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    On Sunday, May 2 at 1:30 pm join Garfield Farm Museum biologist Jerome Johnson on a guided woodland wildflower walk through the Garfield Harley Woods.
    With the second year of restoration activity underway, it will be interesting to see the effects on the first bloom of spring. As woodland wildflowers must quickly grow, bloom and set seed before towering oaks and hickories shade them out, the beginning of May has traditionally been a good time to see a sampling of the spring flora. Yet bloodroot bloomed two weeks ahead of schedule and only will any cold weather in April slow down this early spring bloom.
    The area to be looked at will be Garfield Farm Museum’s land trust agency Campton Historic Agricultural Land’s 9-acre Garfield Harley Woods and Vernal Pond. This is the nucleus of the larger 60 acre area that is part of Campton Township‚s protected open space, Harley Woods.     
    This is only the third season where a more normal rain fall has returned to maintain a 9-month water level in the vernal pool that is home to chorus frogs and tiger salamanders. Vernal pools dry out by midsummer so there are no fish to eat the bounty of tadpoles and young amphibians in the spring and early summer. Such wetlands are increasingly rare as they tend to be small -- less than a half or quarter acre. The Garfield Harley pond is unusual as it is at least an acre in size surrounded by mature oaks.     This woods was part of Jefferson Adams Garfield’s 1863 farm. Jefferson, a son of Timothy Garfield, had a grandson who owned the farm in the last half of the twentieth century named Garfield Harley.      This will be a chance to compare portions of the property where restoration management has begun. Evidence of the increasing numbers of deer will most likely be seen in the form of their browsing habits. Impact to specific species like trilliums can be noted.
    There is a $6 donation for the 2 hour walk. Long pants and, walking shoes are needed. The participants will meet at Garfield Farm Museum located off Illinois Rt. 38 on Garfield Road in Campton Hills, IL. For information and to make reservations e-mail info@garfieldfarm.org or call 630 584-8485.