hill prairies
The Unique Nature, Wildlife, and Habitats of Our Bluff Lands
Dennis Knobloch, Vice President, Clifftop I grew up in the dawn’s long shadows of the bluff line. I have watched a lifetime of sunsets illuminating the cliff face — like a limestone necklace, jewelling the landscape of Valmeyer. My German ancestors spoke legions about the bluff lands’ magic and bounty; they spoke with that old […]
Prairie Patches Are Small Relics of Once Vast Ecosystems
Dennis FitzWilliam, Clifftop Illinois, the “Prairie State,” once was a part of a vast grassland, stretching from Indiana to Nebraska, from Texas to Saskatchewan, called the tallgrass prairie. In 1800, 22 million acres of Illinois were tallgrass prairie and 14 million acres were forest. Millions of years ago, because of the Rocky Mountain […]
Prairie State’s Remaining Prairies Cling to Bluffs
Illinois, the Prairie State, once was part of a vast grassland, covering most of central North America, called the tallgrass prairie. In pre-European settlement times, Illinois consisted of approximately 22 million acres of prairie — about 60 percent of the state’s land — and 14 million acres of forest. At the time of European settlement, […]