Hawthorne Hill Sedge Meadow EarthCache
Hawthorne Hill Sedge Meadow
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Hawthorne Hill Sedge Meadow Earthcache
Welcome to Hawthorne Hill! Hawthorne Hill is a 67-acre natural area on the west side of Elgin with a nature center owned and operated by the City of Elgin. The park includes a little over a mile’s worth of trails (woodchipped in some areas, paved in others), two ponds, and a nature center.
The east side of the park shows remnants of an oak/hickory woodland while the west side contains more box elder, buckthorn, and wetlands (including two ponds and a sedge meadow).
The sedge meadow is unique because it is a wetland dominated by grass-like sedges and wildflowers which can thrive in moist, flooded, and occasionally dry conditions. Many sedge meadows were lost when early settlers installed drainage tiles to permit farming. This sedge meadow escaped drainage and persists today.
Look for giant reeds (Phragmites) with feathery seed heads to the west.
You will see more as you look around the ponds or leave the neighborhood. These invasive plants thrive in wetlands, crowding out native species. Volunteers are working to eliminate these aggressive plants and others.
If you visit in spring, you may see bright yellow marsh marigolds or the dark purple stalks of great angelica rising from the murky soil.
Lumps of tussock sedge on the west side of the bridge (just beyond the sign) are best viewed in winter, fall, or summer, rising above the dark earth.
Each summer, Joe Pye weed, blue vervain, and marsh milkweed paint the sedge meadow with hues of lavender and pink. The sign on the bridge provides information.
Start at the nature center parking lot and follow the asphalt path that winds around the back of the nature center toward the posted coordinates.
To log this earthcache as found, please E-mail me the answers to the following questions through my profile.
1) What is the elevation change from the nature center to the earthcache coordinates?
2) How wide is the sedge meadow?
Optional "Extra Credit": Post a photo of you with your GPSR with the sedge meadow in the background.
Additional Hints
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Treasures
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