Chicago Road Seedbed
Like most of Illinois, very little of Midewin consists of natural prairie – less than 200 acres, scattered in little remnants across the site. To restore the remainder of Midewin to tallgrass prairie and other native habitats (nearly 20,000 acres) will take considerable time and plant materials, including seed.
Three seedbeds, at the Supervisor’s Office, River Road and Chicago Road, provide the native plant seeds from over 100 species of prairie plants to help restore Midewin with native plants.
Plantings for this seedbed began in 1996, the year Midewin was created. It is the second largest native plant seedbed at 2 acres. The plantings are mostly native grasses and forbs surrounded by a fence to prevent deer browsing. It will take a walk or bicycle ride to visit these seedbeds, located one mile south of the Hoff Road Trailhead. There is a nice walking trail around Turtle Pond here, too.
Although some types of wild seed are available from specialized native plant nurseries, many are not. That’s one major purpose of Midewin’s three native seed production gardens -- to produce seeds of native grasses and wildflowers that we cannot get from other sources. Many of these plant species are not commercially available, or if available, not in the amounts we need to restore prairie to Midewin. Even with our own production of seed and plants, it will still take many decades to restore much of the native habitats to Midewin.
For more information on seed production and some Frequently Asked Questions visit the Land And Resources Management section of the website.
Points of Interest
Location |
---|
Buttonbush Pond Overlook |
Chicago Road Seedbed |
River Road Seedbeds |
South Patrol Road Prairie Restoration |
Turtle Pond |
Nearby Camping
Location | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Twelve Foot Falls County Park | 11 | 1,109 ft | |||
Desplaines Conservational Park | Numerous | 553 ft | |||
Fox Ridge State Park | 45 | 728 ft | |||
Sam Parr State Park | 80 | 524 ft | |||
Walnut Point State Park | 60 | 658 ft | |||
Old Veterans Lake County Park | 16 | 906 ft | |||
Hilltop Campground - Grayville | Numerous | 391 ft | |||
Prairie Pines Campground | Numerous | 730 ft | |||
Kankakee River State Park | 260 | 595 ft | |||
New Prospect - Kettle Moraine State Forest | Numerous | 1,165 ft | |||
Evergreen City Park | Numerous | 752 ft | |||
Veterans Memorial Park - Crivitz | 15 | 883 ft | |||
Des Plaines State Conservation Area | 22 | 516 ft | |||
Twin Bridge County Park | Numerous | 943 ft | |||
Oakland City Park | Numerous | 653 ft |
Weather Forecast
Nearby Streamflow Levels
Gauge | Streamflow |
---|---|
Ohio River At Metropolis
USGS 03611500 |
444,000 cfs |
Tradewater River At Olney
USGS 03383000 |
54 cfs |
Little Bayou Creek Near Grahamville
USGS 03611900 |
1 cfs |
Lusk Creek Near Eddyville
USGS 03384450 |
14 cfs |
Clarks River At Almo
USGS 03610200 |
34 cfs |
Clarks River At Murray
USGS 03610000 |
15 cfs |
Little River Near Cadiz
USGS 03438000 |
485 cfs |