South Shore Cultural Center Nature Sanctuary

7059 S. South Shore Drive
South Shore Cultural Center
Chicago IL, 60631
Phone:

Community advocates had long dreamed of building a nature center on the peninsula behind the South Shore Cultural Center. The park district agreed and in 2001 began construction on the new sanctuary. A trail system loops around the sanctuary and includes a boardwalk that leads visitors along an emerging sand dune, over a small wetland, and through three and a half acres of prairie landscape.

More Info

General Info

Specialty: Nature Sanctuary
Getting there: From the field house walk south along the beach until you reach the nature area

The prairie meadow includes plants that provide nectar for butterflies and food for growing caterpillars such as butterfly milkweed, blazing star, and purple coneflower. Scattered cottonwoods and willows around the sanctuary have been left standing to provide food for caterpillars. The wetland edge contains a variety of native shrubs and plants such as indigo bush, button bush, cardinal flower, bull rushes, and wild blue iris.
The sands along Lake Michigan are slowly collecting into a special dune habitat, which may soon contain dune vegetation such as Marram Grass, Sand Reed and Sea Rocket. The newly formed dune is a welcome sight near the four-acre peninsula, which was previously overgrown with fast-growing weedy vegetation.