Field Trip: Summer Blooms on the Freeport Prairie 9 – 10 am

SUMMER BLOOMS ON THE FREEPORT PRAIRIE
Friday, July 31, 9-10 a.m.

Leader: Mary Blackmore,
815-938-3204 or 779-302-7281
The spring Pasque Flower display is just the beginning of the parade of blooming species on the Freeport Prairie, an Illinois Nature Preserve on Freeport’s south side.  Often those summer blooming species are overlooked so we’ll be visiting the preserve twice to find them. The Freeport Prairie is a north-facing bluff on the edge of an ancient channel of Yellow Creek and is described as “the last of the original upland prairie known as Shannon Prairie.” Owned by the Jane Addamsland Park Foundation for almost 50 years, it was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1977.

Meet in the preserve’s new parking area off of Meadows Dr., just east of the Ford dealership. Enter through the curb cut which will be marked for better visibility.
Bring insect repellent and water.  A hiking stick would be helpful as the terrain is steep and uneven. If the weather is questionable, call Mary.