Quite ironically, we sell seed of species that once covered 22,000,000 acres of Illinois. Now, with only a couple thousand of acres of high quality prairie remaining in Illinois, we realize this incredible ecosystem will never be resurrected. Nevertheless, bioneers of the prairie have discovered that many benefits can be achieved by planting native prairie species in simulated prairie landscapes. Prairie flowers bring beauty to a monotonous landscape of corn and soybeans. The rich tones of the native grasses brighten the melancholic winter.
Prairie plantings provide habitat for rare and endangered species of birds and butterflies.
Game species find food and shelter in their shadows. Children find meaning and connection with the land. Land maintenance costs are reduced compared with their manicured alternatives shaped with steady input of time, steel, and burning of liquid fossil fuels.