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About Prairie...

Prairie initially covered 70% of Illinois and 90% of Champaign County. With tall grasses and broadleaf plants as the predominant species, early settlers depended largely on prairie as forage for their livestock. Native prairie plants continue to serve many purposes, including erosion control, wildlife habitat, soil enrichment, reclamation and roadside cover planting. These native plants are exquisitely adapted to the climatic changes characteristic of the Midwest: abundant rainfall and flooding in spring and fall, heat and drought in summer. As much as 2/3 of individual prairie plants develop underground in the form of taproots or fibrous root systems for drought resistance. Other water-conserving adaptations include slender or divided leaves which cud or roll back onto themselves and coarse plant hairs on stems and leaves to minimize evaporation. Extensive root systems allow these perennial plants to survive fire and strong wind. Prairie plants are very tolerant of infertile soil and actually fare much better without fertilization, which tends to encourage fast-growing agricultural weeds.

Another adaptation of prairie is staggered blooming. Different prairie species flower at different times during the growing season; shorter species tend to bloom in the spring while tall species bloom in the fall. In this way, shorter plants receive abundant sunlight before being shaded by maturing taller species. Also, competition for insect pollinators is minimized.

Prairie plants are also adapted to burning. Fires caused by lightening were routine in the prairie setting and many prairie species actually require fire for their germination. Their thick branching root systems allow the prairie plants to regenerate quickly. Burning is necessary to maintain healthy prairie:

prairie prefers full sunlight; burning eliminates trees and other Invasive species which shade prairie plants and compete for nutrients and space.

burning removes accumulated plant litter and admits heat and light to the sprouting plants in the spring.

burning makes nutrients available in the resulting ash.

burning allows germination of species requiring fire to burst the seed coat.

 

Winfield-Lake Park Prairie

Illinois was named the Prairie State because of the vast expanses of treeless prairie that greeted the first settlers. Agricultural and urban development have almost completely replaced this once dominant plant community; the seemingly endless 37,000 square miles of majestic grasses and wildflowers have been reduced to fragmented areas totaling a mere three square miles of prairie, now found primarily in small patches along railroad lines, roadsides and in pioneer cemeteries. Individual species, as well as the integrated prairie ecosystem as a whole, are rapidly disappearing.

The Winfield-Lake Park Prairie was established in 1980 as a site for prairie preservation, restoration and propagation of native plant species. Initially, mature plants were transplanted to the steep sides of the drainage ditch. These plants, and those that were established by intermittent seeding, provided efficient erosion control. Development of the restoration site continued as subsequent 8-foot-wide corridors were established each year by seeding and some transplantation. In the summer of 1989,

The site was further expanded to accommodate the prairie plants rescued from construction for the widening of Route 45. Volunteers, concerned individuals and groups, including the Audubon Society, Boy Scouts of America, Grand Prairie Friends, Izaak Walton League, Natural Study Group, Sierra Club, Service Civil International and others, have been instrumental in the prairie restoration effort.

The Winfield-Lake Park Prairie is home to more than 50 species of native grasses and forbs (wildflowers) as well as many associated insects, birds and mammals. In addition to protection of these prairie species, this prairie serves as a source of seed and mature plants to facilitate development of other prairie sites and also provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and learn about the unique prairie ecosystem which once dominated the Illinois landscape.