The summer color parade of the Illinois prairie may be over, but the prairie of the autumn offers a unique display of its very own.

Prairie grasses turn to golden hues, while late blooming asters and goldenrods dot the landscape. Anderson Prairie boasts two species of gentian, both which bloom in late autumn. They defy all but the hardest of frosts.

While Anderson Prairie Park's organized wildflower walks and bird and butterfly monitoring sessions are finished for this year, the prairie still has much to offer those who seek the beauty and solitude of the authentic Illinois landscape.

Above: The curling dried leaf of the compass plant signals that summer is at an end. Above Right: The bottle or closed gentian is one of the last prairie flowers to bloom at Anderson Prairie Park. Below Right: The mitten-shaped leaves of sassafras turn a bright red-orange along the wildflower trail.

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