On October 20, partnering with the Lake Zurich YMCA, the LNCI Consortium, and the Vehe Farm Foundation, over thirty children were able to take part in prairie seed collecting at Vehe Farm as part of the Ela Township Youth Coalition’s goal to provide opportunities for children to become involved in various after school activities. 

The rain held off for enough rattlesnake master seed heads to be collected to fill a trashcan! Nodding onion, tall coreopsis, milkweed, Indian grass, and big bluestem were also collected. Members of the Vehe Farm Foundation were impressed with the children’s eagerness to collect so many seeds in a short period of time. Found milkweed beetles were carefully passed from one person to another with the children learning to respect that the insect is a living being and part of nature’s wonders.

During the children’s much-deserved break, the Vehe Farm Foundation brought out an opossum, skunk, and coyote pelt for the children to see and touch.

Vehe Farm is open to the public year round and provides an educational butterfly garden, resorted prairie and wetland area, interpretative signage, 1866 barn as a community center, and more. Visit www.vehefarmfoundation.org to learn more about the farm and www.funoutside.org to see fun nature-based children’s activities and events on our area.

Article/photo courtesy of the Vehe Farm Foundation/Leave No Child  Inside Consortium