Late summer is a splendid time of year to go prospecting for native prairie plants that might bring beauty and wildlife habitat to your garden. “Plants that are native to the prairie are in their glory right now,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “You can enjoy their blooms and consider whether they might fit into your own landscape.
” Prairie plants can be seen in many restored natural areas across the Chicago region. The Arboretum’s Schulenberg Prairie is at its most colorful in late summer, with flowers blooming amid golden grasses. The paved path around Meadow Lake, right near the Arboretum’s Visitor Center, also shows off a wide variety of native plants.
Native plants are those that evolved to live in the local area and were growing on the landscape before settlers arrived to transform the land into farms and cities. In the Chicago region, the native landscape included prairies as well as wetlands and woodlands. “Different plants grew in different land types,” Campbell said.
Many people seek out native flowers that provide pollen and nectar for pollinators such as butterflies, but appropriately chosen native plants, including shrubs and trees as well as flowers, can support a much wider range of animals, from insects to birds to chipmunks. “One way native plants support songbirds is by providing shelter and food for insects, which are bird food,” he said. Choosing native plants for a garden requires some tho.