Exploring Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve in St. Charles, Illinois

 

A Unique Nature Exploration at Ferson Creek Fen

Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve in St. Charles, Illinois invites explorers to wander a unique wetland environment along the Fox River. We visited in late fall and made a lot of discoveries along the way.

Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve provides a fantastic view of the Fox River. We enjoyed
 seeing trees with late fall colors of burned reds and oranges across the way.

Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve only holds about .74 miles of trails however those trails guide you through a pretty unique environment. A big section of the trail system is composed of a boardwalk that will take you through the wetlands to an observation point on the Fox River.

The boardwalk at Ferson Creek Fen invites nature exploration.

A fen is a wetland existing at the water table level and is fed by mineral-rich groundwater or surface water. A particularly distinguishing feature of a fen is that peat is accumulating. Fens are a rapidly disappearing ecosystem and the St. Charles Park District is committed to protecting this rare environment. Fens are important for reducing flooding as well as improving water quality. It is crucial that we work to conserve them.

Signs throughout Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve provide
 important details about the unique ecosystem.

Signs throughout the preserve detail distinctive elements of the preserve. The preserve is noted for birding, so keep your eyes out along the way. We did spot a swamp sparrow while meandering along the boardwalk. Additionally, we saw my favorite in the small stands of trees present -- a downy woodpecker!

A few trees rose above the goldenrod, aster, coneflowers, and
other native flowers that had gone to seed.

Visiting on a cloudy fall day, we found the preserve pretty quiet with only a few additional wandering visitors. We spent time just slowly admiring the preserve and observing the variety of plants and animals present. I especially loved to look at native flowers gone to seed. Trails were a blend of boardwalk, dirt, and grass yielding a surprising number of perspectives within the preserve.

I love hiking in the late fall and even into the winter to observe the rich textures of wildflowers and grasses past their summer prime and letting go of their seeds. The golds and rusts left behind can be much richer in color than you think. Plus, while observing the patterns you will notice all sorts of different folds, angles, and ridges. Pretty cool! This is also a good time of year to spot lichens and mosses. Their bright greens and blues light up the late fall and winter landscape.

We would like to return in the spring and summer months to witness even more wildlife. Fens are pretty important habitats to waterfowl, so I would like to see what we could spot in those months. Additionally, spring is a great time to hear the frog chorus!