Get Down and Dirty Helping care for Our Prairie Sampler and Butterfly Garden

Located in front of the Nature Center, our small Prairie Sampler needs your help with weeding, pulling tall goldenrod, and trimming out woody plants. Our Butterfly Garden on the side of the nature center also needs weeding and care.

The Prairie Sampler was created in the 1970’s with transplanted native prairie plants and large soil plugs from local prairies before they were destroyed by development.

The late Jim Marzuki nurtured the Prairie Sampler in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s.  Over the years volunteers have been caring for the prairie, weeding, clearing out woody vegetation and planting and caring for new plants.  They have also been identifying, and labeling the native species, and are impressed with the number of native plants that are flourishing. Today the Thorn Creek Prairie Sampler is a lush, rich prairie community.

The Butterfly Garden along the side of the entrance path was created in 2008 by our Roots and Shoots children’s program, under the direction of Naturalist Tara Janisch. Volunteer Carolyn Gann has in recent years maintained this gem.

Prairie Sampler Workdays are scheduled throughout the year. Check our program schedule and plan to attend. Or individuals and small groups can arrange to work with our naturalist on other days,   

Volunteers dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes or boots. They can bring their own gloves, hand clippers, kneelers, if they like.  We have tools like loppers, gloves, buckets, garden waste bags. And we’ll have water, coffee, tea and refreshments to keep us all going.

NEW Volunteer Brochure 2024 (click here)
NEW Volunteer Application Form 2024 (click here)
NEW Spring 2024 newsletter (click here)
NEW Spring/Summer 2024 brochure (click here)

Jim Marzuki Memorial Fund (click here)

Learn more about opportunities to become part of our wonderful team of volunteers. Contact our Naturalist April Richards to see how you can help.

THORN CREEK NATURE CENTER, 247 Monee Road, Park Forest, IL 60466, 708-747-6320 or thorn_creek@att.net