The University of Illinois Extension in Knox and McDonough County along with the Galesburg Parks and Recreation Department and Lakeview Nature Center will host a native seed collection day on October 4, 2019. The event begins at Inbinder Park in Galesburg from 10 a.m. until Noon. Collection at Lakeview Nature Center in Macomb will take place from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. The event is free to the public but registration is required.

Attendees will learn a number of different seed gathering techniques as well as proper handling and storage practices. Gathered seeds will be used at the remnant prairie in Macomb and will also be donated to the free seed library at Monmouth Public Library.

A prairie is a type of grassland, its name comes from the French word for “meadow”. It contains both grasses and forbs. Forbs are plants with soft stems and broad leaves, like wildflowers. The root systems of these plants helped form the rich soil found here in Illinois.

Due to this rich soil, much of the original prairie landscape has been converted for agricultural use. In 1820, Illinois had 22 million acres of prairie land but by the 1900’s most of the prairies were gone. In 1978, less than 2,300 acres of high-quality prairie remained in the entire state. Most of the undisturbed prairie sites today are found along railroad rights-of-way, in pioneer cemeteries and in places that are not suitable for farming.

Hundreds of plant species live in prairies. Due to destruction of this ecosystem, many of the organisms that depend upon it for their habitat needs (food, water, shelter and space) have been forced to move to new habitats or their population numbers have dwindled. Today the list of threatened and endangered species in Illinois includes many plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that call the prairie home. Prairie restoration efforts help keep these species alive.