Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis

​A member of the poppy family, the native Bloodroot is not only a beautiful spring wildflower highly coveted by native plant gardeners, but it is also an important food source for early emerging pollinators in woodland habitat. The common name “Bloodroot” comes from the red juice that is concentrated in the roots and stems. The juice was used by Native American tribes as a dye and is also known to have antibacterial properties.
 
Emerging as early as the first week of April, the plant takes advantage of the early spring sunshine before surrounding trees have begun to leaf out and shade the ground. The first notable feature is an attractive, white, daisy-like flower before unfurling a large compound-lobed singular leaf that will persist through summer. This early emerging flower is joined by other spring wildflowers—Spring Beauty, Trillium, Mayapple, and Trout Lilies—in serving such animals as the federally endangered Rusty-Patched Bumblebee, who emerge from burrows in the ground before many common plants have begun to show signs of growth for the year.
 
This plant is native to most of Illinois and can be found in woodland habitats that have not succumbed to overgrowth of Buckthorn and Honeysuckle, which shade the ground and prevent the sun from warming the soil to signal Bloodroot to begin growth for the season. The plant spreads though underground rhizomes and a method of seed dispersal called ‘Myrmecochory’, seed dispersal by ants. Ants are a common method of seed dispersal for woodland flowers as wind speeds are slowed by the canopy. This is achieved through a fleshy appendage on the seed known as an ‘Elaiosome’ which may appear in the form of a small translucent hat on the seed. The seeds are then taken into ant hills where they await germination in the coming years.
 
Those in the Chicagoland Suburbs may find bloodroot blooming at such locations as John J. Duerr Forest Preserve in St. Charles, Bliss Woods in Sugar Grove, Lyman Woods in Downers Grove, and several other local forest preserves.

​Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of storms, but our communities were not built to withstand the amount of rainfall we now get. Flooded streets cause travel delays, safety issues, and costly repairs. In this new video from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, learn how flooding impacts communities — and steps our region can take to address it.

ERA worked with Agma Designs Architecture to provide site development engineering services for A&E Luxury Apartments, LLC in the Village of Franklin Park. A&E plans to construct a 6-story, 110-unit, market rate luxury rental housing development with ground floor retail and parking. This development has been in the works for the past 6 months and will bring an infusion of energy to Franklin Park’s downtown district.

As Illinois communities are dealing with urban flooding from a wetter climate, the demand from residents to improve stormwater management is increasing. ERA’s presentation at the IAFSM conference on Thursday will focus on how communities can use customized GIS maps from readily available data. The maps are used to identify flood risks from hydraulic features, such as overland flow paths, local depressional storage areas and delineated watersheds, and subwatersheds. The easy-to-read maps can be used by community staff (engineers and non-engineers alike) during public outreach, permitting, planning, and design activities to address urban flooding issues for residents. The presentation will go through real life examples of how these GIS maps are put to work for local communities. Make sure to attend their session this Thursday, March 11th!​

​​ERA teamed up with DuPage County Stormwater and the Village of Bensenville to present the award-winning Redmond Reservoir Expansion project at this year’s IAFSM conference. This is a success story of how creativity and teamwork between governmental agencies turned a regional stormwater management facility (Redmond Reservoir) into an ideal solution to localized urban flooding throughout the Village of Bensenville.  Don’t miss the presentation next Wednesday, March 10th at the virtual IAFSM Conference!

​Buried under the snow in Geneva is a new 2-mile trail system designed by Upland Design and ERA that meanders through the restored prairie at Geneva Park District’s Peck Farm Park North. The trail system connects to the Stephen D. Persinger Rec Center, an observation deck, a shelter, a sundial, a solstice monument, & the Mid-County Trail. Get ready for long summer strolls!