The other day I was traveling for work and found myself near a remnant prairie with a few minutes to spare so I had no choice than to stop for a walk. These parcels of land are incredible examples of what the landscape was before sod busting and settlement. Visiting these historic ecosystems can be a moving experience for history buffs, ecologists, or anyone who appreciates the natural history of Illinois.

A brief history of Illinois prairies

Approximately 300,000 years ago, the landscape of Illinois began its transformation into what we are seeing today. At this time, the first of four glaciers moved its way into and across the area we know as Illinois. As it and successive glaciers crept across the landscape, their mass and content shaped the land. Over hundreds of thousands of years, these massive blocks of ice crept forward and then receded, time and time again. This slow, powerful activity shaped the land by flattening hills, picking up and relocating large boulders, depositing sediment during thaws, and creating rivers and creeks as ice melted into liquid.

As the last glacier melted out of Illinois approximately 13,000 years ago, the landscape that remained continued to be shaped by wind, water, temperature changes, plant and animal activity, and time, eventually creating the complex ecosystems we know as the tall grass prairie. By definition, prairies are plant communities that are dominated by grasses and forbs. However, high competition between plants and the variability of the landscape contributed to the immense diversity of plant species native to the prairie and the variety of prairie types.

What is a remnant prairie?

A remnant prairie is a parcel of native prairie vegetation where the soil has never been broken…no plow has ever turned sod. These pieces of history provide a glimpse of what this land was before railroads, fields, cities, and the internet. In addition to the cultural connections they provide to the land’s past, they are critical seed banks for the remaining species.

During my recent visit to this remnant prairie, the earliest forbs were developing while warm-season grasses and late-season blooming forbs remained dormant, waiting for warmer temperatures. In this type of ecosystem, one that has been shaped by the topography, competition, seasonal changes, and disturbance, patterns can be identified where certain species have had more success than others. It is a patchwork of species that have filled in where they are best suited to grow. This is a pattern unique to a remnant prairie; it can not be reestablished once destroyed.

As you might expect, settlement of the Midwest and ongoing development have significantly reduced the size and availability of remnant prairies. According to the Illinois DNR, Illinois had 22 million acres of prairie during the 1820s; within 160 years, that number was reduced to less than 2,300 acres. That is approximately .01% original Illinois prairie that remains.

Species spotlight

During my recent visit to the remnant, I was surprised and excited to see one of my bucket list plants…Shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia). While I was too early to witness the blooms, flower buds were forming. Surprises like these are precisely the reason I love visiting natural spaces. In honor of my luck, allow me to highlight this unique plant in hopes that others will be able to locate a nearby population.

Dodecatheon meadia is a spring ephemeral that has distinctive nodding blooms that are said to resemble a shooting star. Clusters of blooms appear in mid-spring. Clusters of flowers of red and yellow center, down-turned as white to pink to purple petals, stand vertically and are lifted on 12-to-18-inch scapes. A rosette of simple, ovate basal leaves gathers near ground level.

Shooting star grows best in partial shade, but as my find demonstrated, it will also grow in full sun prairie locations. Similarly, it prefers moist, well-drained soils but will tolerate clay, rocky, and sandy soils too.

Shooting star can be added to a landscape for spring interest. As a true ephemeral, the plant goes dormant during the heat of the summer, disappearing from the landscape until the following year. When it comes to wildlife, shooting star is said to be deer-resistant while serving as a critical early pollen source for native bees.   Plant bare-root plants in the fall for best establishment.

Good Growing Fact of the Week: Many of our remnant prairies are preserved due to being a pioneer cemetery. Although portions of the cemetery would have been disturbed at the time of a burial, the native seed bank was preserved, and the minimal disturbance would have mimicked those that nature would have provided, such as grazing and fire.

By Emily Swihart, Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension