In 2019, the University of Illinois Extension Forestry program partnered with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to establish a 1.5-acre pollinator prairie at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois. The site is owned and managed by University of Illinois, and the Fish and Wildlife Service provided the seed for the planting with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Monarch Butterfly and Pollinators Conservation Fund, the Pollinator Partnership’s Project Wingspan, and the Monarch Joint Venture.

Previous to the pollinator prairie, the site was in turf grass and regularly mowed.

• Fall 2018: Existing turf grass was sprayed with herbicide and allowed to brown up.
• March 2019: Controlled burn implemented to remove vegetative litter, stimulate native species, and increase species diversity.
• March 2029: Staff broadcast Pheasants Forever “Monarch Mayhem” seed mix, containing 26 species of native forbs and 4 species of grasses, using a tractor-mounted spreader and potash as a carrier to help create an even distribution of seed.

Additional overseeding was conducted in 2020 and 2021, including the Pheasant’s Forever “Pollinator Plus” and additional custom seed mix to supplement the original planting due to poor seedling survival in 2019 from drought conditions. In addition, non-native invasive species such as small carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus) have been controlled to reduce competition as the native plants establish. 

The site has been burned 4 times since it was established: March 2020, January 2021, March 2022, and November 2023.