Chicago Botanic Garden

Yesterday we biked 26 miles on the North Branch Trail, also circling the Skokie Lagoons and stopping for lunch at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Cafe. We bike this route several times each year so we can eat at the AGrdens and then walk the magnificent grounds for an hour or so before heading home.

In 1963, the Chicago Horticultural Society was granted 300 acres of forest on the outskirts of the city, and the Chicago Botanic Garden established roots. With the groundbreaking for the Garden in 1965 and its opening in 1972, the Society created a permanent site on which to carry out its three-fold mission -- collections, education, and research.

The 385-acre Garden features 23 display gardens and three native habitats, uniquely situated on nine islands surrounded by lakes. They also have 100 acres of woods, 81 acres of waterways surrounding the 9 islands on the northernmost portion of Skokie Lagoons, with a total of 6 miles of shoreline. Since Illinois is the Prairie State, they also maintain 15 acres of prairie.

255 bird species have been sighted on the grounds, and the flora collection includes 2.3 million plants representing 9,434 plant varieties including 15,151 trees, 921,671 bulbs, 1,139,364 perennials, 14,704 aquatic plants, 180 bonsai, and 60,557 shrubs.

They are supported by 50,000 members, the largest membership of any U.S. botanic garden, and their 3/4 million visitors represent the second most-visited botanic garden of its size in the U.S. Educational programs include 475 adult education classes, from gardening basics to botanical sketching, as well as programs for 35,000 schoolchildren and 2,000 teachers. 1,000 volunteers assist the staff of 240, from horticulturist to librarian to aquatic staff. They also boast of 25,000 book titles, including one of the nation's best collections of rare botanical books

Admission is free, though parking is $20. Bikers can enter with no charge from the spur off the North Branch loop around the lagoons (across Dundee Road) or through the front entrance on Lake-Cook Road. Bike racks are available at the Gateway Center entrance.

Though we are barely into the growing season here, below are a few shots of the early bloomers, starting with Persian Buttercups...



... and myriad Tulips...






...and more Tulips interspersed with blue Poppy Anemones...



...and colorful Violas and Pansies...



One of my favorite displays is the Japanese exhibit, consisting of 3 islands, 2 of which you can access by bridges...







If you've never visited the gardens, don't wait any longer. If you have, you know how spectacular the displays are, so visit again soon!