July 10, 2025
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La Salle, Ottawa libraries, 4-H office offering native wildflower seed packets

Seed distributions part of Pollinator Pathways community project

By Shaw Local News Network

Fall color enthusiasts hike through asters and goldenrod near the River Road Seed Beds at the USDA Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington. Prairie Aster is among the wildflowers being distributed through the Pollinator Pathways program.

As part of the Pollinator Pathways community project, the La Salle Public Library, 305 Marquette St., is offering free, native wildflower seed packets to create “pathways,” that will connect wild public lands, such as state parks, with residential landscapes and community gardens to support the crucial roles of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Each seed packet contains 21 native wildflowers including Prairie Aster, Blazing Star and Butterfly Weed. One seed packet will provide coverage for a 5 to 7 square foot planting area or two “barrel-type” planters. Seed planting can be done by individuals and/or by groups.

If interested in seeds, complete the form by going to https://bit.ly/37bqGuc or stop by the library to fill out a form in-person. Pollinator Pathways seeds also are being distributed by the Reddick Public Library District, 1010 Canal St., Ottawa, and the La Salle County 4-H, 1689 N. 31st Road, Ottawa.

Bee identification cards also are being distributed with seed packets, and planters are invited to participate in the related Pollinator Pathways programs, including a free, virtual all-ages screening of “My Garden of a Thousand Bees,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, and a “BioBlitz Nature Discovery Walk at Starved Rock State Park,” from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. May 28. More details on these programs, and others, can be found on the at https://lasalle.lib.il.us/

The Pollinator Pathways project is funded through #PlantWildflowers Initiative, supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Tangled Bank Studios, PBS Nature, World Wildlife Fund and Air Wick Scented Oils.

For more information, contact the La Salle Public Library at 815-223-2341.