Arrowheads Illinois
Where can I collect some native aquatic plants in Illinois?
I'm preparing to build a new 70 gallon freshwater aquarium for my foyer and would really love to make it Illinois native themed. I've chosen four aquatic plants to use in the setup which really make up a large amount of the most common aquatic flora. The list includes:
Sagittaria Latifolia (Common Arrowhead)
Potamogeton Illinoensis (Illinois Pondweed)
Elodea Canadensis (American Elodea)
Nelumbo Lutea (American Lotus)
I'm sure these plants could survive in an aquarium with some tropical fish and a fertile substrate, but I'm just not sure where I could find and harvest them. I live near Joliet and some of the local waterways are in park districts but they do not hold these types of flora.
Any ideas?
You are probably better off buying plants from a native aquatic plant nursery. As for the Lotus, please, PLEASE, DO NOT PICK any of those, they are very rare (if not extripated) in northern Illinois. I'm not sure your tank would be big enough to support them anyway. Here's a link with some native nurseries. http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/plants/npg/apndx_b.html
Arrowhead can be found in wetlands and near streams. the pondweed and the elodea area aquatic species and can be found in natural ponds and lakes. Maybe some water smartweed would be nice too? Do know that it is illegal to pick plants in Illinois Nature Preserves, so please avoid those areas.