Best Midwest fall color? Feast your eyes on our prairies

There's a hint of autumn in the air and everyone, it seems, wants to know about fall leaf color.

Reporters call on the phone, teachers e-mail, and visitors come to the nature center -- everyone asking about the changing colors.

They're talking trees, of course. They want to know exactly when the peak color will be this year and where they can see it. From the car.

After about the third or fourth inquiry I cut to the chase. "For the best fall color, go to the prairie."

"Huh?"

"The prairie."

"When?"

"Now."

There's either a pause on the phone, silence in cyberspace or a blank stare in front of me.

"And be sure to get out of the car," I add.

This is evidently not the answer the person wants.

But it's the honest-to-gosh truth: If you want forest foliage, go to New England. If you want autumn color in the heartland, the prairie is the place to be. And the time to be in the prairie is today.

The pageantry of prairie color runs from September through November, with fashion statements ranging from bold and brash to subtle and discreet.

Goldenrods -- all 15 or so species of them in Kane County -- are definitely "in" this season, and they start the show with glorious golds and yellows. If awards were given, Showy Goldenrod would be a winner for its blast of brilliance lasting well into October. Stiff Goldenrod's a close runner-up.

The sunflowers come in close behind the goldenrods, as towering Prairie Dock and tall Compass plants -- hangers-on from the summer performance -- thrust their gaudy yellow blossoms skyward before the first frost.

There are mavericks who dare to be different and put on a splash of purple with a bright orange center for contrast. These flamboyant plants call themselves Aster novae-angliae.

Then there are plants like Blazing Star that are absolutely radiant in lavender.

The gentians prefer a more conservative look, going for the subtle, soft blues and cream colors on the autumn prairie. Sky-blue aster, as its lovely name implies, adds a heavenly touch to the floral mix.

Not to be outdone, the tall Boneset with its white blossoms is showing off like there's no tomorrow.

Lest the flowers steal the show, stalks and stems and fruit and seeds create their own melange of fall color. The slender, graceful stems of Indian grass emanate russet and auburn hues. The paler tints of Switch grass and Canada rye blend with the rich colors of the Indian grass, and when Big Bluestem is added to the mix -- look out! Big Blue will wow you with its 10-foot tall, purple-tinted stems topped with purplish-gray seed heads. This giant grass is a show-stopper, to be sure -- and it's our official state grass to boot!.

The autumn pageant that began with gold in September will make its grand finale by late October, glistening in silver. Little Bluestem backlit by the autumn sun should surely rank as one of the Wonders of the World, right up on the list with the other seven.

A hillside of Little Bluestem is a magnificent sight, the grasses bending in the wind like waves on a silver sea. Hoary seeds of asters ride the breeze, and stray silver parachutes from prairie milkweeds float atop the ocean of grasses.

At the edge of the prairie are sumacs sporting scarlet that will knock your socks off. Smooth Sumac and Staghorn Sumac form small colonies where protected from prairie fires, and their autumn color is as intense as the fire itself. Poison ivy, although no one's favorite, is a close relative of the sumacs; it, too can add color to the prairie's edge.

Ah, but the essence of fall is more than random color. When autumn's alchemy has worked its magic on the prairie, it's the gestalt of the grasslands that matters most.

That's why I answer the predictable questions about fall color with the unexpected admonition to go to the prairie, unplugged and sans car.

The prairie's palette comprises colors you have to feel as well as see.

You've got to walk among the golds and the purples and the russets under a cobalt October sky. You've got to get dizzy with the dance of light on the surface of the prairie sea.

You've got to listen to the wind and ride the swells on the ocean of grass. You've got to hear the symphony of crickets below while a Red-tail screams above.

You've got to smell the autumn earth and taste the prairie air.

You've got to follow coyote's footprints to the creek. You've got to get snagged by thorns along the way.

You've got to watch heroic monarchs flying south. You've got to sense the weather changing in the west and know the urgency, as well as the splendor, of this colorful season.

Want to see fall color?

It's all there, and then some, on the prairie.

Experience it. Visit the prairie today.

BlaineValerie@co.kane.il.us,

Your questions here

Got a nature question? Something bugging you about the urban wilderness outside your door? Ask Valerie, who is nature program manager for the Kane County Forest Preserve District. You may e-mail questions to BlaineValerie@co.kane.il.us, or send mail to her at: Kane County Forest Preserve District, 35W076 Villa Marie Road, St. Charles, IL 60174-6692.