NATIVE SPECIES OF CHICAGO PARKS
selections from Horner & Humboldt
how many can you find?
Compass-plant
Silphium laciniatum
With rough-textured leaves and tall, antennae-like flowering stalks, this plant is named for its tendency to orient its leaves to face east-west, controlling the amount of sunlight it gets on hot days. With their deep taproots, most Silphium species take a long time to mature and are often the sign of a stable habitat — individuals can grow up to 12 feet tall and can live over 100 years in “old-growth prairies”.
Big bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
A large prairie grass with deep roots, its other common name “turkey-foot” refers to the shape of its three-parted seed heads. Along with other native grasses like little bluestem, switchgrass & yellow prairie grass, big bluestem once formed the backbone of vast oceans of tallgrass prairie, before plowing and fire suppression destroyed 99.99% of its historical range.
New England aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A deep-purple aster species that blooms late in the year, often alongside yellow goldenrods for a complementary display of color. The common name seems to indicate where colonists first encountered it — rest assured that New England aster is found in wet prairies throughout the Midwest. Seeds are produced prolifically in the fall, and serve as an important food source for songbirds.
Stiff goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Goldenrods are keystone plants, supporting 115 species of caterpillars and at least 42 species of bees, 15 of which are strict specialists that require goldenrod pollen to feed their young. The Latin name refers to solidas: “solid” or “to make whole”, and goldenrod has a long history of medicinal use. Contrary to popular belief, goldenrod pollen does not cause allergies (it is too heavy to travel on the wind) — usually ragweed is the nearby culprit.
Common nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Nighthawks are neither hawks nor are they strictly nocturnal: they are a type of nightjar that hunts insects at dusk and dawn. While their populations have declined rapidly in the last century, certain urban areas serve as refuges due to the abundance of flat gravel roofs that mimic their preferred nesting sites. They are known for their long migrations to South America in winter and for the distinctive nasal “peent” sound heard in Chicago parks on summer evenings.
Scissor-grinder cicada
Neotibicen pruinosus
Their repetitive, pulsing, “grinding” song is a familiar sound throughout the parks in late summer. Unlike periodical cicadas, these cicadas do not time their emergence in large broods and can be found as adults every year. Other Neotibicen species can also be heard in the parks, sounding like table saws, drills and various other power tools.
Black-crowned night heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned night herons were an early victim of the pesticide DDT in the mid-20th century, which affected eggshell thickness and made them an endangered species. They are currently making a comeback, notably through a natural colony at the Lincoln Park Zoo that appeared in 2007. This colony is now expanding to other parks with suitable environments, and they are being studied to support the species’ return.
Coyote
Canis latrans
Often the subject of hatred and abuse, these secretive canines are one of the few remaining hunters in Chicago. Happy to slip unnoticed through our urban edgelands, these opportunists can co-exist with humans and play an important role controlling populations of geese, rats, rabbits, and even deer — although they are rarely seen outside of their mating season (January to March). As wolves have been eliminated throughout most of the country, coyotes have slowly expanded their range to fill the gaps where they can.
