This week’s plant of the week will be a summer throwback as we descend into the chill of winter: the Eastern Prickly Pear, or Opuntia humifusa! This plant is one of two native cactuses found in Illinois, the other being Opuntia fragilis, a much less common species in our state.
 
The Eastern Prickly Pear is found in many counties of Illinois and is generally associated with rocky/gravelly/sandy areas where the soil is well-draining, and sunlight is plentiful. The plant has a unique growth pattern consisting of ‘pads’ that grow out of the previous year’s growth and can be erect or sprawling in habit depending on site conditions. The pads are not leaves but resemble a stem as on each pad there are points of growth called areoles, from where tiny vestigial leaves emerge, surrounded by short fibrous glochids (“vestigial” refers to a non-functional organ that remains despite not being evolutionarily useful, like a human appendix or wings on an ostrich). These glochids can be quite irritating to any passers-by who unknowingly brush past this plant and serve to deter any would-be herbivores. While the plant does its best to prevent herbivores from eating the juicy pads, some animals such as coyotes, skunks, squirrels, deer, and turtles, are all known to browse this plant while foraging.  The large flowers also host a wide variety of pollinators as the flower is large and pollen and nectar are plentiful.
 
The Eastern Prickly Pear is a vastly underused plant in native landscaping. It grows under some of the harshest conditions and can thrive in the most dry, hot, and gravelly areas where many other landscape plants would struggle to survive without the use of soil amendments or artificial irrigation. Looking past the potential gardening hazard of the glochids, this plant would make a great addition to landscaping with its incredible blooms of large yellow flowers, choice edible fruits, and interesting shapes of the mature pads that can turn shades of purple in bright direct sun. It is easiest to plant as a pad cutting, as roots will quickly take hold and germination of seed can be difficult.
 
While we grasp to these last few days of sunlight and warmth, think about the Eastern Prickly Pear drying out, shriveling, and browning through the harsh winter, hiding under the snow. If this rugged and fascinating plant can push through to the next summer, so can we!

​The Stafford Place Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a recently completed 27-lot residential subdivision located in downtown Warrenville, IL developed by Airhart Construction.  This fully constructed PUD represents a creative approach to the unified planning of development and incorporates a higher standard of integrated design and amenity than could be achieved under otherwise applicable zoning district and subdivision regulations. The single family detached home subdivision includes coordinated vehicular and pedestrian access and a centralized engineered stormwater management system. The subdivision open space design incorporates Stormwater Management Best Management Practices to reduce stormwater runoff volume and promote infiltration. The landscaping design is both aesthetically pleasing and functional from a stormwater drainage perspective.   The Stafford Place residential community offers a "low maintenance" lifestyle, where the private drives and common space elements are maintained by the Home Owners Association. The project provides housing products that are either limited or not previously available in the City of Warrenville. The variety of housing types in this infill development include Cottage Row Homes, Garden Homes, as well as traditional single-family homes compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.  ERA provided the entitlement, land surveying, civil engineering, and construction phase services for this project recently completed in 2021.

This week we celebrate the colors of fall by shining a spotlight on the ubiquitous Solidago! 
 
The genus Solidago, also known as goldenrods, is a very common and important plant found throughout the tallgrass prairies and savannas of Illinois.  These generally stout, tall plants exhibit yellow blooms of varying size and shape and bloom through the fall and summer and are a staple source of food for pollinators seeking pollen or nectar or grazing animals who may feed on the foliage. Goldenrod can also provide habitat for insects over winter who may seek shelter in the hollow stems or stem galls (a benign growth on the exterior surface of a plant that can be used to house insect larvae). 
 
Goldenrod as a genus consists of some 120 species in the aster family spread across North America and are found in varying types of habitats from open wetlands to dry forests. Some goldenrods appear very similar (S. canadensis and S. altissima) while others have drastically varied features, making for a quick ID (S. flexicaulis and S. ulmifolia).  
 
Of significant note, is the common misconception that goldenrod, as the primary bloomer on the fall prairie, is somehow responsible for hay fever or other severe allergy issues. This could not be farther from the truth. Because goldenrod is insect pollinated and not wind pollinated, the pollen grains are too heavy to be wind-blown and are not a common cause of allergic reactions. Ragweed, on the other hand, contains up to a billion small, wind-blown pollen grains that can stay airborne for days at a time and are responsible for about half of all pollen-related allergy cases in the United States (primarily annual ragweed [A. artemisiifolia] and giant ragweed [A. trifida], the latter of which can reach heights of up to 12’ tall). 
 
So, if you see goldenrod blooming this fall, bust out your favorite wildflower guide and check around for some friendly pollinators working away to prepare for the winter.  ​

​ERA welcomes Michelle Lee, PE to our Municipal Services Department! Learn more about Michelle below.

​Happy Fall everyone! This week’s plant of the week is Equisetum hyemale, commonly known as the Scouring Rush.
 
This primitive plant is the modern day relative of ancient tree-like organisms found across tropical Carboniferous-era Illinois that led to our contemporary coal deposits. Having evolved before vascular plants had leaves or could produce flowers, Scouring Rush is most closely related to ferns. This plant can be found in wet to mesic areas with soil that contains clay, gravel, or sand, and is found more often in disturbed areas than higher-quality native areas.

The plant itself consists of a single evergreen stem with no leaves that grows up to five feet in height. Large clonal colonies can form in disturbed sites where rhizomes spread without hinderance. Because this plant has ancestors that appeared on earth before the first flowering plants, reproduction occurs through spores rather than seeds. The spores are released from the fascinating cones atop the evergreen stems in late spring or early summer.
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The common name ‘Scouring Rush’ comes from the high silica content of the stems, which is the result of evolving structure in the absence of woody support. This tough, scratchy stem allowed early Midwest settlers to scrub pots, pans, and other items in the days before Brillo pads were common on grocery store shelves.  

Yesterday, ERA staff spent part of the sunny fall afternoon outside cleaning up trash and debris along the DuPage River in Naperville as part of The Conservation Foundation's Adopt-A-Stream program. This was our second clean-up in 2021 and we collected about 5 bags of trash from the area! To learn more about the Adopt-A-Stream program and clean-up events in your area, visit: https://bit.ly/3m4X59k ​

​​This week’s plant of the week is American Bladdernut, or Staphylea trifolia!
 
This interesting shrub is native to Illinois. It can be found in moist woodland habitats under a canopy of Oak, Sycamore, Maple, Birch, or Linden. Easily identifiable by the unusual three-sided seed pods, bladdernut also features interesting flowers arranged in drooping white clusters that are visited by a wide variety of pollen and nectar seeking insects, including honeybees and bumblebees. The seeds are also reported to be edible with a flavor profile much like that of walnuts—they can be eaten raw or cooked.
 
American Bladdernut can be utilized in landscaping as well! This fast-growing shrub would do well in a woodland planting as a screening shrub, where it is protected from direct sun and heat and where the soil remains moist but not wet. Bringing spring interest with its flowers and pollinator benefits, summer interest with unique trifoliate leaves, and fall/winter interest through the fascinating seed capsules, this plant is sure to be a great addition to your home landscape. 

​This week’s plant of the week is Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata).  
  
The Shagbark Hickory is one of the few pioneer species known to colonize prairie grasslands in the early stages of forestation. An interesting tree that at maturity can reach over 100 feet tall, have a diameter greater than 25 inches across and live for over 300 years, Shagbark Hickory is almost immediately identifiable by its namesake bark that appears to be peeling like the outer skin of a banana.   
  
Shagbark Hickory, in tandem with Oak trees, is part of what defines the northeastern region of Illinois as savanna. A savanna is what is known in ecology as an ecotone, a bridge between two greater ecosystems. In this case, that would be the bridge between a prairie grassland and a forest. A savanna is considered to be grassland that has tree cover, but still gets enough sunlight that penetrates to ground level. While Oak trees are the primary tree in savannas, regionally identified as Midwest Oak Savannas, Hickory Trees play a vital role.   
  
Some traits of the Shagbark include being resistant to wildfire, tolerance of harsh exposure, and the ability to reach great heights above many of the under-canopy trees, such as redbuds, to which they provide the necessary cover during young growth. Shagbarks also provide nesting areas for the state and federally endangered Northern Long-Eared Bats, which are small enough to rest under the peeling sheets of bark during daylight hours. Other notable uses for the Shagbark Hickory include the nuts as a food source and the wood that is highly sought after by carpenters and builders for its hard density and tall, straight growth habit needed for large framing beams. This also lent to the nickname of ‘Old Hickory’ being given to former President Andrew Jackson, as he was known to be a tough, determined man, “as firmly rooted as a hickory tree".   

​This week’s plant is Physostegia virginiana, commonly known as false dragonhead or obedient plant.   
  
This attractive native member of the mint family is right at home in landscaping beds where they get a lot of sun and moisture. It is also particularly well suited to rain gardens. The common name ‘obedient plant’ comes from an unusual trait that leaves the flower in whichever direction you point it towards. Alternatively, this plant slightly resembles another landscape plant, the dragonhead or snapdragon, leading to the other common name, ‘false dragonhead’. If you are planting an obedient plant in a landscape setting, be sure to give it lots of space as it tends to spread quickly when planted in a favorable site.   
  
Aside from the playful flowers, attractive growth habits, and usefulness in the garden, one fascinating feature about this plant is the reproductive structures located inside the flower itself. When people visualize a flower, they tend to picture the pollen-producing organs in the center where a bee may land to collect food for the hive, typical of the compound flowers of the aster and sunflower family. The Obedient Plant, however, has other ideas. The male reproductive organs (anthers) and the female organ (stigma) are located on the top of the flower directly above a central lobed petal that acts as a landing pad for bees, moths, or other pollinators seeking pollen or nectar. Instead of being rewarded with pollen at the rear of the flower as is typical of many flowering plants, pollinators are rewarded with a sort of 'pat on the back' as the anthers dip down and deposit pollen on the back of its visitor while they crawl to the back of the tube-shaped flower seeking nectar. This ensures pollen is not gathered as a resource and will be accurately deposited on the stigma of the next obedient plant the pollinator visits.  
  
Next time you visit a municipal park or see a rain garden, keep an eye out for these interesting plants and see if you can spot pollinators crawling in and out of the little tubular flowers!