The city's baby dunes are examples of what the lakeshore looked like before people arrived and began shaping it to their own needs.
Experts say it's like looking back in time.
The shifting sands are small, almost inconspicuous, compared to their huge cousins in Indiana. And so is the smaller one, a foot or two tall, forming nearby. But the dunes aren't just piles of sand. Nature is taking root as well, and the rare plant species coming up are forcing officials to shake up the way they think about these natural formations. Species such as sandbar willows and cottonwood trees are appearing, plants normally associated with dunes.