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Where to See
Spring Blossoms
in the
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway Area
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Spiderwort
Gordon Moore Park in Alton |
Puccoons
Gordon Moore Park in Alton |
With over 20,000 acres of forest in the Meeting of the
Great Rivers Scenic Byway area there is no shortage of flowering trees in
the area which include flowering dogwoods, redbud and the Illinois State
Tree - the White Oak. These forests also provide the habitat for a large
variety of spring woodland wildflowers. Once known the Prairie State,
Illinois' prairies have all but disappeared. However, there are still several locations where
visitors can see native prairie wildflowers in their original habitat. In addition,
the Illinois Department of Transportation Corridors for Tomorrow program
plants native and nonnative species of wildflowers and grasses along
roadsides to simulate the historic prairie landscape.
The following are sites in the area where your search
for spring blossoms should be successful:
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Pere Marquette State
Park |
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With most of its 8,000 acres
covered by forests, Pere Marquette State Park is a great place to
see spring woodland wildflowers before the forest canopy completes its
growth. Wildfllowers that can be seen include Red
Trillium, Wild Blue Phlox,
Columbine, Bluebell, Daisy Fleabane, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Mayapple.
For those interested in prairie wildflowers,
there are several areas in the park where
controlled burns have restored the habitat to its original prairie
state. Flowering trees in the Park include Redbuds and Dogwoods. Unfortunately many of the Park's
Dogwoods have fallen victim to the Dogwood Anthracnose disease. A
healthy Dogwood can be found at McAdams Peak. A great trip to the Park includes a hike on one of its ten
hiking trails where visitors can experience the forest, wildflowers
and prairies as well as the local fauna.
For more on Pere Marquette
State Park |
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Heartland Prairie at
Gordon Moore Park |
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Managed by the Nature
Institute, the Heartland Prairie is 27 acres of tall-grass prairie.
Visitors can find wildflowers and prairie grasses throughout the
warmer months. Wildflowers in abundance in spring include Shooting
Star,
Spiderwort, Water Hemlock, Puccoon, and Golden Alexander.
The Heartland Prairie is located in the north section of Gordon
Moore Park on Route 140 in Alton.
For more on the Gordon
Moore Park |
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Olin Nature Preserve |
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This nearly 300 acre tract along
the bluffs located in Godfrey was dedicated as an Illinois Nature
Preserve in 1990. Operated by the Nature Institute since 1995, it is
one of the largest privately owned nature preserves in the state.
Visitors will find wide marked trails through woodlands and hill
prairies with splendid views of the Mississippi River and its flood
plain. Wildflowers along the paved trail that leads
to the left from the overlook by the parking lot down into the
valley are Red Trillium, Spring Beauty, Phlox, Buttercup and Mayapple. The Preserve is also a great place to go
bird watching with sightings that can include the Yellow Throated
Sparrow and the Ruby Crowned Kinglet.
For more on the Olin
Nature Preserve |
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McCully Heritage
Project |
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The McCully Heritage
Project is a little known treasure located about 1 mile south of the
Kampsville Free Ferry off of Route 100. The Project consists of over
12 miles of hiking trails through diverse habitats such as
woodlands, wetlands, prairie, and agricultural lands. Hikers on the Woodland Loop on the trail system on the north side of
the property can find Spring Beauty, Red Trillium, Bluebell and
Violets. Golden Alexanders can be seen in the wetland area across
the road from the parking lot.
For more on the McCully
Heritage Project |
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Sam Vadalabene Bike
Trail |
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Running parallel to the
Mississippi and Illinois rivers, this 20 mile long, easy grade bike
trail offers an abundance of wildflowers, particularly wild Daisies,
along the trail itself and
flowering trees along the bluff tops and through the wooded areas
west of Grafton. Starting near the Visitors Center in Alton,
the trail makes stops in Elsah
and Grafton
before ending at Pere Marquette
State Park.
For more on the Sam
Vadalabene Bike Trail |
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