Plants
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Growing knee high, spiderworts are distinctive late spring and early summer prairie wildflowers. Their blue purple flowers standout amongst the green of the spring-green vegetation. Learn More -
Gaze at this graceful plant, which grows luxuriantly on shady riverbanks. A native of the Americas, it is related to many garden favorites, but is one of the few native plants that provides no other useful extracts. Learn More -
Gaze at this graceful plant, which grows luxuriantly on shady riverbanks. A native of the Americas, it is related to many garden favorites, but is one of the few native plants that provides no other useful extracts. Learn More -
The blossoms of this massive tree may fool you into thinking it's related to the tulip flower, but it is really a Yellow Poplar. Known to reach heights of up to 200 feet, this tree produces a light, soft lumber with a wide range of utilitarian purposes. Learn More -
Check out this enchanting flower, native to North America and East Asia. The leaves, petals, and sepals of these Trillium are characteristically in tree forms, with single white or purple flowers. Both Native Americans and early colonists used the Trillium's rootstock medicinally. Learn More -
Mushrooms appear in many disparate forms, textures, and sizes. This particular case contains the Puffball mushrooms, which have little openings in the top, through which the spores escape. The case contains an additional explanatory text, as well as models of the Water-Measuring Earthstar, Pear-shaped Puffball, Gemmed Puffball, Giant Puffball, and the Bird's Nest fungus. Learn More -
With over eighty kinds of oaks native to North America, the most common oak in Chicago is a giant. The Black Oak can soar to well over one hundred feet, with a trunk diameter stretching seven feet across. This tree grows best in clay or on dry, sandy hillsides and can live to almost two hundred years. This display examines the different aspects of the Oak tree with specimens from both the male and female flowers, as well as a flowering tree. Learn More -
Get to know the oaks of the Chicago region. The leaves, stems, and acorns of a variety of Red and White oaks exhibit the diversity that can happen within a species. Learn More -
Don't let the milky sap of this poisonous plant get under your skin! It's bound to cause inflammation. Truly, any part of the poison ivy plant, when broken open, can produce its sticky irritant, which works as a defense mechanism. Learn More -
Don't miss the short blooming period of these abundant flowers. Opening only during sunny weather, the spring beauty grows in carpet like smatterings amidst sparsely wooded forests around the United States. Learn More