Ramps near Chicago

Found these ramps (Allium tricoccum) in Cook County, Illinois.  Allium tricoccum provided the name for the city of Chicago.  In Algonquin language, -shikm- means something stinky, and was the word for this plant.  If you were talking about an animal, you might use the word -shikm- for the animal we call a skunk.  This language uses GO to denote a place, so -shikm-GO was the place name for the flat swampy land where the river goes into Lake Michigan, as it was habitat for and had a considerable population of Allium tricoccum.  Now this place is downtown Chicago, and likely not any habitat suitable for ramps.  Probably there is a wild remnant population of ramps somewhere within the Chicago city limits.

Link to ramps in Chicago:

These ramps in this photo are at Chippewa Woods, a Cook County Forest Preserve, which seems to be just outside the actual Chicago city limits.

Photo taken April 19, 2016.

Links to Chippewa Woods:

http://fpdcc.com/downloads/maps/pdf/ChippewaWoods4_13.pdf

http://fpdcc.com/downloads/maps/trails/english/FPCC-Des-Plaines-Trail-Map-10-15.pdf

Link to previous posts on Allium tricoccum:

http://lafayettereport.blogspot.com/2009/04/allium-tricoccum.html

http://lafayettereport.blogspot.com/2009/09/ramp-seeds.html

http://lafayettereport.blogspot.com/2009/05/ramp-with-bulb.html

Scilla siberica

I found this patch of Scilla siberica growing wild in the woods at Cumberland Park.  Scilla siberica is not native but is commonly planted in people's gardens as an early spring flower, but I didn't see that it had been planted anywhere in the park.  As these woods are declared as Michaud-Sinninger Nature Preserve, it can be considered an invasive.

Photos taken March 30, 2016.

Link to post on Scilla at Clegg Garden:

Link to Scilla siberica:

Arbor vitae in autumn

Arbor vitae (Thuja occidentalis) at Ross Hills County Park, Tippecanoe County.  Arbor vitae has a distinctive look in autumn due to the senescence of the older foliage.  It is not a native tree but is often planted in this area.

Photos taken Oct. 9, 2015.

Link to Thuja occidentalis:

Link to senescence:

Pokeweed growing in a stump

A beautiful specimen of pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) growing in a dead tree stump.  At Ross Hills County Park.  Photos taken Oct. 8, 2015.

A closer look at the pokeberries.

Link to previous post on pokeweed:

Chestnut

Fruit in chestnut trees along McCormick Road, just north of State St.  These are probably Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollisima).

Photo taken Sept. 8, 2015.

Link to Castanea:

Link to Castanea:

Maidenhair spleenwort

Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) on sandstone at Shades State Park, Montgomery County.  This is at a ravine along Trail 1, Devil's Punch Bowl.

Photo taken Sept. 19, 2015.

Link to Asplenium trichomanes:

Link to Asplenium trichomanes:

Walking fern

Walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum).  Each photo was of a different location but both were on Trail 1 at Shades State Park, known as Devil's Punch Bowl, Montgomery County.  This is a deep sandstone ravine that stays damp perpetually.

Photos taken Sept. 19, 2015.

Link to Asplenium rhizophyllum:

Link to Asplenium rhizophyllum:

Link to Shades State Park: