Community Cares for a Rare Prairie in Cary

At Sands Main Street Prairie in the early autumn, a visitor may look east from the welcome sign and marvel at a landscape that easily evokes a scene 200 years gone: a lone bur oak stretches over an uninterrupted expanse of amber prairie grasses kissed with purple, red and rust orange highlights. The idyllic canvas is dappled through with white and blue asters, yellow false sunflower, and the sweet scented, poetically named pearly everlasting.

This picturesque landscape, a recreated prairie on former farmland, is an enticing welcome. But behind the white barn to the west lies the Sands Main Street Prairie’s real gem: an ancient landscape of original gravel hill prairie and savanna, relatively undisturbed across millennia. Rare, beautiful plants like cream wild indigo, prairie cinquefoil, prairie buttercup and white prairie clover abound. The diversity of species, the intricate matrix of colors and textures, are unmatched by any recreation. It’s hallowed ground for the plants, fungi and wildlife who live there, and for the human community seeking connection to an ever-shrinking natural world.

Indeed, the human community is what keeps places like this alive. Dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1991, Sands is protected in perpetuity from development–but protection from other threats like invasive species are not guaranteed without the vigilant support of volunteer stewards and staff.

On October 19th, the Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves will host a seed collecting event at Sands Main Street Prairie with the support of the Cary Park District. The goal is to collect precious seeds from the remnant prairie and sow them into the adjacent degraded remnants and restored prairies.

“As a frequent visitor to Sands Prairie, I'm excited to join my neighbors in supporting the Cary Park District's efforts to protect this incredible natural area,” said Allison Frederick, Cary resident and administrative director at Citizens for Conservation.

“Many residents might not realize that an endangered ecosystem exists right here in our community. This rare gravel hill prairie is home to unique plants and wildlife, and we have an amazing opportunity to help preserve it for future generations.”

With regular seeding, invasive control, and prescribed fire, the hidden oasis can be expanded. Restricted populations of rare and endangered plants and insects can grow and thrive. People anxious to aid an ailing planet can play a significant role in helping it heal.

For more information or to RSVP, contact stone@friendsilnature.org or respond to the event on Facebook.