Wolf Road Prairie

Description

Wolf Road Prairie is an excellent example of the original tallgrass prairie of Illinois and is the largest prairie of its type remaining in the Chicago area. The prairie is dominated by big bluestem, little bluestem, prairie dropseed and Indian grass. Among its common forbs are smooth blue aster, sky blue aster, black-eyed Susan, nodding onion, prairie phlox, obedient plant and rattlesnake master. Uncommon prairie forbs include Indian paintbrush, bottle gentian, prairie gentian and Indian plantain. A marsh dominated by bulrush and cattail and a small savanna remnant also occur here. The savanna is dominated by bur oak with wild hyacinth, ground nut and meadow rue beneath the trees. Western chorus frog, fox snake, woodchuck, common snipe and swamp sparrow are some of the animals which occur at this preserve.