GPS Coordinates:
N 40.53741; W 89.86183
Site Access:
Free
Handicap Accessible
Parking
Amenities: Restrooms; Canoeing; Boating; Driving Trail; Fishing; Picnic
Directions:
From the intersection of SR (State Route) 78/N Main St. and SR 9/W Locust St. in Canton, go east on SR 9/E Locust St., following SR 9 southeast for 8.0 miles to US 24 in the town of Banner. Go north (left) on US 24 for 3.0 miles to the main entrance to Banner Marsh on the right.
Description:
Purchased in the 1980s by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, this 4,363-acre complex of freshwater marshes, shallow lakes, and deepwater habitat, boasts over 100 individual bodies of water which offer some of Illinois' most sought after fishing. Banner Marsh serves as a major holding area for migrating waterfowl, Osprey, Bald Eagle, and the exotic Mute Swan, as well as many songbirds such as Gray Catbird, Common Yellowthroat, and American Goldfinch.
American lotus, a striking native water lily, shows pastel-yellow blooms all summer long, and the distinctive seed heads of cattails fill out by mid-summer. Look for the shy American Bittern and its diminutive cousin, the Least Bittern, amid cattail colonies. Perhaps the most beautiful of the local wildflowers is swamp milkweed, with its lush pink flowers. Swamp milkweed is also an important host plant for the Monarch Butterfly, which inhabits the marsh during spring and fall migration. Look for this as well as Viceroy and Spangled Fritillary butterflies.
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