ILRiverHort

Latest Posts

Top reasons it is important to plant natives

March 30, 2026

By Gayle Blodgett, Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties Native plants are essential to healthy ecosystems because they support biodiversity, conserve resources, stabilize soils and waterways, sequester carbon,...

Finish this story

Welcoming spring ephemerals to your garden

March 30, 2026

By Bob Streitmatter, Botanical Garden Manager at Peoria Park DistrictSpring is a wonderful time to be in a garden, as it comes to life…bright foliage and flowers seem to be everywhere. Walking through the garden almost becomes a celebration, as you spot Spring Beauty, Dutchman’s...

Finish this story

Elwood Wildlife Preserve creates a long-lasting ecosystem for wildlife

February 18, 2026

By Ed Coleman, Extension Master Naturalist, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesIn 2020, the family members of the John Elwood and Mary Elwood Trust donated a 75.5 acre tract of land in Peoria County to the Prairie Land Conservancy, a land trust. Five acres of this was...

Finish this story

Spring Creek Preserve: Dealing with the invasive plant problem

February 18, 2026

By Mike McGraw, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesSpring Creek Preserve, located in Tazewell County, is a park of the East Peoria Fondulac Park District. Of its 344 acres, 236 have been designated as an Illinois Land and Water Preserve....

Finish this story

Conservation@Home Member Spotlight: Joyce and Gordon Wassell

February 18, 2026

By Megan Todd, Extension Master Gardener, Serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesDriving up the street in a Morton subdivision searching for the home of new Conservation@Home members Gordon and Joyce Wassell, one needs no house number to know which place is theirs. All...

Finish this story

Conservation@Home Member Spotlight: Lynda Sharp-Lower

February 18, 2026

By Sarah Smith, Master Gardener and Naturalist, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesIn 2018, Lynda and her husband Jeff moved into their current home and set to work on taking care of their almost 2-acre property that sits on a small lake, surrounded by other homes. Encouraged by...

Finish this story

a bird getting ready to eat from a frozen bird seed wreathe

Choose the right feeder and seed for birds in the winter

February 2, 2026

By Jennifer Bass, Extension Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, and Conservation@Home member serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesOn Sundays, when the grand kids arrive, they often check whether the bird feeders are full and hurry to fill them with seed for our feathered...

Finish this story

Celebrating Hot Chocolate Day

January 28, 2026

Hot Chocolate Day is January 31, inviting us to appreciate the plants and traditions that make this beverage possible. While hot chocolate feels like a simple winter comfort, its story includes an array of flavorful plants starting with chocolate and adding herbs and spices.Hot cocoa and hot...

Finish this story

Celebrate National Popcorn Day with locally grown Illinois popcorn

January 16, 2026

Popcorn is one of those simple joys that connects agriculture with snacking. In honor of National Popcorn Day on January 19, it's the perfect time to celebrate one of Illinois' tastiest agricultural products.Illinois: Home of the Nation's Top Popcorn CountyMason County, Illinois, has long been...

Finish this story

Creating our blueberry garden bed

October 24, 2025

By Cathy Endress, Extension Master Gardener, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesWhat started as a landscaping project, ended up becoming a blueberry patch! We installed solar panels several years ago in the back of our three-acre lot. Because we wanted to...

Finish this story