Are you dreading the thought of mowing the lawn and applying fertilizer and weed killer? Put down the gas can and consider native plant possibilities. Openlands' Native Habitats project promotes the use of plant species native to the Chicagoland area to expand plant and animal biodiversity in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region.
What are native habitats?
Native habitats are lands planted, both in natural and formal settings, with native prairie, woodland, and wetland plants that have evolved over many thousands of years. Adapted to the specific climate, geography, soils, and animal populations of this area, native plants are generally hardier than many of their non-native, cultivated cousins and possess natural defenses to many diseases and insect pests. Native plants also have deeper root systems than typical turf and ornamental plants, preventing erosion in sensitive areas.
Benefits of native habitats
Native habitats offer a beautiful, hardy, drought-resistant, and low-maintenance landscape that provides numerous benefits to the environment:
Openlands demonstrates its commitment to native habitats at the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, in Lake County, where extensive efforts to restore the site’s uniquely native qualities are already well underway. The Openlands Lakeshore Preserve opens to the public this fall.
Openlands’ Native Habitats project has been funded by Clean Air Counts, a proactive, public-private initiative that solicits commitment by individuals, businesses, and communities in the six-county Chicago region to improve air quality by reducing smog-forming pollutants and energy consumption. Clean Air Counts is a collaborative effort between the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5; Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; and the Delta Institute. Click here to learn more about joining Clean Air Counts.
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