An ecosystem is everything that is living and non living in an area. Illinois has five natural ecosystems: forests, rivers and streams, wetlands, lakes and prairies. Early settlers named Illinois the Prairie State because prior to the 1900's, most of of the state was covered with prairies. Even though there is very little prairie land in Illinois today, a prairie ecosystem still exists. A prairie is a type of grassland.

Learn more about Illinois' ecosystems by clicking on the links below or by completing our online activities.
 

• Illinois Prairies: Learn what prairies are and how they were formed at this web site created by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Be sure to click on the continue link at the bottom of the page to learn about prairie plants and complete a crossword puzzle. Print out this Illinois Prairie page to color your own prairie picture.
• Prairies in the Prairie State: This is an excellent site. It has information on Illinois prairies including locations, animal living in prairies, plants found in prairies and much more.
• Illinois Roadside Wildflowers: At this site, you can see some prairie wildflowers and learn about efforts to rebuild prairie land along Illinois highways.
• The Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois: This site explains provides information on prairies, prairie settlement, prairie plants and prairie restoration.
• Illinois Ecosystems: This site has information on the five different ecosystems in Illinois.
• Ecosystems in Illinois: This site also has information on the five different ecosystems in Illinois.
• The Evergreen Project - Grasslands: By exploring this virtual biome, you will learn all about the grasslands of the United States. This is an excellent site!
• The Evergreen Project - Freshwater Ecosystems: This site is an excellent resource for learning about rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands.