The Restoration Collection Target Species list is the current focus of our collecting activity, centering primarily on tallgrass prairie habitat in the Midwestern states. The Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank collects and banks seed from multiple populations of these important restoration species across their geographic ranges. Specifically, we aim to bank seed from each ecoregion where a species occurs, conserving germplasm from representative habitats to maximize genetic diversity available for restoration and research.
Download our 2023 Restoration Collection Target Species list here.
Please see the downloadable PDF document for further information, ecoregion information, and whether or not a species has already been collected or assigned to a collector within a specific ecoregion. To sign up to collect a species within an ecoregion please email your request to the Seed Bank Manager at dsollenberger@chicagobotanic.org.
Omernik Ecoregions (click on map for larger image):
| 27. Central Great Plains | 50. Northern Lakes and Forests |
| 28. Flint Hills | 51. North Central Hardwood Forests |
| 39. Ozark Highlands | 52. Driftless Area |
| 40. Central Irregular Plains | 53. Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains |
| 42. Northwestern Glaciated Plains | 54. Central Corn Belt Plains |
| 43. Northwestern Great Plains | 55. Eastern Corn Belt Plains |
| 44. Nebraska Sand Hills | 56. Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains |
| 46. Northern Glaciated Plains | 71. Interior Plateau |
| 47. Western Corn Belt Plains | 72. Interior River Valleys and Hills |
| 48. Lake Agassiz Plain | 73. Mississippi Alluvial Plain |
| 49. Northern Minnesota Wetlands | 74. Mississippi Valley Loess Plain |
Download the Omernik Ecoregion Map to locate your ecoregion here.