Bluff Springs FenBluff Spring Fen offers a glimpse of the beautiful and diverse ecology of the Fox River Valley. The area harbors a variety of threatened and endangered plant species and ecosystems (communities), which includes: dry gravel prairie, mesic black soil prairie, fen, sedge meadow, oak-hickory savanna and marsh.
Location
Bluff Spring Fen is located behind Bluff Springs Cemetery in Elgin, 40 miles outside of Chicago.
Size
90 acres
How to Prepare for Your Visit
The preserve has several miles of unpaved trails that provide easy to moderate hikes for hiking and birding. Depending on the time of season, especially in the summer when the plants are four feet high, you need to wear long pants. The preserve has several miles of unpaved trails that provide easy to moderate hikes for hiking and birding. Depending on the time of season, especially in the summer when the plants are four feet high, you need to wear long pants. Due to the problem of erosion and the area contains sensitive plant communities, please stay on the trails and no biking or horseback riding is allowed.What to See: Plants
You can see white lady slipper orchids, marsh marigolds, spring beauties, hepatica, Dutchman's breeches, rue, red trillium, trout lilies, silky aster, purple coneflower and marsh blazing star. To view more samples of flora, click here.What to See: Animals
The preserve provides breeding habitat for bird species such as willow flycatcher, and golden crown kinglets, Eastern Pheobe, red-headed woodpecker, woodcock, wood duck and yellow-breasted chat. Butterflies seen at Bluff Spring Fen include purplish coppers, black swallowtail, viceroy, monarchs, spring azure and Eastern-tail blues. Several species of dragonfly also inhabit the site, including the ebony jewel wing and the green darner.
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