5127 N Claremont Ave

'The Pocket Prairie' is a rectangular, ~330 sq ft parcel located on the south parkway of the 2300 block of W Winona St, between the alley apron and the drip line canopy of an established Norway maple tree in the same parkway. My design purpose was to dramatically transform the near-lunar landscape of barren, compacted & contaminated urban soil into a biodiverse microcosm of Illinois' native prairiescapes. The parcel is now home to over 50 native perennial prairie plants, a Red Elderberry tree and a Burr Oak which is the keystone native species towering in the geometric middle.

I have informally donated The Pocket Prairie as an 'extension natural resource' for nearby Amundsen High School (AHS), where I serve as a parent-volunteer and one of three Co-Sponsors of the Seeds of Change Club. The Pocket Prairie is a primary source of native seeds which the Club members collect, clean, cold-stratify and propagate into native seedlings for planting on the AHS campus and for community native plant sale which is a fundraiser for the Club.