Biking the Prairie

I spent last week visiting family near Chicago. Weather-permitting, I was able to take morning bike rides through the Springbrook Prairie -- 1800 acres of restored grasslands and wetlands. It is critical habitat for a number of endangered bird species. It also has 7 miles of trails for runners, walkers, and bicyclists.

At roughly 1 by 2 miles in size, much of the time you can imagine yourself in a vast grassland.

But this is suburban Chicago. Big box stores (like this Walmart) and housing subdivision surround the prairie.

Two busy roads go through the prairie. The busiest has a tunnel underneath for pedestrians and cyclists. The other road must be crossed at surface level.

The prairie was filled with wildflowers, including these Rudbeckia ("Black-Eyed Susans").

There were two types of coneflowers (Echinacea) blooming. I only got a photo of the yellow one.

One of several types of sunflowers blooming in the prairie.

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is in the mint family and is reputed to have medicinal properties.