THE SCENE
Oak woodland dotted with wetland to the south. Mesic and wet prairie to the north

Highlights
Recently burned central prairie expected to be at height of bloom in late August, secluded pond

Stats
160 acres, 2.5-mile loop trail (including multi-use trails on three sides and sidewalk along Kean Ave)

Behind the scenes
Thriving volunteer group with newsletter, monitoring, workdays. Workdays are held on third Saturday of every month at 9 a.m.

Getting there
From I-55, exit on Rte 45 (LaGrange Rd) south. Turn left/east on 95th St, continue 0.25 miles to Kean Ave, turn left/ north to 94th St. The entrance to Hidden Pond is on the west side of Kean.

Summer 2004

Oak woodland, prairie wildflowers, and wetlands benefit from burning and other restoration activities

Cook County, Illinois

When we bought our home in Hickory Hills, Illinois, 41 years ago, a prime attraction was its location half a block from Hidden Pond Woods, part of the enormous mosaic of Palos Preserves in southwestern Cook County. As our four children and their friends grew up, they found it to be a great place to play. Now, years later, it is a place where we often play, even though, as the volunteer stewards of this site, we call it "going to workdays."

The southern half of the roughly 160-acre Hidden Pond Woods and Prairie Forest Preserve is comprised of oak woodland encircled by small wetlands. These woods, south of the parking lot, are a joy in the spring, when ephemeral wildflowers cover the ground in many areas.

	Turk's cap lily. Photo by Ron Dahlborg.

In the northern half, fragmented mesic and wet prairie fights for its life against invasive plant species. The prairie is divided into segments by dogwood, hawthorn, buckthorn, and green ash. Removing them over the 12 years since restoration began here has been like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes after a workday, we just stand and enjoy the new view of the prairie created by joining the pieces back together. This past spring, a Forest Preserve District crew, joined by volunteers, burned the central prairies for the first time in nine years. With any luck, the prairie this summer will be a burst of flowers, including rough blazing star, stiff goldenrod, Turk's cap lily, and gray-headed coneflower. Visit in late August through early September for the best displays.

Visitors can find the preserve's namesake "hidden pond," a small glacial kettle naturally filling in with vegetation, tucked into the woods not far from the parking lot. A summer walk north along the east side of the pond is a good way to enjoy ducks and dragonflies, including the eastern amberwing and ruby meadowhawk. Continue north to join the footpath that leads into another grove of cool woods, where summer visitors might see bottlebrush grass, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and green dragon. Emerging into the warmer and more humid prairie, look for the occasional Baptisia duskywing butterfly on its host plant, wild white indigo, and notice the roll of the ground off in the distance. Rattlesnake master, ironweed, and spiderwort grow here along the trail. Occasional brushpiles and newly cleared ground indicate areas where we're encouraging this prairie community to reestablish itself. Visitors not wanting to cross a periodically wet ditch can return by the same path.

At Hidden Pond, we monitor plants, birds, butterflies, and dragonflies to see if our work is increasing species and numbers from year to year. Students from local elementary schools, high school ecology clubs, and college earth science classes study and help out on the site. We also produce our own newsletter, called The Other Side of Kean, for residents on the east side of Kean Avenue. For more information, call us at (708) 598-2234, or send e-mail to palosrestor@comcast.net.

— Roger and Cara Keller