Natural history information

The Bolingbrook Park District manages natural areas that encompass many different habitats including woods, wetlands, prairie, and riparian areas.

Woodlands
A woodland is an area where moderately dense trees and shrubs (30% to 70% canopy) occur over a continuous and permanent herbaceous groundlayer. Native trees making up a woodland in this area most often are Oaks and Hickories in the canopy, Ironwood, American Plum, Red Bud, and Black Cherry in the understory and hazelnut, serviceberry, viburnum, and dogwoods in the shrub layer.

Herbaceous groundlayer is dominated by grasses like bottlebrush and switch grass, and woodland wildflowers like trilliums, jack-in-the-pulpit, mayapples, asters, and joe pye weed.

Animals you may find in our woodlands are many:
Mammals: fox squirrels, gray sqirrels, white tailed deer, eastern cottontail rabbits, little brown bats, raccoons
Reptiles and amphibians: tiger salamanders, fox snakes, brown snakes
Birds: Cooper'sHawk, Great Horned and Screech Owls, Eastern Chickadee, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and many other perching birds

Management plans for woodlands include selective clearing of invasive non-natives like buckthorn, honeysuckle, and multiflora rose and aggressive native species like box elder, some maples, and mulberry, seeding with native grasses and forbs, and prescribed burning.

Wetlands
Wetlands are areas where the soil is wet most of the year are considered wetlands. Wetlands are categorized by the plants in them and how long the water sticks around

Swamp: has trees which grow right in the water like cypress. You will find true swamps in Arkansas and Louisiana.
Marsh: can be wherever there’s a low spot that holds water part of the year. Soft stemmed plants like cattails and arrowhead can take root in fluctuating water levels.

Animals you may find in our wetlands are many:
Mammals: muskrat, mink, raccoons, voles
Reptiles and amphibians: bullfrog, chorus frog, spring peeper, painted turtle, snapping turtle
Birds: Northern Harrier, Red Wing Blackbird, Great Blue Heron, Egret, Coots, Mallards, Canada Goose and many other waterfowl