REGISTRATION SITE OFFLINE 2/14-2/15: For details, check our Bulletin Board post, below

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REGISTRATION SITE OFFLINE 2/14-2/15: For details, check our Bulletin Board post, below

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PARKS & FACILITIES

Centennial Prairie Garden

The Wilmette Park District is developing a Native Illinois Prairie garden within the detention area located at the north end of Centennial Park. 

Seed plantings began in the fall of 2010.  The project is expected to take a few years to become established. When complete it will attract numerous birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

Click Here to download a PDF rendering of the 2010 garden site plan (shown on this page).

CentennialParkDetentionColorRendering
Centflowers

Citizens promptly petitioned for an election to organize a Park District. An election was held in January of 1908 and the first Board of Commissioners was designated. Of the 211 votes cast, 174 were in favor of establishing a park district and 37 were against. The Park District, a distinct and independent municipal body, encompassed the entire Village of Wilmette—which had a western boundary at the center line of Ridge Road. A portion of northeast Evanston was also included but later chose to be annexed to Evanston. 

The new Park District immediately set out to acquire the canal’s “made land” and established a goal of creating a continuous lakefront park stretching north from the new harbor basin. Although the Park District did not officially acquire the canal acreage until state legislation was passed on May 25, 1911, a combination of purchases, property condemnations, lease agreements and a gift of land from Northwestern University soon resulted in one nearly continuous stretch of land between Lake Avenue to 70 feet north of Forest Avenue—including all riparian rights.

The first park development was begun in 1910 between Lake and Forest Avenues with the grading and installation of drainage, planting of trees and sodding of a bluff area which at the time was being eroded by waves. Street lights and sidewalks were also installed. Later construction of a pier for the Wilmette Harbor and placement of shore protecting bulkheads gradually developed a sandy beach area of 10 acres where only one and a half acres had originally been obtained. In 1916 the park on the bluff was named Ouilmette Park in honor of Wilmette’s first citizen, Anton Ouilmette, whose residence was located near the intersection of Lake and Michigan avenues.

The Park District discovered the acreage created by the canal excavation was almost exclusively an impervious blue clay. It was not until 1917 that the first trees could be planted in soil which had been coaxed into existence through a series of cow pea and mullet plantings which were plowed under to create humus matter. This area became known as Washington Park.

Between 1911-1914 the Park District purchased a total of 11 lots to create West Side Park, known today as Vattmann Park. In 1914 the Park District began purchasing land east of Michigan Avenue between Washington and Lake avenues in hopes of creating a continuous lakefront park. The Park District acquired the “Church Triangle” at the intersection of 11th Street, Lake and Wilmette avenues in 1916 and leased Bateman Park (Sheridan Road and Michigan Avenue) from the Sanitary District of Chicago the same year.

The canal right-of-way at the east end of Greenleaf Avenue became the site of the first public ice skating rink in Wilmette and the present day Wallace Bowl was used as the Village dumping ground for eight years. In June of 1916 the Wilmette Woman’s Club was granted permission to establish public bathing facilities along the lakefront at the foot of Lake Avenue and north about 300 feet. The Wilmette Beach was thus established. After one year of successful operation by the Woman’s Club, the Park District purchased the beach equipment and opened a municipal beach—taking over responsibility for the maintenance of the facility.

Phase One : Native upland prairie flowers and grasses surrounding part of the detention basin were planted in June of 2010, by Wilmette Boy Scout Troop 2. In November the one acre detention basin was planted with wetland prairie seeds. (Planning and design by Charlotte Adelman and 3D Design Studio).

Photo taken by Joe Bruner, Boy Scout Troop 2, in September 2010 of a portion of the upland prairie flowers and grasses planted in June 2010. Visitors observed goldfinches, native sparrows, bees and a variety of skippers and butterflies that were attracted to the upland prairie’s Purple Coneflowers, Orange Coneflowers, New England Asters and Blue Vervains. Although not shown in this picture, the prairie’s abundance of several colorful and fragrant species of native milkweeds attracted numerous female egg-laying monarch butterflies which produced monarch butterfly caterpillars.

Phase Two : Additional native upland prarie flowers and grasses were planted by Wilmette Boy Scout Troop 2 in June 2011 to create a 15-foot wide border surrounding the entire detention basin. (Planning and design by Charlotte Adelman and Joe Bruner).

Listed below are the seeds planted in the (wetland) detention basin.

Forbs/Flowers
  • Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag)
  • Alisma subcordatum (Mud Plantain)
  • Allium cernuum (Nodding Onion)
  • Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone)
  • Angelica atropurpurea (Angelica)
  • Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)
  • Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster)
  • Aster umbellatus (Flat-Topped Aster)
  • Baptisia alba (White Wild Indigo)
  • Boltonia asteroides (False Aster)
  • Cacalia suaveolens (Sweet Indian Plantain)
  • Cassia hebecarpa (Wild Senna)
  • Chelone glabra (Turtlehead)
  • Dodecatheon amethystinum (Amethyst Shooting Star)
  • Dodecatheon meadia (Midland Shooting Star)
  • Eupatorium maculatum (Joe Pye Weed)
  • Eupatorium perfoliatum (Boneset)
  • Filipendula rubra (Queen of the Prairie)
  • Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle Gentian)
  • Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed)
  • Heliopsis helianthoides (Early Sunflower)
  • Hibiscus militaris (Rose Mallow)
  • Hypericum pyramidatum (Great St. John’s Wort)
  • Iris virginica shrevei (Southern Blue Flag)
  • Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazing Star)
  • Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star)
  • Liatris spicata (Marsh Blazing Star)
  • Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower)
  • Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia)
  • Lycopus americanus (Water Horehound)
  • Lysimachia quadriflora (Prairie Loosestrife)
  • Mimulus ringens (Monkey Flower)
  • Pedicularis lanceolata (Marsh Betony)
  • Phlox glaberrima interior (Marsh Phlox)
  • Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
  • Pycnanthemum virginianum (Mountain Mint)
  • Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)
  • Rudbeckia subtomentosa (Sweet Black-eyed Susan)
  • Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susan)
  • Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant)
  • Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant)
  • Silphium terebinthinaceum (Prairie Dock)
  • Solidago ohioensis (Ohio Goldenrod)
  • Solidago riddellii (Riddell’s Goldenrod)
  • Thalictrum dasycarpum (Purple Meadow Rue)
  • Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain)
  • Vernonia fasciculata (Common Ironweed)
  • Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s Root)
  • Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders)
Grasses/Sedges/Rushes
  • Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem)
  • Bromus ciliatus (Fringed Brome)
  • Calamagrostis canadensis (Blue Joint Grass)
  • Carex bebbii (Bebb’s Oval Sedge)
  • Carex comosa (Bristly Sedge)
  • Carex hystericina (Porcupine Sedge)
  • Carex lupulina (Common Hop Sedge)
  • Carex stipata (Common Fox Sedge)
  • Carex vulpinoidea (Brown Fox Sedge)
  • Elymus canadensis (Canada Wild Rye)
  • Elymus virginicus (Virginia Wild Rye)
  • Glyceria grandis (Reed Manna Grass)
  • Juncus canadensis (Canada Rush)
  • Juncus interior (Inland Rush)
  • Juncus interior (Inland Rush)
  • Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)
  • Scirpus atrovirens (Dark-green Bulrush)
  • Scirpus cyperinus (Wool Grass)
  • Scirpus validus (Great Bulrush)
  • Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass)
  • Spartina pectinata (Cord Grass).

Listed below are the plants (native prairie grasses and flowers) planted and scheduled to be planted in the upland areas surrounding the detention basin.

  • Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
  • Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) – Host plant for Common Wood Nymph, Arogos Skipper and Cobweb Skipper Butterflies
  • Andropogon scoparius (Little Bluestem) – Host plant for Common Wood Nymph, Cobweb Skipper, Crossline Skipper and Swarthy Skipper Butterflies
  • Apocynum cannabinum (Dogbane/Indian Hemp) – Called the Number One Butterfly Attracting Flower
  • Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed) – Host plant for Monarch Butterflies (Female monarch butterflies only reproduce on Milkweed species)
  • Asclepias sullivantii (Sullivant’s Milkweed) – Host plant for Monarch Butterflies
  • Asclepias tuberose (Orange Butterfly Milkweed) – Host plant for Monarch Butterflies
  • Asclepias verticillata (White Milkweed) – Host plant for Monarch Butterflies
  • Aster azureus (Sky Blue Aster) – Host plant for Pearl Crescent Butterflies
  • Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster) – Host plant for Pearl Crescent Butterflies
  • Baptisia australis (Blue Wild Indigo) – Host plant for Wild Indigo Duskywing, Silvery Blue, Frosted Elfin, Hoary Edge, Orange Sulphur and Eastern Tailed-Blue butterflies
  • Batisia alba (White Wild Indigo) – Host plant for Wild Indigo Duskywing, Silvery Blue, Frosted Elfin, Hoary Edge,Orange Sulphur and Eastern Tailed-Blue butterflies
  • Campanulastrum americanum (American Bellflower) – Attracts a tiny oligolectic (specialist) bee, Megachile campanulae campanulae
  • Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats, River Oats) – Host plant for Pepper & Salt Skipper, Bells Roadside Skipper and Bronzed Roadside Skipper butterflies
  • Cirsium discolor (Field Thistle) – Host plant for American Lady Butterflies
  • Coreopsis palmata (Prairie Coreopsis)
  • Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) – Host plant for Southern Dogface Butterflies
  • Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower)
  • Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
  • Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master) – Host plant for Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail Butterflies
  • Eupatorium Purpureum (Joe Pye Weed) – Host plant for Painted Lady Butterflies
  • Euphorbia corollata (Flowering Spurge)
  • Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)
  • Heliopsis helianthoiodes (Early Sunflower) – Host plant for Gorgone checkerspot and American Painted Lady Butterflies
  • Heracleum maximum (Common Cowparsnip) – Host plant for Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail Butterflies
  • Impatiens capensis (Orange Jewelweed) – A magnet for hummingbirds
  • Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazing Star) – Host plant for Painted Lady Butterflies & a magnet for monarch butterflies
  • Monarda bradburiana (Bradbury’s Monarda)
  • Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
  • Oligoneuron ohioense (Ohio Goldenrod)
  • Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass) – Host plant for Dotted Skipper and Tawny Edged Skipper Butterflies
  • Parthenium Integrifolium (Wild Quinine)
  • Penstemon grandiflorus (Large-Flowered Beardtongue)
  • Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower)
  • Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)
  • Rudbeckia subtomentosa (Sweet Black-eyed Susan) – Host plant for Silvery Checkerspot Butterflies
  • Ruellia humilis (Wild Petunia) – Host plant for Common Buckeye Butterflies
  • Silene regia (Royal Catchfly – attracts hummingbirds
  • Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant)
  • Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant)
  • Silphium terebinthinaceum (Prairie Dock)
  • Solidago speciosa (Showy Goldenrod)
  • Sorghastrum nutans (Indian Grass) – Host plant for Skipper butterflies
  • Sporobolus heterolepis (Northern Dropseed)
  • Three Quercus bicolor (Swamp White Oak) – Native Oaks are Host plant for Edwards’ Hairstreak and other Hairstreaks and Juvenal’s Duskywing butterflies
  • Tradescantia (Spiderwort) – Host plant for Buckeye butterflies
  • Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) – Host plant for Buckeye Butterflies
  • Vernoia fasciculata (Common Ironweed) – Host plant for Mourning Cloak and American Lady butterflies
  • Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s Root)
  • Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders) – Host plant for Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail butterflies

Also harvested from the site in the blue protection covers are Swamp White Oaks that will be transplanted at a future date.

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