Eggers Grove

The land where Eggers Grove now stands once lay under the waters of Lake Michigan’s larger ancestor, Lake Chicago. As the water retreated, it left behind sand ridges. Between the ridges, long wetlands formed. Today, Eggers is a unique habitat, combining dry, wooded ridges where spring wildflowers thrive with long, narrow wetlands filled with sedges, marsh grasses, emergent forbs and waterfowl. The large marsh to the southeast

is one of the few remaining local wetlands where Virginia rails nest. Other bird species include gray catbirds, yellow warblers, song sparrows, eastern kingbirds and red-eyed vireos. The varied woodland and wetland landscape attracts spring and fall migrations of waterfowl and songbirds. Ongoing restoration work helps maintain this ecologically significant area.

The Forest Preserve District is currently working with the Field Museum to restore the water flow of the big marsh and restore conditions that many wetland birds rely on for nesting.