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 edgers and leaf blowers, for example). Native landscaping methods, therefore, help conserve valuable—and nonrenewable—gasoline and electricity resources.

Please consider native plants in your future landscaping endeavors for these reasons:

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 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!