Younghusband Prairie in Suburban Barrington
With all the rain we have had in the area, I have been itching to get out to Younghusband Prairie in suburban Chicago in my ole hometown of Barrington, Illinois to see summer prairie wildflowers. Itching turned out to be the word of the day. The mosquitoes and deer flies were ferocious.
Even on the middle of a hot sunny day on the open prairie, I had an unwelcome fan club following me the whole way. Usually I am able to out hike mosquitoes, but not today. Perhaps I was a little slower today as I was recouping from a 12 mile run the day before training for the Chicago Marathon.
Ominous clouds roll over Younghusband Prairie
I started out in Crabtree Nature Center and hiked a couple miles around the nature center. In the ponds just beyond the Visitor’s Center I saw a muskrat and a rare yellow-crowned night heron. Black-crowned night herons are common, but the yellow-crowned variety is rarely seen in these parts. Unfortunately, he stopped to roost on a tree only momentarily before heading back farther into the marsh.
Flowers line the trail at Crabtree Nature Center
I then headed to Younghusband Prairie. The wildflowers at Crabtree where out, but they were not what I expected. They turned out to be much more brilliant at Younghusband Prairie. Younghusband Prairie is a small swath of restored prairie on the other side of Baker’s Lake. It is sandwiched between Dundee Road, the Barrington Prairie Middle School, and a suburban neighborhood.
Younghusband Prairie mowed trail
For a place so close to suburbia and development, it is home to an impressive amount of wildlife. I was greeted by a large red-tailed hawk on a tree as soon as I entered the parking lot, but it got even better on the birds of prey front. Three osprey flew right over my head as I was walking on the prairie. They were headed to Baker’s Lake.
Osprey are common in Wisconsin and states like Minnesota, Michigan, and Florida, but they are somewhat rare in Illinois, especially suburban Illinois. I am sure they can be found along the Illinois River and sections of Lake Michigan, but I was quite shocked to see three less than a mile from the home I grew up in. I used to walk my dog Barney several times a week at Baker’s Lake and I think I can remember seeing one osprey all the time I visited the lake.
Prairie wildflowers in full force at Younghusband Prairie
The wildflowers on the prairie were out in full force. Bergamot, black eyed Susans, and Pale Purple Coneflowers were everywhere as well as a ton of flowers I was unfamiliar with. Every time I took a photo I had to swat three or four ferocious mosquitoes away from me. Then the deer flies joined in, and it made it difficult to take a picture.
It can be difficult to spot wildlife in a tallgrass prairie in the summer as birds and animals have plenty of places to hide as the tallgrasses are almost jungle like in their impenetrability. On the way back I did spot two heads bobbing through the thick grasses. It turned out to be two white-tailed deer and this one was a male just growing antlers.
Inquisitive white-tailed deer has me in its sight over the tallgrass of Younghusband Prairie
I headed towards Baker’s Lake and there are several swampy areas over between Ron Beese Park and the lake. Several egrets and great blue herons waded in the ponds. I came closer, but the mosquitoes were even worse here. I stopped to take more prairie wildflower photos and each time I swatted my neck I had three or four mosquito carcasses in my hand. It was time to head back to the car.
Egret feeding in the ponds close to Baker’s Lake
I usually do not take mosquito repellant with me on day trips, but next time I am going in the summer to view wildflowers due to heavy rains, you can bet I will pack the juice and perhaps a mosquito net.
Younghusband Prairie location:
TT
The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).
On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.
Is it possible to get a run in there? Looks like good scenery for an easy run.
Trips By Lance recently posted..Memphis Quirkiness Found at Beale Street’s A Schwab
The only other people I saw were two young runners. It is a great place to run. Not a lot of trail mileage, but the adjacent streets are good places to run too, so you could get a good workout running the streets and then doing a mile or two in the prairie.
How cool to see the deer – I like that picture with the flowers in the foreground. Also, I like the ominous skies in the photos – they add great depth to the photos. And next time I see you, I may bring you some mosquito repellent!
Raul (@ilivetotravel) recently posted..Four Decades of the Panama Canal
I usually have some on hand, but I was not expecting such fierce and determined blood suckers on hand in a prairie in Illinois.
Beautiful photos, Ted! I especially love the one of the curious deer. 🙂 Sorry to hear about the mosquitoes! I feel your pain as they ate me alive in Montreal. 🙁
Erin at The World Wanderer recently posted..Room with a View.
They usually don’t bother me that much, but they were vicious, especially near the lakes and swamps, but even out on the prairie they were a factor.
Very interesting name, younghusband prairie! Mosquitos, ouch! I actually have an idea (expect an email)
@mrsoaroundworld recently posted..Top 10 luxury hotel rooms with a view I have stayed at #frifotos
Hannah K. Younghusband is the name of a prairie conservationist who lobbied for protection of this place, so they named it after her.
Love the photos…looks so beautiful. Think I would enjoy getting lost in there for a while, just wandering and enjoying nature.
Anita Mac recently posted..Monday Morning Series: See The World
That deer is too cute! Pretty place! Those Mosquitos can be nasty! I can never outrun those buggers
Lola DiMarco recently posted..One Day Stay: Boston, Massachusetts
They were especially fleet of wing on this afternoon.
Beautiful shot of the deer and what a nice place to visit so close to the city. I was just sent some bracelets – like the Lance Armstrong rubber things for cancer – which I will try over the next three days. They are called Mosquitno (from the States) and are supposed to be good at repelling mosquitoes for up to 6 days., I will send her your site right now and maybe you can get a sample to try.
Leigh recently posted..A Visit by Bike to Campobello Island, New Brunswick
I used a similar product in Isle Royale called buggabandz. They seemed to work pretty well.
Love these photos…we did an alpine hike to Tahoe recently and there were no mosquitos but plenty of wildflowers..my favorite!
Charu recently posted..World’s First Benjamin Franklin Museum Opens in Philadelphia
That sounds like heaven compared to the nasty critters that are flying around the Midwest these days. Looking forward to fall.
I visited Baker’s Lake, Younghusband Prairie and Deer Grove East FP on Saturday. The mosquitoes at Younghusband were as bad this day as they were when you were there – I got a few photographs near the lot, but then had to head to the top of the hill in the prairie to get away from them. No osprey on the nest platform, but Tree Swallows were enjoying perching on it. I’ve visited here other summers a few years ago and the mosquitoes weren’t that bad that.
Thanks for the warning Alan. I will avoid this place for a couple of weeks and hope the mosquitoes moderate a little bit. They usually do towards the end of summer and fall.
About how long is the walk from the parking lot at Younghusband to the lake? Is it at least a mile or longer? Thanks for the info and the pictures>
Hello Bob,
It is probably less than a half a mile. It is not far at all.
I’m writing a book “Scenic Northern Illinois”. May I please use 2 of your pictures (the deer & the wildflowers in full force)? I have no budget so I cannot pay you, but you would get photo credit.