Suburban Micro Prairie
Year: 2023
Location: Niles, IL
Status: Built, 2022
Hinterlands Team: Conor O’Shea
Contractor: Hinterlands
Plant Nursery: Midwest Groundcovers
This mix of native Illinois plant species creates an ecological stepping stone for insects.
The plant community of this 75 sf suburban micro prairie are representative of those found in the Central Corn Belt Plains ecoregion, the ecological context for the Chicago Metropolitan Area, within which this site exists. The primary motivation in assembling the plant mix is to provide nectar and pollen resources to insects from April until October. This is achieved with these native species that bloom at the following times:
Spring: Phlox divaricata; Early Summer: Coreopsis lanceolata; Mid to Late Summer: Euphorbia corollata, Asclepias syriaca, Liatris pycnostachya; Fall: Solidago speciosa
All plants were sourced from the Natural Garden Natives branded plant line from Midwest Groundcovers in St. Charles, Illinois, which are grown without the use of neonicotinoids and are native to within 90 miles of the nursery.
