Welcome!

I’ve roamed Jackson Park for years, photographing first insects in general, then dragonflies, then birds — whatever caught my eye. Wildflowers didn’t become a major (figurative and literal) focus until the COVID lockdowns of 2020-21. Needing a outlet for my energies, I began visiting Jackson Park multiple times a week from the spring thaw until the end of autumn. My goal was simple but ambitious — to document the diversity of flowering plants. I’m an invertebrate biologist, not a botanist, so I first focused on wildflowers, to the exclusion of grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees (which, for me, ranged from hard-to-ID to completely baffling). With more experience and better tools (especially some wonderful cellphone apps), I’ve expanded my view, but you’ll find this website still gives short shrift to trees and (especially) grasses. Despite my limitations, I’ve documented over 500 species of flowering plants in Jackson Park and I see new species every season. Few activities give as much satisfaction as getting to really know a piece of land. (And the plants, animals, and fungi that call it home.) I’m delighted to share with you Jackson Park, as I see it. — Michael LaBarbera