in bud.) Improvements (funded by casino money) have been made to Trout Park recently.
On the bluffs grow savanna wildflowers, such as those above, as well as Sanguinaria canadensis
Mertensia virginica
Toothwort (Cardamine/Dentaria laciniata)
and something I don't recognize.
There is also my favorite wildflower, the Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), seen growing here with the foliage of the eponymous Trout Lily (Eythronium albidum).
The only Trillium in Trout Park is T. sessile, as T. grandiflorum is deer candy, and deer frequent the park.
Down in the ravine, the dominant plant is the Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).
There are also Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris)
growing in and around the streams. Arbor vitae (Thuja occidentalis) also grow wild here.
In Trout Park, the water seeps out of the ground, runs downhill into streams,
which then empty into the Fox River, joining it on its journey to the Mississippi River and then to the ocean.
This connection to the rest of the planet emphasizes the importance of preserving and caring for these little pristine islands of wildness in our midst.
(edited 4/23/08)