Elkhart Wildflower Walks begin this weekend

 

[March 30, 2017]  ELKHART - The Elkhart Historical Society announces the schedule for the April Wildflower walks on Elkhart Hill, and the dinner lecture to be offered by Vernon LaGesse, Executive Director of the Friends of the Sangamon Valley, a charitable membership organization dedicated to the preservation of our natural heritage by acquiring, restoring and protecting ecological significant lands within the Lower Sangamon River Watershed.

The talk, “30 years of Restoring Natural Communities in Central Illinois, while walking in the footsteps of the Captain,” will encompass the fascinating challenges of restoring prairie, timbers and wetlands across Central Illinois for 30 years for various Conservation Groups. A long time devotee of Captain A.H. Bogardus, he has not only collected items and stories related to Bogardus, but also has restored many of the endangered or threatened natural areas described by Bogardus’s book, “Field, Cover and Trap Shooting” written in 1878.

The dinner and lecture will be held at Horsefeather’s Wild Hare Café at 5:30p on Friday April 21, 2017. The menu offers a choice of Lasagna or Chicken Pot Pie with garden salad fresh baked rolls and choice of dessert and beverage. A $10 donation to The Elkhart Historical Society will be included in the cost of the dinner lecture.

The April wildflower walks will be offered twice a day, 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. and are scheduled for every Saturday in April starting April 1st for the very earliest of the spring ephemerals such as spring beauties and Dutchmen’s breeches, concluding with the vast sweeps of Virginia Bluebells. The final Saturday April 29, will offer two bird walks, 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., with a combination bird and flower walk at 10 a.m.

Private tours for groups of 10 or more can be arranged for on other days during the spring bloom. The bird walk will once again be led by 3 fabulous ornithologists, Rhetta Jack, Dr. Lara Borgerson, and Joe Funk- - who helped to identify over 60 species of birds on last year’s walk.

Reservations for all events must be made by calling 217-947-2238, and reservation forms with times and menus can be found and downloaded at the elkharthistoricalsociety.org website.

[J. Rob Wilson]