Palos Fen

Description

Palos Fen is a 48 acre graminoid fen, marsh and oak savanna located at the base of the Tinley Moraine where meltwaters from glacial Lake Chicago formerly escaped into the Des Plaines River. The slopes of the moraine support old open-grown oaks and shagbark hickory. Where calcareous groundwater flows from the base of the moraine, saturated soils have fostered the accumulation of organic material. The rich fen community is dominated by big and little bluestem, prairie dropseed and other prairie associates, as well as those species that are well adapted for the wet, calcareous and highly organic soils. These species include swamp betony, Ohio goldenrod, low calamint, bog lobelia and Queen-of-the-prairie. This site preserves the only graminoid fen identified in the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory that has survived on the Chicago Lake Plain. Special Note: Access to this preserve is by prior permission only.