But, first, a little background. Last Wednesday, I accompanied the girl's 4th Grade fieldtrip to Flint Creek Savannah, in Lake Barrington, IL. It is owned by, and adjacent to the headquarters of, Citizens for Conservation. I had never been out on the savannah there before, only to the headquarters, where volunteers are trying to establish a rare habitat, the gravel hill prairie.
They also have raised beds
filled with Gardening Gone Wild's Plant of the Month, Prairie Dropseed (Sporabolus heterolepsis).
I have this grass at home, but seeing it in a mass planting (with Redtailed Hawk)
planted a seed in my fallow mind which, watered by Frances's photos of Fairegarden's Muhly Grass, has made me realize how great Prairie Dropseed would look lining my driveway. But I digress.I'm not going to get all sappy and sentimental about how children are our future. After the prairie activities of measuring and drawing prairie plants, and collecting the seed of Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans),
the kids were taken on a walk to see the savannah part. 
A savannah (as opposed to a prairie) is a grassy wooded area. Here in Northern Illinois, the predominate trees of the savannah are the Oaks.
On the way there, we passed prairie plants in their full autumn glory.
Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
Compass plant (Silphium lacinatum)
the kids were taken on a walk to see the savannah part. 
A savannah (as opposed to a prairie) is a grassy wooded area. Here in Northern Illinois, the predominate trees of the savannah are the Oaks.
On the way there, we passed prairie plants in their full autumn glory.
Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
Compass plant (Silphium lacinatum)Late September truly is the best time to be in the Chicago area, not only for the perfect weather, but for the best experience of the prairies.
After getting a view of Flint Creek, we turned around and headed back.
I was literally stopped in my tracts by an ex-Aster that I have to have. Can anybody identify this plant so I can get one? (Click on photo to enlarge.)
I was struck by the foliage that had completely turned red while the plant was still blooming.
After getting a view of Flint Creek, we turned around and headed back.
I was literally stopped in my tracts by an ex-Aster that I have to have. Can anybody identify this plant so I can get one? (Click on photo to enlarge.)
I was struck by the foliage that had completely turned red while the plant was still blooming.Feel free to identify the other two plants I posted without captions.*
16 comments:
Hi MMD, what a great trip. I hope the kids enjoyed one one/millionth as much as I know that you did. Thanks for the link love, my friend. Any grass that will grow well for you would make a wonderful planting along your driveway. Mass is the thing. As for your unknown but cool ex-aster, the only one I know that has red foliage is cordifolia, this doesn't look like that one much. Good luck on the ID! :-)
Frances
The savannah was glowing golden on your field trip! We never went on field trips like this one with our kid! What fun. MMD, had I more sun in my yard, beautiful native grasses would be here in abundance! The drop seed will look great in your front prairie garden. My dear, I am so disappointed not to be able to help with the ex-aster! When you find out...oh, Nan Ondra, do you know? I want to add it to C&L! gail
What a fun trip with the kids. It looks like the weather cooperated too. Sorry I can't help with the I.D. I would label it Plantus Mysterious.
What a fantastic field trip! I can't ID your aster either and I'll be very interested in an ID of the yellow flowering plant as well. The Prairie Dropseed is gorgeous:)
I love seeing schoolkids on field trips like this. I'll be going on some of those myself this year.
What a great field trip! Prairies in autumn are the best. I need to take myself on a field trip sometime soon before the season passes me by.
No idea on the aster; I can't even identify the ones in my own garden. And now I don't even have the cop-out of calling them all "Aster sp."
The yellow one before the gentian looks like my Wichita Mountain or some other kind of goldenrod. I hope you find out what the aster is.
It looks like a great day was had by all. I enjoyed the photos of the day.
What a great find with the stiff gentian! My guess for the mystery plant is still "Aster" puniceus, although that's only an educated guess at best. The fact that this was at a gravel hill prairie votes against this being swamp aster, but then again this is the only aster I know of with any red foliage or stem. Plus, this is blooming at the right time and the right height to be puniceus. It's not a positive ID, but definitely a possibility.
You had a wonderful day to be in the prairie, MMD! You also took great photos! I'm really thinking I can't help you with your ID's. I hope someone does, though. I'll be checking back to see!
ps The plant above the gentian, might be Solidago missouriensis.? It's a goldenrod of the savannahs! Still no id of the aster! gail
What a wonderful place to visit! The Prairie Dropseed is Beautiful -- love the airiness.
This is a wonderful field trip. I have enjoyed your photos. I wish I could help you with the ids but I don't know what they are.
The second one looks like stiff or flat-topped goldenrod, I can't tell without seeing the foliage.
The photo of the kids walking in a line through the field is FABULOUS! i mean, all the photos are great, but that one really says something, I think. Good job!
Robin
Frances - yep, en masse planting is something seriously lacking here (if you don't count the Japanese Anemones, where 2 plants looks like a mass).
Gail - thanks for the possible Goldenrod ID. I'll see if that one grows around here. I'll let you know when I find out what the Aster is.
MGRR - the weather cooperated for photos by being overcast, but it was a little too warm for the kids who wore long sleeves.
Hi, Littlewing, I'm sure the yellow flowered plant is some type of Goldenrod.
Pam - I prefer these outdoor field trips over the ones to museums. I bet there are a lot of neat places in Austin for school groups.
Diane - things change so quickly in fall, so you'd better get out there soon!
Sue - I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I bet the 'Wichita Mountain' is a descendent of this Goldenrod.
ROR - I've never seen a Stiff Gentian before, which is really odd. The "Aster" was growing in the gravel prairie part, but in the mesic prairie part, so it could be a puniceus.
Shady - thanks, I will be reporting back if, make that when, I find out. I'm thinking of asking someone at Citizens for Conservation. Somebody there has to know.
Sweet Bay - Prairie Dropseed is a wonderful, well-behaved grass suitable for any garden or parking lot.
Lisa - I'm glad you liked them.
Monica - you're probably right, Stiff Goldenrod sounds familar. But acck! It's now Oligoneuron rigidum!
Robin - I took a ton of photos, so I'm glad some of them look good.
Looks like a wonderful day, MMD! Now this would be a field trip I'd enjoy going on! I love the photos of the kids walking through the grasses, collecting seeds. My grandson's 3rd grade class took a similar field trip last year to the local prairie restoration, and they studied a unit on the prairie. I think it's great that kids are being exposed to this in school; I know I never was. No help on id-ing the mystery aster; I'm still trying to figure out what's growing in my back yard:)
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