Ehlert Park Natural Area

Ehlert Park Natural Area Ehlert Park Natural Area is located
in the park at Sunnyside & Shields Avenues,
Brookfield, IL. Dolomite prairies often have soil that is strongly alkaline.

About Dolomite Prairies

Natural dolomite prairies were never very common in Illinois, and can be found primarily in northern part of the state, where either the rocky glacial till has been exposed, or where the underlying bedrock lies close to the soil surface. They tend to be rather dry and well-drained, although moist areas also exist where the land surface is depressed. Unfortunately, most of

the original gravel and dolomite prairies have been largely destroyed by modern development, although they still exist to a limited extent in parks and around abandoned military bases. JC Ehlert Park Natural Area was created by digging down to the bedrock, thus forming a dolomite prairie that contains a mix of wet, mesic, and dry prairie, which intergrade into each other. All posted photos provided by Allen Goodcase of J.C. Ehlert Park Natural Area.

Silky departures
08/31/2026

Silky departures

After the rains - Mid August
08/18/2026

After the rains - Mid August

Mid July Magic On The Prairie part 2
07/18/2026

Mid July Magic On The Prairie
part 2

Mid July Magic On The Prairie
07/14/2026

Mid July Magic On The Prairie

Don't BEE Fooled !The Laphria thoracica (Eastern yellow-backed robber fly) is not a pollinator. Instead, it is an aggres...
07/08/2026

Don't BEE Fooled !

The Laphria thoracica (Eastern yellow-backed robber fly) is not a pollinator. Instead, it is an aggressive predatory insect that perches on foliage to ambush bees, wasps, and other flower visitors mid-flight. It uses a bumblebee disguise (Batesian mimicry) to deter its own predators and sneak up on unwary pollinators.

photo by Allen Goodcase

Blooming flora - part 2
07/03/2026

Blooming flora - part 2

Where the grey sky meets the blooming flora
06/29/2026

Where the grey sky meets the blooming flora

Address

8965 Shields Avenue
Brookfield, IL
60513

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