ILLINOIS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Central chapter
Discover the beauty of Illinois native plants, connect with fellow nature enthusiasts, and help protect the natural communities that make Central Illinois unique.
Connecting Our Community Through Native Plants
Using native plants in our homes and communities helps us build a personal relationship with the natural world. By welcoming native plants and wildlife into our everyday surroundings, we create healthier environments and add value to our communities.
The Central Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society is an active membership serving the Central Illinois region. We strive to enhance the quality of life for our members and community through education, environmental events, and projects that support the conservation of Illinois native plants and natural communities.
Whether you’re interested in attending a monthly meeting, joining a field trip, or visiting our annual native plant sale, we invite you to get involved and discover the incredible biodiversity of Illinois.
Central Chapter Leadership
Trish Quintenz
Chapter President
Tom Larson
Vice President
Annette Chinuge
Secretary
Jean Moser
Treasurer
Central Chapter Annual Plant Sale
The 2026 INPS Central Chapter Native Plant Sale is set for Saturday, May 9th from 9AM-12PM at the Reisch Pavilion (AKA Food-A-Rama) on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. You can expect a great diversity of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants will be offered to help you create habitat at home. Multiple milkweed species will be offered as well as a great selection of plants for pollinators and wildlife. The plants are grown from local seed sources whenever available by chapter members and local nurseries.
Looking for gardening ideas?
What is special about these native plants we sell to our community? Most of them are lovingly grown and nurtured so when they come home with you, they have healthy root and foliage growth and when planted immediately, may successfully flourish and provide years of enjoyment to your home.
Central Chapter Programs
Please join us for our monthly central chapter INPS meetings
– All Are Welcome! –
Meetings are held on the second Thursday most months 6:30 PM. The location is the Margery Adams Wildlife Sanctuary (IAS Headquarters) at 2315 East Clear Lake Avenue, Springfield, Illinois.
central chapter grant program
Grants are funded through the Chapter’s annual plant sale to support projects in Central Illinois.
Central chapter blog posts
Discover upcoming events, explore native plant resources, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Central Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society.
2025 Native Plant Sale Recap
What an incredible day for native plants and our Central Chapter! When the doors opened at 9:00 AM, a line of more than 200 eager shoppers—some from across Central Illinois and others from much farther afield—were ready to dive in. With the help of over 70 dedicated…
Say Goodbye to Your Callery Pear
Remove Your Invasive Callery Pear and Receive a $25 Coupon to Spend at the Illinois Native Plant Society Central Chapter’s Plant Sale Bring a “selfie” with one or more cut-down Callery pear trees and claim one of the 40 coupons we will have available at the annual…
Central Chapter Field Trip Report
-Lois Fox Since the last newsletter in April, two more field trips that were very different from each other have taken place. One was at the Route 66 Prairie outside of Litchfield and the other at Carol Anderson’s home in Rochester. Both were well…