Into the Wild

Somme Prairie Grove

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Cook County, Illinois

This prairie, bur oak savanna, and woodland played an historic role in the early ecological restoration movement

Before entering Somme Prairie Grove, look down Waukegan Road at the cars rushing from mall to mall. With only 50 paces, the visitor can time-travel to the Illinois of two centuries ago, into a welcoming landscape of high-quality savanna — prairie openings, airy stands of bur oak, and ponds full of calling chorus frogs.

This beautiful place, 90 acres in Northbrook, Illinois, was first purchased by John Kinsey “Indian” Clark in the 1840s, who sold it to a German immigrant family named Werhane. The Werhanes sold it to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County in the 1920s, leasing it back for grazing until the 1930s. Fortunately, the Werhanes kept down the brush here, preserving patches of remnant wet prairie, sedge meadow, groves of oaks, and savanna.

The inner loop trail west through the savanna yields breathtaking views down the Deerfield Moraine. Each stretch brings close encounters with rattlesnake master, prairie dropseed, cream gentian, blazing star, nodding wild onion, and compass plant. In most places, a short “grass” covers the narrow, rustic trails — it is path rush, which has the curious love of being tread upon. Heading westward towards the train tracks, the grassland changes as an assortment of legumes appear — white wild indigo, leadplant, purple prairie clover.

The middle and outer loop trails lead through patches of dappled shade, including a remarkable stand of ancient bur oaks along the southern edge of the site, named Vestal Grove. Along this trail, find hazelnut and viburnum thickets, purple Joe Pye weed, and bottlebrush grass. Watch for indigo buntings, the most common nesting bird in the preserve, as well as such savanna and woodland nesters as bluebirds, brown thrashers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks.

One of Chicago Wilderness’ original restoration sites, Somme Prairie Grove has returned to glorious health over three decades. In the 1970s, the preserve helped ecologists define oak savanna as a distinct plant community. It is the focus of William K. Stevens’ inspiring (and mostly accurate) 1996 book, Miracle Under the Oaks. In recent years, its little “native habitat islands in a buckthorn sea” have transmuted into “buckthorn copses in an ocean of healthy habitat.” Most recently, a pair of Virginia rails nested in a swale that volunteers cleared of invasive brush during a birthday celebration for the site steward, Stephen Packard.

Revisit frequently, as new plants bloom every week and new animals become active. In fall, search for gentians hidden in waving coppery billows of Indian grass. Or come on a winter day to follow the tracks of a hungry coyote. And when the snow melts, don’t miss the bizarre mating dance of the woodcocks with their vulgar “peenting” calls and high-altitude acrobatics. You needn’t walk far for this evening spectacle; the display happens only 50 paces from the parking lot.

— Joe Walsh