Removing Exotic Plants

Honey locust, autumn olive, osage orange, and bush honeysuckle are some of the plants we seek to remove. Being not native to our area, they multiply quickly and push out native plants. In 2017, the Conservation Foundation funded the removal of about four acres of these invasive species that were encroaching onto the prairies of Friends Creek Conservation Area, near Argenta, IL. This not only reduces the number of invasive plants, but also removes them as seed sources. This project benefits grassland birds that require large expanses of prairie to move and find food.