Springtime draws everyone to the woodlands of Illinois. The forested bluffs and bottomlands of the Middle Fork valley are blessed with an incredible variety of spring wildflowers, such as the jack-in-the-pulpit shown here. Of special interest to naturalists are the yellow lady slipper orchids, which can be found in some bottomlands and in Orchid Hill Nature Preserve. The ever-popular-but-elusive morel provides a tasty reward for the hundreds of mushroom hunters who comb the valley during late April each year.