Following the publication of my biography of George Fell — the “Force of Nature” in the founding of The Nature Conservancy and the establishment of the Illinois Nature Preserves system — I embarked on a quest to visit all 600+ dedicated Illinois Nature Preserves. I had tallied 99 preserves before departing for New York to head up the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
Retired and back in Illinois, I recently logged by 100th Illinois Nature Preserve — Bliss Woods Nature Preserve, located near Sugar Grove in my newly-adopted home County of Kane.
Formerly, Bliss Woods Forest Preserve was a Scout camp. The Forest Preserve District of Kane County acquired the 137-acre site in 1984 (since expanded to 288 acres.) In 1985, 70 acres were formally dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve. “At this special preserve,” according to the District’s website, “visitors can see a unique and increasingly rare geologic feature, the last remnant of the Kaneville Esker. This is a winding ridge of gravel and rocks created by a river of water flowing underneath a melting glacier some 13,000 years ago. Most of the esker is gone after years of gravel mining.”
Kudos to the District for its exceptional stewardship of the preserve. The understory along the the esker is refreshingly free of invasives, such as honeysuckle, buckthorn and autumn olive. There are a few manageable pockets of garlic mustard, but onsite signage extols the virtues of Restoring Nature’s Balance and invites visitors to join the “active group of volunteers regularly works to restore and maintain the health of this special ecological gem.”
Bliss Woods is also a show-stopper for spring ephemerals — a virtue of good stewardship. Kudos to the District, as well, for the seasonal signage, helping visitors to identify the the early spring bloomers that carpet the oak-hickory woodland floor that dominates the site, as well as the maple-bass woodland floor on the shaded, north side of the esker. Plan to visit soon — this is one wildflower wonder you won’t want to miss.
