Linne Prairie

About the Program
Exelon Corporation’s ComEd is an energy utility company headquartered in Chicago. The Linne Prairie program manages 10 acres of prairie habitat in a right-of-way in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. Connecting neighboring grassland, wetland and woodland habitats, the program began in 2007 to restore native species and wildlife habitat, including that of pollinators, predominantly through invasive species management. The program follows ComEd’s Prairie Standardization Plan for prairie restoration as one of more than 40 ComEd Prairie Program locations that cover over 500 acres statewide. This long-term corporate strategy includes a goal of integrated ecosystem management by combining biodiversity with environmental conservation and restoration, emphasizing prairie ecosystems that benefit native pollinator species.  

Practices and Impacts

• An inventory from 2022 found a total of 125 species, 89 of which are native to the area. The plants found mostly include flowering herbaceous plants and grasses along with some trees, sedges and shrubs.
• Management activities include the selective and periodic use of herbicides and mowing to control invasive species.
• Over the last 10 years, the project has experienced large increases in native vegetation coverage (from 60% to 90%) and overall diversity (from 53 to 89 species) that support pollinators like the monarch and black swallowtail.