Unfortunately, I'd guess 3,500 acres of original prairie is a fairly accurate number for Illinois. There's very little virgin land anywhere in the United States, especially in the lands east of the Mississippi. There's lots of land that looks natural, but very little is in its original state. European plants have crowded out the grasslands on most of our prairie. I would suppose the same is true in Canada.

Here in California, we're called the Golden State because we turn brown in June. Those brown grasslands were once green year-round, because the native grasses are drought-resistant and keep their color. Right now, though, they're all green and fresh and beautiful with the spring and winder rain.

-Joe Offer-