Forest Preserves of Cook County 2019 Spring Brochure

Look through this guide for other wildlife and plants that can also be found in the South Zone this spring. Southwest Zone Explore what’s wild and wonderful. Each spring and summer, the milkweed found in the grasslands of Orland and Bartel Land and Water Reserves serves as a resting place and a source of food for monarch butterflies. After five months of overwintering in Mexico, monarchs come north, each generation hatching the next on route—the butterflies that reach southern Canada can be the great-great grandchildren of those that started the trip. Spring in the Preserves: Monarch Butterflies Monarchs feed on a variety of prairie plants but lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants. You may have common milkweeds in your garden. Several species, like purple and prairie milkweed, are rarer in the region and typically can only be found in areas like the Forest Preserves. Images: Paul Dacko 28