Photo: Master Gardeners teaching at Hall High School Conservation Garden project

Spring is here and some of us are still in search of a tropical island. Did you know that you have Islands in your own backyard? These islands are not sand covered. Instead, they are filled with native wildflowers.  The Conservation Garden at Hall High School is ready to put on its annual display of native plants. There are eleven islands in this garden that bring us back to a time when most of Illinois was a prairie. Guardians of the Garden invite you to join them for a free training and an opportunity to adopt an island on Wednesday, May 24th at 5:00 p.m. at the Hall High School Conservation Garden at 800 West Erie Street in Spring Valley.

Environmental stewardship begins at home. Each of us can benefit from caring for native plantings.  Every third bite of food you consume is the direct result of the efforts of a pollinator.  The Hall Conservation Garden is home to many species of native Illinois wildflowers and the pollinators they host. Habitat loss is the largest factor in the decline of pollinator species. Without pollinators the ecosystems in which we live will fall into decline. 

The Hall Guardians of the Garden are partnering with the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener/Master Naturalist Program and the Bureau County Soil and Water Conservation District to offer this free training on proper maintenance of native wildflower plantings. Lorraine Foelske, Resource Conservationist from the Bureau County Soil and Water Conservation District will be presenting information and methods for maintaining native plantings on Wednesday, May 24th at 5:00 p.m. Bring your trowel, spade and pruners for an afternoon of learning and gardening.

Please feel free to contact Bettyann Harrison, Master Gardener/Master Naturalist Coordinator at (309) 364-2356 or bettyann@illinois.edu with any questions about this great opportunity for all ages. Individuals, community organizations, and youth groups are welcome. This is your opportunity to give back to nature and your community.

The Mission of University of Illinois Extension is to provide practical education you can trust to help people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future. University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. Visit our website at https://extension.illinois.edu/blmp

If you have questions, need more information or reasonable accommodations to attend,  please call University of Illinois Extension- Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam Unit Office at 815-224-0889. Extension offices are located in Princeton, Ottawa, Henry and in Oglesby on the IVCC campus.