"Wolf Road Prairie Through the Seasons" is
an exciting one-hour program, taking you
along on a seasonal - as well as an artistic
and spiritual - journey through the varied
landscapes of Wolf Road Prairie, located
at 31st street and Wolf Road in Westchester.
You'll visit
the savanna (the wooded border)
in the Spring, when delicate
woodland wildflowers set
the stage...
....and on
into the prairie for the more
boisterous Summer...
...and
Autumn prairie forbs and grasses.
The
stark beauty of winter ends the
program, yet signals the rebirth
of the prairie in spring.
This program is a
wonderful introduction to one of
the few remaining virgin prairies
in Illinois, which can easily be
visited from the Chicago area.
"Art and Linda's Gardens" is
Art and Linda's new, but equally
compelling slide show, that takes
you on a tour of approximately
20 of their gardens in the Chicago
area:
There are gardens
for full sun, shimmering with
native prairie flowers and
grasses.
These are the
plants, with their deep and
massive root systems, that
are adapted to withstand a
Chicago summer's scorching
sun and drought.
There are cool shade gardens,
planted with the subtle colors
and textures of the savanna -
the border area between prairie
and woodland.
There are slides of what were once
unsightly or problematic areas, now
converted to luxurious gardens, using
native plants that actually appreciate
what would normally be considered
undesirable habitat.
There are gardens
planted with delicate sedges
and iris that thrive in moist
areas...
... and even really wet areas.
There
are before and after shots - offered
for your amazement - of sandy-soil
gardens planted with the natives
usually found at Illinois Beach
State Park....
...and even gardens
thriving in the unsightly, degraded
conditions of old buildings with
soil unamended since construction.
This program is a wonderful
introduction to the artistry of Art
and Linda's Wildflowers - see how
they turn barren, problem areas into
garden wonderlands - and an inspirational
lesson in landscaping with native
plants and wildflowers.