Despite being called “The Prairie State,” Illinois has very little high quality prairie remaining. Out of the 57,915 square miles in Illinois only 1 square mile of high quality prairie is left. A lot of this remnant prairie can be found in pioneer cemeteries, that is, prairie ground set aside in the late 1800’s for… Read more »
The Illinois Monarch Action Plan was signed into place by representatives of the Illinois Departments of Natural Resources, Transportation and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency on September 24, 2020. The population of eastern monarch butterflies has declined by more than 80 percent over the past two decades. This plan will work to increase the… Read more »
When is the best time to harvest seeds? The secret? A dry day, after the dew dries off. Afternoon is better than morning. Throughout the growing season, observe your plants as they bloom and then set seed. Any flower that was will eventually have a seed to harvest in its place. Early spring ephemerals may… Read more »
One of our members, Bruce Blake has just gotten his website up and running for his native plant certified Illinois Nursery, Prairie Wind Native Plants. His prices and selections are great and he has many plants available now. Check out the Prairie Wind Native Plants website for prices, available plants along with photos, and more… Read more »
If you missed Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope webinar hosted by the Wild Ones on July 9, 2020 you can watch a recording of it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARdYLamTA-M&feature=youtu.be. Dr. Tallamy is a renowned entomologist, ecologist, author, and an Honorary Directory of Wild Ones. Through his research, writings and presentations, Dr. Tallamy has encouraged us to landscape… Read more »