I am the Steward of the Shoal Creek Conservation Area, often referred to as the Shoal Creek Barrens, its most iconic feature.

Once most likely a barrens, now dominated by Sugar Maple
 and no ground  flora

This has been my main job for the last 30 years. I am also the Restoration Steward at the Route 66 Prairie. All well paid jobs, right? Well no, but who is complaining? It has been and still is a most rewarding journey. I digress.

Please keep supporting such work, as so many of you have done in the past - not only at the local level but also the public realm. Natural diversity is even more important than the much talked about issues like climate change. These two sites are literally just fly specks in a sea of human development. Yet such sites sequester huge amounts of Carbon dioxide, perhaps by the acre equal to or more than the even the Amazon rain forest.

Central Barrens from adjacent Waterfall Barrens lobe

Who would have known that just only a few years ago? We need significantly more projects like these, and at a far larger scale if we want to make a difference globally. Please don’t forget to make a little contribution to the cause, either by volunteering or digging into your pockets, even if they are not so deep. See addresses for that at end of blog. Thank you.

Henry Eilers often just called ‘Weeds’ and that’s ok by me.

Just one of the many showy forbs of summer
In the barrens

Thirty Year Anniversary

Thirty years ago, the Shoal Creek Conservation Area became a reality. It was set aside on January 6, 1990, by the Litchfield City Council and Mayor Dorothy Mansholt. The City and its lake department have been steadfast supporters ever since.

This once seriously overgrown woods with dense stands of invasive species, it is now a changed ecosystem with far more open appearance. It now resembles might how it would have looked to a Native American from the 17 or 18^th century! A great number of volunteers have eliminated undesirable shrubs and trees over these decades. The restoration has been aided from using prescribed burning of the area over the past thirty years. Although fire is a difficult activity, it is the one most necessary for recovery of such ancient woodland communities. It has been a force on our lands for eons and eliminating it has had unforeseen bad consequences. Undoing the ill effects of 100 – 200 years of little or no fire will take time. How much? Can we really know? The woodlands were also drastically altered by intensive livestock grazing and repeated timbering. Those eliminated most all the truly big trees, often leaving behind ‘doghair’ stands of slender pole trees.

Shooting Star, one of the early flowers

Today, with fewer but larger crowned trees, mostly oaks and hickories and a more open canopy, that has been the result of selective thinning, the various prairie grasses and forbs [flowers] that were barely hanging on in places are becoming far more common, especially in the Barrens community, creating spectacular displays in spring summer and into fall.  

Another unique forest community is the Flatwoods. Often flooded at various times of the year, it is home to many wetland species. It also contains such prairie species as the sky-blue Ohio Spiderwort early on and later in the season with many yellow composites and expanses of Purple-pink Prairie Blazing Star. The threatened Buffalo Clover, is just one of several rare species at our preserve. Not only are we talking about rare species here, but also rare natural communities as both of the above rank among the best [and unfortunately the few] of what Illinois has left.

Flat-woods with two flowered Cynthia

Take a closer look, the flatwoods in winter are now dominated
by the tan color of Giant Woodreed. The Black Oak had been girdled.
But also note lightning scar

Lake Yeager really emphasizes the seasonal aspects, creating lovely vistas throughout the year 

Mood of the seasons, winter time

Mood of the season, shoreline at lake draw-down

Mood of the seasons, muted fall colors

Plants and butterflies, rocks and critters enrich all hiking experiences. Woodland management has made remarkable differences.

A spider orb in early morning perfection

Many organizations have made all this recovery possible. Support in the beginning was strong from the Litchfield Rotary and the nature trail still carries its name. At the state and national level, The Nature Conservancy has also provided support and guidance. More recently Friends of Lake Lou Yaeger [Folly] and Litchfield High School Environmental Studies classes with their Earth Day celebration have stepped up to the plate. Above all, it has always been the individual who have made the significant differences visible today. The list of those volunteers is long and worthy of more than a few blogs.

An unusual color form of Scullcap
the only one I have ever encountered

Several prominent Ecologists have written accounts of their research, conducted in our Shoal Creek Conservation area, in several different scientific journals. An account also appeared in the Journal of the International Oak Society. At the 25^th anniversary meeting of this group, a contingent of members from many countries toured the site aided by FOLLY. ‘Got to love that name’, the editor remarked in his account of the visit! Many other groups have visited and more recently SIU-E has conducted orchid research here.

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Bee-balm and Swallowtail

Ashy Sunflower, a showy denizen of flat woods and old-fields

Contact information

heilers@consolidated.net

Henry Eilers
1302 Union Ave.
Litchfield, IL 62056

If making a contribution to support the work that is being done make the check to
Shoal Creek Volunteers, Inc