Wildflowers of Illinois

As a part of the Governor's overall environmental emphasis, Illinois' First Lady, Patricia Blagojevich, created the State Beautification Initiative to improve the quality of life in our state, enhance tourism, restore Illinois' ecological identity and to make our state a more attractive place to live. The Wildflowers of Illinois program has been developed as a portion of that initiative.

The Prairie is not so much a place as it is an experience. It is an ever changing kaleidoscope of brilliantly colored flowers and plumed grasses waving in the wind. It has plants with such intriguing names as rattlesnake master, compass plant, shooting star, gay feather, little bluestem and culver's physic. Only a small fraction of Illinois' original 22 million acres of prairie remains. The Wildflowers of Illinois Program is designed to offer a sense of this experience to future generations by refocusing the way in which our resources are employed in the landscaping and maintenance of the 19,000 miles of state highway system. By utilizing existing roadside enhancement and maintenance funding to plant native wildflowers and prairie plants in the place of manicured turf along roadsides of our state highway system, we hope to foster economic development, promote responsible stewardship, encourage environmental understanding and reduce roadside maintenance costs. The Program began in Spring 2004 with two separate undertakings, Wildflowers for Illinois Gateways and Wildflowers for Communities.

The Wildflowers for Illinois Gateways will be found on the roadsides at the major entry points to Illinois. These plantings will greet visitors to Illinois with a colorful display of native plants that will serve as a future setting for markers welcoming our visitors. Wildflower Gateways will help make Illinois a better and more attractive place to live and visit, and as a result, the state will develop an improved business climate encouraging economic growth. The 2004 portion of Wildflower Gateways will consist of locations near Illinois' borders along the interstate highway system and other major routes which will be planted by the Department of Transportation personnel during the Spring season. Plant materials and labor will be contributed to the program by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Corrections. Illinois and other vendors will supply the balance of materials needed for successful planting and establishment of the gateways, which will be funded by existing roadside maintenance budgets.

Wildflowers for Communities will involve various communities throughout Illinois in 2004. After signing an agreement with the department to participate in the program, each community will select locations along state highways within their communities, and develop a plan for the establishment of the wildflowers with the assistance and approval of department Landscape Architects. The communities will then install the plantings with contractors, their own employees, or community volunteers such as Master Gardeners. Watering, weeding and other similar cultural needs will be arranged by the communities, usually employing similar resources. The agreement provides for an initial grant from the department of up to $35,000 with a $5000 local match per community. The local portion may be a cash outlay or in-kind services. The agreements also provide for two years maintenance by the communities with a reimbursment of $5,000 per year for that work.

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