Hiding in Plain Sight

On the campus of Glenbrook North, west of the Spartan football stadium, across the turf of a soccer field, and behind a stand of evergreens, there is a patch of prairie -- an acre of land, where invasive plants have been removed and the area has been reseeded with prairie grasses and flowers native to Illinois. With their three-foot deep roots, prairie plants, at the very least, improve drainage and help control flooding in the area.  If you have low spots in your backyard that hold water, prairie plants may be a natural solution to this growing problem in our town. 

Prairie plants also provide habitat for birds and animals, and refurbish the soil. Unfortunately, because Illinois is in the corn belt, our native plants have been decimated by cultivation -- almost to non-existence. So much so that we rank 49th out of 50 states in the amount of native plants which survive and thrive. Only Iowa has us beat for last place. 

The good news is that there are other prairie sites in Northbrook. Somme Prairie is one, located behind the Dundee Road post office. There are two other sites in advanced stages of restoration, according to Rob Skulski, M.S., who recently joined the Go Green Northbrook School Team. He has supervised much of the replanting effort. 

The two other locations in Northbrook are Somme Prairie Grove and Somme Woods on either side of Waukegan Road, along the north side of Dundee. Parking for both is in Somme Woods. You need to walk west across Waukegan Road on foot to access Somme Prairie Grove. 

Here are some photographs of the native plants we saw during our foray into the tall grass behind GBN High School, some of which were well over six feet. Which begs the question, if you decide to plant a patch of native plants in your own backyard, does the prairie grass you grow get an exemption from Northbrook's stringent mowing ordinance, which limits grass height to 10 inches? 

This picture [below] was taken as we stood at the entrance to the GBN prairie 

and looked back at the football field across a soccer field. 

This is the bank of evergreens which may act as a windbreak in 

front of a fence which protects the prairie from encroachment. 

Here is an example of the re-seeding process 

which re-introduces native prairie plants.