Dropseed Prairie

Description

Dropseed Prairie Nature Preserve is included on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory for its extant high-quality mesic prairie, wet prairie, and wet-mesic prairie. The mesic prairies are the first, or highest tier, for conservation in the Biodiversity Recovery Plan for the Chicago Wilderness region. The site is within the Indian Boundary Prairies, which is part of the once vast complex of prairies, shallow wetlands, and savannas whose origins can be traced to the advance and retreat of the Wisconsinan glacial epoch and the creation and subsidence of glacial Lake Chicago. At least 90 native plant species have been observed on the preserve, but it is dominated by big bluestem, Indian grass, and prairie dropseed.