BLOOMINGTON — When Rich Clemmons and the Rev. Brian Hastings decided to plant 5 acres of prairie grass and wildflowers at their church this year, they expected it to take some time to grow and bloom. However, what should have taken two whole seasons to become a pollinator habitat filled with native plants at First Baptist Church in Bloomington took just one.
"We should have this the second year," Clemmons said, standing next to a field with tall grasses and brightly colored flowers at 2502 E. College Ave. "So I think it's a blessing from above.
God did that for us," he said. The congregation spent a little over $2,000 and partnered with several agencies to complete the project, including Pheasants Forever , the McLean County Soil and Water Conservation District , the USDA and the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation . Becky Strack shows her granddaughter, Mae Splittorff, a photo she took of a flower on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E.
College Ave., Bloomington. The church will host a dedication for the habitat on Saturday, Aug.
24. The plot where the habitat now sits had been a shortgrass lawn for nearly three decades, Clemmons said. "Eventually, we said, 'Let's do something with that property.
We're just mowing it,'" he said. They landed on the re-wilding project for a pretty simple reason, said Hastings, the congregation's pastor. "We need pollinator space," he said.
So they filled the space with plants to attract pollinators and create a sa.