Forest Park South

The division of Forest Park South and North is nothing more than a road, Forest Park Drive. As such, both Forest Park South and North have similar flora and fauna with the exception that at the heart of this southern parcel is a uniquely beautiful hill prairie. Standing atop the ridge on the north edge of this hill prairie, one may look down to see a red-tailed or broad-winged hawk soaring through the valley below. It’s this feeling of elevation that gives this overlook an otherworldly feeling. This says nothing regarding the flora that covers this hill prairie…a complex mix of native wildflowers including hoary puccoon, fern leave false foxglove, rough blazing star, little bluestem, and tall dropseed. Beyond the hill prairie lies ridges of oak hickory woodlands and valleys of mixed deciduous forests including oaks, ash, cherry, and maple. In the early spring, these forests of are covered with woodland wildflowers such as spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, hepatica, Virginia bluebells and violets.

There was a time when Forest Park South was used for other than to preserve this unique biota. Back in the 1930’s there was a truck farm on the eastern edge of this property which extended up into the central valley of this park. Remnants of the old silo are still visible in what now has grown up into a young forest. This farm was sold and converted to a tuberculosis sanitarium in the 1950’s. From that time until the late 1980’s, no planned natural resource management was conducted on this area. After it was dedicated as an Illinois State Nature Preserve in 1987, fire, evasive exotic plant control, and some selective thinning was implemented in the area. This effort continues today so as to preserve and restore the native biotic diversity.

For more information about this preserve contact John Mullen or at Forest Park Nature Center at (309) 686-3360.