Goode's Woods is a forty acre natural area of dry mesic upland high quality forest located 30 minutes southwest of Springfield. It was recognized by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory as one of the few remaining relatively undisturbed dry-mesic woodlands of state wide significance.
Dissected hills and ridgetops are strongly dominated by tall sturdy white oaks
and red oaks of fine, old-growth form that
overlook an impressive display of wildflowers in spring. These include red trillium, woodland
phlox, bottlebrush grass, starry campion and dwarf larkspur. A small stream meanders through the bottom of a ravine covered with
fragile ferns. 36 species of trees, including 6 species of oak alone, make Goode's Woods
one of Illinois' most impressive forest remnants. Other canopy trees include American
elm and shagbark hickory.
Goode's Woods was acquired by Save the Prairie Society from David and Nancy Goode and later transferred to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for protection in perpetuity.