Field Trip: Blooming Pasque Flowers at Freeport Prairie 2-3 pm

Blooming Pasque Flowers at the Freeport Prairie

Monday, April 6, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Coordinator: Mary Blackmore 815-938-3204 or 779-302-7281

Join us as we admire one of the prairie’s harbingers of spring, the Pasque Flower. Unlike the crocus which it resembles, a Pasque Flower, Pulsatilla patens, is a member of the buttercup family. In early spring the plant sends up a flower stalk in advance of leaves so what you see are delicate pale violet blooms nestled in the muted tan tangle of last year’s prairie grasses. Come and see how Pasque Flower blooms actually move to track the sunThe Freeport Prairie is an Illinois Nature Preserve located on Freeport’s south side.

NOTE: Meet in the preserve’s new parking area off of Meadows Dr., adjacent to the northwest corner of the prairie. Enter through the curb cut which will be flagged for better visibility.

If the weather is questionable, call Mary.