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Native Plants

American Ginseng

This week marks the half way point for the 2018 Illinois Ginseng Harvesting Season, which runs from the first Saturday in September through Nov 1.  Did you even know that ginseng grows in Illinois, let alone the fact that there is a regulated harvest of this valuable native plant? ...
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Poison ivy can be tricky to identify in the field, but the “mitten-like” appearance of leaflets that develop a rounded tooth, as pictured here, is a distinguishing feature.

Poison Ivy

Among the plants that grow in the Illinois landscape, poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is perhaps the most notorious.  This plant is certainly well known by name among most gardeners, nature goers and outdoor folks, but many are unable to identify it correctly in the field. ...
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a black walnut tree

Black Walnut

Anyone with a mature black walnut (Juglans nigra) on their property is likely aware that fruits are ripe now, and the baseball-sized, green bombs are beginning to fall with each slight gust of wind or, at times, seemingly at random. This native tree is prevalent throughout central...
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The Headwaters Invasive Plants Partnership

Visitors to the downtown Champaign area last month may have noticed an odd addition to the One Main Development landscaping.  Over the course of May, an increasing number of mysterious white trees appeared out of nowhere.  Who placed these ghost trees?  Where did they come from? The...
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Gardening with Natives

Native plants are typically defined as vegetation growing wild in an undisturbed area at the time that scientific records began.  Specific climate, soils and other environmental factors, define a plants native range.  Our area is fortunate enough to have a large diversity of both prairie...
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