Saturday, June 30, 2012, was a hot and steamy morning for the MAPS photo outing to Wolf Road Prairie. The previous night’s much needed rain across the
area allowed for some wonderful pictures as you see below in the photo gallery from some of our 20+ participants. Nestled on the corner of 31st Street and Wolf Road, the prairie was a 1920’s era subdivision that failed due to the depression. It is unique in that the sidewalks that were laid at that time are still present and offer the visitor a pleasant, if not quirky, walk through the prairie.
Wolf Road Prairie contains several native communities, including mesic prairie, mesic savanna and wetland and is home to more than 360 native plant species. The numbers of resident and migratory birds, amphibians, insects, butterflies and mammals are too numerous to count. Combined, the ecosystem features of the site create a one-of-a-kind natural area unlike any other in the world. The prairie remnant at Wolf Road Prairie is considered the largest and best quality black soil or mesic prairie east of the Mississippi River. The prairie is considered globally imperiled and the black soil savanna is considered globally critically imperiled according to the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan. The wetland on site is considered of high aquatic quality.
