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MAKE YOUR YARD INTO A BIRD AND BUTTERFLY HAVEN
Just think about it for a minute. What grew on your lot two hundred years ago? Most likely a prairie or a woodland, with literally hundreds of species of wildflowers, grasses and sedges, all providing food and shelter for our native fauna throughout all seasons, including the harshest of winters. If a fraction of the current lawn is replaced by plants that used to grow there, it is quite likely that at least some of the fauna will return. The attractiveness of the area to these beautiful animals will increase if you can convince your neighbors to join you in "going native".
The benefits are not just of the bird! Native plants are beautiful in their own right, they require no fertilizers or toxic bug or fungus killers, and, once established, require little or no water. Remember - they survived when there was no one to care for hem other than their Maker. The benefits to the environment should be obvious. Finally, while some maintenance is necessary for any garden, the time and energy spent keeping a native plant garden looking decent is a fraction of that spent to keep up a lawn.
To make it easy for you, the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance is offering a "Sunshine Kit", which contains 36 plants (3 each of twelve species) to get you off to a quick start. These plants require at least a half day of sunlight, so a planting on the east or west side of your house, if not shaded by trees, should work. The south side would be perfect. The plants selected for the kit prefer moderately moist or fairly dry soil. They will not grow in a spot that has puddles of water after a rain. When planted the recommended 18 inches apart, one kit will cover an area of about 10 x 10 feet.
If you prefer, you may select plants from our list of individual offerings, which includes native wildflowers, grasses, sedges (grass-like plants that can be very ornamental), and a shrub. Please note that all of our plants are acquired wholesale from local growers, and are thus well adapted to our dry summers and windy winters. None of our plants is taken from the wild.
Start planning now for your earth-friendly landscape design. Orders will be placed with our growers as we receive, them, and when the plant supply runs out, we will stop taking orders. The deadline for orders, if the supply lasts, is March 1, 2001.
All orders must be picked up at the Administration Building of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois, on Saturday, May 19, 2001 between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Instructions for preparing the soil and directions to the plant pickup area will be mailed in late March to all who place orders. If you have questions, call Marianne Hahn at 708-799-0249, or Connie & Jerry Heinrich at 815-476-6171.
When I am alone, the flowers are really seen.
Mary Sarton
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