Nachusa Grasslands
Nature lovers will want to visit Nachusa Grassland to enjoy its rolling landscape with a mosaic of eleven different natural community types, including dry prairie, tallgrass prairie, bur oak savanna, sand savanna, fen, sedge meadow, and streamside marsh. Scattered like a broken string of pearls among old corn and soybean fields, these high quality natural areas provide a unique opportunity to restore Illinois' original landscape on a large scale.

Nachusa Grasslands spans more than 1,500 acres and is open to the public for hiking, bird watching, and other activities that do not harm the natural landscape. The grasslands are in bloom from April through October, but the ruddy color of little bluestem grass in winter makes Nachusa's rolling landscape beautiful year round.

Guests visiting the site will find interpretive at the main entrance to the preserve. Volunteers at Nachusa conduct periodic tours, bird walks, and other special events.

What to See: Plants
Steep sandstone outcrops descending into rocky meadows and streams made Nachusa Grasslands difficult to farm and saved large pieces of native prairie from the plow. One of the world's largest populations of federally threatened prairie bush clover has managed to survive here. Four other plant species at Nachusa are candidates for federal listing: fame flower, Hill's thistle, kittentails, and forked aster. Many other plants that are rare in Illinois survive at Nachusa, including downy yellow painted cup and prairie lion's tooth.

What to See: Animals
Scientist Ron Panzer has conducted at Nachusa one of the world's first successful reintroductions of a rare insect, the gorgone checkerspot butterfly. The butterflies are rescued from prairie fragments that are being lost to development and transported to Nachusa, where they have a greatly improved chance of long-term survival.

Upland sandpipers migrate all the way from the Pampas of Argentina to nest at Nachusa Grasslands. Grasshopper sparrows, dickcissels and Henslow's sparrows can be seen perched in the colorful prairie grasses. Badgers and other Illinois wildlife that need a lot of space are plentiful at Nachusa Grasslands.

Directions:
Located near Franklin Grove, IL

From Chicago and points east:
Take I-88 West (East-West Tollway). Exit at Route 251 North (Rochelle) to Route 38 West. Travel through Ashton and into Franklin Grove (approx. 16.5 miles), go 2 blocks past Casey's and turn right (north) at Daysville Road/1700E (sign: Franklin Creek State Park). Travel 1.5 miles north to Naylor Road/1950 North, then turn left (west) and go 2.2 miles to Lowden Road/1500 East. Turn right (north) and go 1 mile to entrance on left.

From North & South (I-39):
Take I-39, and exit at Route 64. Go west towards Oregon, IL for 16 miles to Daysville Road/1700 East, which is just before Oregon. Go left (south) on Daysville for 2.5 miles to Lowden Road/1500 East (just past LaVigna Restaurant). Turn right and continue southwards on Lowden Road for 8 miles (you will pass Flagg and Stonebarn Roads) to entrance, on the west (right) side of the road.

Nachusa Grasslands
8772 S. Lowden Road
Franklin Grove, Illinois 61031
Phone: (815) 456-2340
Fax: (815) 456-2342