The Morton Arboretum Schulenberg Prairie

These photos were taken on May 23rd, 2013 at the Morton Arboretum’s Schulenberg Prairie, a hand-planted prairie restoration dating back to the 1960s, marking it as one of the earliest attempts at recreating a native plant community assemblage from scratch.

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum Sporobolus heterolepis prairie dropseed by Cassi Saari

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum Baptisia alba white wild indigo emerging bloom flower by Cassi Saari
Baptisia alba, white wild indigo nearly blooming.

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum starry false Solomon's seal Maianthemum stellatum Smilacina stellata by Cassi Saari
Maianthemum (Smilacina) stellatum, starry false Solomon’s seal, is one of the more photogenic Solomon’s seals because of its showy flowers. It’s a “false” Solomon’s seal because its flowers are borne at the end of the leaves rather than from the axils of the leaves like “true” Solomon’s seals (Polygonatum).

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum by Cassi Saari
Valeriana edulis var. ciliatus, common valerian or tobacco root, has some pretty cool feathery sepals.

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum botanizing Heuchera prairie dock phlox lead plant Amorpha canescens Silphium by Cassi Saari
Co-prairie enthusiast botanizing amidst the Heuchera, prairie dock, prairie phlox, and lead plant.

Schulenberg Prairie Morton Arboretum Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia by Cassi Saari
These shooting stars (Dodecatheon meadia) kindly graced us with a ridiculously beautiful display to round out our short trip to the prairie.

Additional Information:

More Photos of the Schulenberg Prairie
Classic Prairie Restorations: The Schulenberg Prairie (Chicago Wilderness Magazine article)
The Schulenberg Prairie: a Benchmark in Ecological Restoration (vegetation analysis, comparison to local remnant prairies, species list)

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