Important Info from the Village of Palos Park


Prairie Tall Mix : (Bergamot, prairie dock, cone flowers and goldenrod)		Take Root with Native Plants in our Community The good news...many people in our community are working hard to promote the use of native plants in landscaping. And Palos Park residents can play a vital role! Great Lakes basin native plants are indigenous plants that have evolved over thousands of years, adapting to the geography, hydrology and climate of the region. Native plants are beautiful, hardy and require less maintenance (once established) than conventional lawns. With their biodiversity, native grasses and flowers provide food and shelter for a host of birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.

Landscaping with native plants enhances our environment while reducing the need for the use of lawnmowers, pesticides, fertilizers and watering. Furthermore, native landscaping practices improve air quality by reducing smog-forming emissions caused from the use of lawn maintenance equipment (mowers, weed edger's and leaf blowers, for example). Native landscaping methods, therefore, help conserve valuable—an non-renewable—gasoline and electricity resources. To our valued residents...Please consider native plants in your future landscaping endeavors for these reasons. Native plants do not require fertilizers, reducing chemical run-off (phosphorus and nitrogen) into creeks (like MillCreek, for example) regional rivers and lakes. These chemicals harm aquatic life and, interfere with recreational uses. Native plants need less pesticies because they are hardy, having adapted to local and regional conditions. Pesticide run off from conventional lawns contaminates our waterways. Native plants reduce air pollution because native grasses and forbes (flowers) do not require maintenance with gas-powered garden equipment. And lawn tools burn fossil fuels associated with a variety of air polluting chemical emissions, including the emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Consider this: Just one gasoline lawnmower in operation for one hour emits 11 times the pollution of a new car! Native plants attract a variety of bird and butterfly species by providing a diverse habitat and nutrient source. Imagine viewing beautiful songbirds and Swallowtail butterflies from your window if you landscape with prairie grasses and wild forbes (flowers). Native landscaping promotes biodiversity and the natural heritage of our region. There was a time (before the European settlers) when our northeastern Illinois landscape consisted of natural oak savannas, wetlands, woodlands and tallgrass prairies. Returning to a portion of our original ecosystem through native landscaping practices makes sense from an environmental and socio-economic viewpoint. Residents in our community can play an important role by exploring the benefits of the native landscaping alternative. Bring a taste of the wilderness back to the urban area! Want more information on how to get started: Visit www.epa.gov/greenacres. *[Clean Air Counts is a voluntary, public-private initiative to reduce smog-forming pollutants and energy consumption in the greater Chicago, six-county region. It is a collaborative effort between the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the EPA and participants such as the Village of Palos Park.