Harms Woods is a fine oak woodland situated along the North Branch of the Chicago River in the village of Glenview. Several different species of oak are represented here; red oaks are more prevalent closer to the river while white and bur oaks are more plentiful as you move west up the moraine. In the wetter upland areas, on top of the moraine, swamp white oaks thrive.

In late March or April, visitors can enjoy the earliest of our spring wildflowers, including such lovelies as toothwort, hepatica, bloodroot and trout lily. A little later, they may be treated to displays of wildflowers with lyrical names like yellow pimpernel, Jack-in-the-pulpit, spring beauty and golden alexanders. Large stands of white trillium are a special treat.

Harms Woods is notable for its rich native flora. The plant list includes over 350 native species, over 40 percent of which are conservative species found almost exclusively in healthy, intact ecosystems. The site is unusually rich in native woodland shrubs. (diervilla, native yellow and red honeysuckls bloom in summer) Maple-leaved viburnum turns a gorgeous magenta in the fall, while a bit later the delicate yellow flowers of witch hazel grace the fall woods.

For bird watchers, Harms Woods is a great place to enjoy the spring and fall migratory seasons, as a great variety of warblers pass through. Visitors should also watch for the great horned owls, hairy woodpeckers, red-eyed vireos and yellow-billed cuckoos that are among the nesting birds of Harms.

At present, management is concentrated on the 90 or so acres west of the river and includes buckthorn and brush removal, prescribed burns and scattering seeds of locally collected native species.  Historically, fire was a major force in shaping the landscape of northeastern Illinois. Natural fires can no longer move across the suburban landscape so we now use prescribed burns to perform the same ecological function – keeping the woods open and sunny by removing some of the small trees and shrubs that block sunlight and non-natives not adapted to fire communities. Different parts of the site have been burned since 1987, with a goal of burning some part of the site every year.

This irreplaceable resource is important to many people in many different ways; all of us who use and enjoy the woods also need to help protect it and keep it wonderful.  And of course, a healthy ecosystem is crucial for the fauna: the many bird species, butterflies and other insects, mammals, reptiles, amphibians....that depend on Harms for food and shelter and a place to reproduce their species.

Directions: Meet at the forest preserve Glenview Woods parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, just south of Glenview Road.

For more information or to volunteer contact:
Jane and John Balaban  (847) 679-4289 

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