Into the Wild

Powderhorn Prairie

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Cook County, IL

Travel to Chicago’s far south side, and you’ll find an unusual remnant of the region’s natural history tucked away among factories, freight yards, and rows of brick homes—Powderhorn Prairie. The view from the parking lot reveals nothing unusual about this Cook County Forest Preserve, but venture down the trail, and you’ll discover one of the region’s best-preserved sand prairie and sand savanna habitats.

Along the trail, the preserve’s landscape rolls gently in a series of dunes and swales. This type of landscape was once common in the Chicago region. Millennia ago, the waters of melting glaciers receded to become what is now Lake Michigan, and left a series of beach ridges behind. Today, Powderhorn is one of the few places where visitors can see what much of the Lake Plain region looked like before the skyscrapers and expressways covered it.

Alice Brandon is the conservation director for Friends of the Forest Preserves and serves as the volunteer steward for Powderhorn Prairie. She started helping with restoration efforts here last fall

“When I go there I’m just amazed at the diversity. You’re in Chicago, surrounded by industrial land, and here’s this little prairie and marsh that has managed to hang on,” says Brandon. “It’s highly industrialized. The fact that any of it is left is amazing—and it’s even very high quality. You can find hundreds of plant species. To me, it’s mind boggling,” she says.

Walking though the preserve you’ll notice that the ground goes from damp to dry with just a small shift in elevation. As a result, the vegetation varies dramatically within short distances. The swales are home to plants that thrive in damp conditions, including swamp milkweed, buttonbush, and sensitive fern. On the dunes you might spot lead plant, rattlesnake master, or even the occasional prickly pear cactus

Trails pass through open prairie punctuated by clusters of trees, including bur oaks, white oaks, and the locally rare gray birch. In the fall, visitors will enjoy late-blooming prairie plants such as showy goldenrod and fringed gentian, and the red and russet colors of the oaks. If you’re lucky, you might spot an osprey soaring overhead. A pair of the impressive birds of prey nested at the site over the summer.

While the preserve offers high-quality habitat, invasive species are a problem in some sections. Management efforts resumed last fall following a ten-year moratorium of restoration work in many Cook County forest preserves. Volunteers are now working with the Forest Preserve District to remove invasive plants including buckthorn, honeysuckle, autumn olive, and phragmites. Workdays take place every third Saturday of the month; call (312) 356-9990 to join up. Hiking and birding are the primary activities at Powderhorn Prairie. Fishing is also allowed in Powderhorn Lake, near the parking lot. Facilities are limited, so bring water if you plan to hike.

—Stephanie Folk