April 15th, 2017 ~ Went on a photography meetup to Bluff Spring Fen. It's a preserve that the only way to get entry to it, is through a cemetery. The following excerpt is taken from the meetup site: "Surrounded by industrial neighbors in the westernmost part of Cook County—and once a dumping site and gravel quarry itself—160-acre Bluff Spring Fen is named for its rare fen, a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich springs. The spring water stays a constant 50 degrees, so streams flow year-round, supporting an unusual assortment of plants and animals adapted to these steady, alkaline conditions. The fen itself is surrounded by a patchwork of wetlands, prairies, savannas and woodlands, including several kames, gravelly hills left by the glaciers. With the only entrance to this hide-away through the winding roads of Bluff City Cemetery, tranquility is as plentiful as the birds. This Illinois Nature Preserve is part of a larger 225-acre area of green space managed by the City of Elgin, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County."