I recently came back from a brief trip to Southern Illinois, where I had planned to visit Giant City State Park with my family. It was raining there, and it didn't seem as if it was going to stop raining, so instead I decided to show my parents Fults Hill Prairie State Nature Preserve instead. Fults Hill Prairie is located on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois. It's one of the finest places in Illinois I've ever visited, albeit one of the most rugged trails in Illinois, too.
The first great find of the day was this Putty-Root Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale), the first orchid species I've found this year. I know they're much more common in Southern Illinois, but I still enjoy finding them. This big evergreen leaf is a dead giveaway.
Above it on the path was the first violet species of the year, which between its size and light flower color almost looks like a new species for me. I have no idea what that might be, however.
These woods are considerably steep and rocky, and my parents weren't thrilled about the difficulty of the trail. It's rated "Extreme" for Illinois, though anyone out West would probably laugh at that rating. Still, they wouldn't give this an "Easy" rating, either.
Some emerging ferns along the trail were out in the exposed, rocky areas, which I did not expect. Also, I think this might be a new species for me.
The hill prairies here are dry and full of rocks, mirroring Missouri glades in the Ozarks further west. In the summer, scorpions can be found here. This stretch of bluffs here in southwestern Illinois is the only place in Illinois where you can find scorpions, and the rest of us are happy about that!
I flipped a few rocks meanwhile, and found this interesting fellow arthropod:
ARTHROPOD ALERT
I'm fairly certain the Cosmetid Harvestman (Vorones sp.) is a localized resident of hill prairies and glades. I've only found them in such sites. Apparently they are kept in captivity by some people, which doesn't surprise me, as they are unusual and docile. Collecting any animals for captivity is banned at Fults Hill Prairie, however, as it is an official Illinois Nature Preserve.
I pushed my parents to come to the top, and eventually my dad went with me, while Mom stayed behind in the lower prairie, just a hundred or so feet away. The view that rewarded Dad and I is, in my limited experience, the best in Illinois.
You can walk all the way to the edge of the cliff, though with the strong westerly winds at this time of year, I stayed well back. This is one of the most amazing but also most dangerous preserves in Illinois, simply for the height of these bluffs. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) grow along the edge. Without regular burning and removal, they would come up and overgrow the entire prairie.
To the southeast is Kidd Lake Marsh, another Illinois Nature Preserve, and one I have yet to explore. You can see it in both pictures here, above and especially below.
Both north and south of Fults Hill Prairie, other, undeveloped hill prairie preserves provide the only toehold of many Missouri species in Illinois, including the aforementioned scorpions. Still, they are not alone here by any means, as some specialized Midwestern endemics live here too:
This is Cleft Phlox (Phlox bifida), a colorful plant of dry prairies and glades in the Midwest. Thanks to the warmer winter and the warmth of the rocks on the edge of the bluff, it is up and blooming a bit early this year. These photos were taken before the most recent snowfall hit Illinois.
While it may look like a path to the end of the world, and it is the fastest and worst way back down to the parking lot if you keep going over the edge, this trail actually leads to the cliff overlook seen earlier. Look at that view! This is the only photo I have that even comes close to replicating it.
I believe this is Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) in flower. I have seen it in fruit up here, and it grows plentifully throughout the woods. Despite its name, Fults Hill Prairie is mostly wooded.
We rejoined up with my mother and walked back down the short, steep trail that we had hiked up.
Notably, did anyone notice what was missing? Bird photos! I finally have made a blogpost without a single bird photo, something I rarely do! There are birds here, as it's one of the few places you can be at eye level with a Turkey Vulture, but I didn't notice them for the scenery. We went on home, tired but happy for all that we had seen. Someday, we will return and climb all the way to the top together.
No comments:
Post a Comment