PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM

Welcoming Hypnotherapy Clients and Students of Nature to a Peaceful Setting

Prairie Flower Farm
is six residential acres in the Kankakee Sands area, Prairie Township, LaPorte County, Indiana. We are a homestead, hobby farm, art studio, relaxation space, and conservation area.

Prairie Flower Farm lies 1/2 mile north of the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area (Intersection of Rt 8 and Rt 39). Hypnotherapy clients are welcome to experience sessions at Sharon’s office within this peaceful setting.

Local History
The famous Grand Kankakee Marsh, the “Everglades of the North,” (watch documentary here) was once teeming with hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, animals, and fish—as well as standing bodies of water such as the lost English Lake, which sat 14 miles southeast of Wanatah and covered almost 9,000 acres. English Lake stretched roughly two miles by seven miles at the confluence of the Yellow and Kankakee rivers.

In the early 1900s the watershed was drained and the length of the Kankakee was dredged to become the straight ‘ditch’ as it appears now. Most of the native river plants and wildlife disappeared, along with English Lake, and Beaver Lake which covered 28,500 acres and was the biggest lake in Indiana.

Miles of curving meanders were removed from the Kankakee and turned into farmland, shortening the Indiana portion of the river from 200-250 miles to 90 miles long. Only about 1 percent of the majestic marsh remains, now protected by the Indiana DNR.

Our Influence
Pollinators, native plants, birds, reptiles, and animals are all part of the natural cascade continually in competition with farmland. Many farmers in the Kankakee valley practice River Friendly Farming, a statewide initiative that recognizes and rewards farmers for conservation efforts.

Prairie Flower Farm was founded to conserve and curate native wildflowers to assist pollinating insects and local wildlife in the midst of heavy agriculture. Two to three acres of our farm is dedicated to this effort. We are certified with Indiana Wildlife Federation, participating in the Hoosier Habitats Challenge, and participate in Homegrown National Park. Sharon is a Master Gardener intern, Master Recycler, and associate of Porter-LaPorte Advancing Natives Team (PLANT) and Valparaiso Native Plant Group.

What is Phenology?
In 2024 Prairie Flower Farm became registered with the USA/NPN as a Local Phenology Program or LPP. Phenology is the scientific study of the timing of seasonal events, such as plant flowering, bird migration, and insect emergence. Often called “nature’s calendar,” it looks at how living organisms respond to seasonal weather and climate changes like temperature and day length.

This data benefits many different people—to name just a few:
*farmers, to pinpoint prime growing and harvesting days;
*land managers, to help predict best times for removing invasive plants
and managing pests;
*health officials, by predicting the onset and severity of seasonal allergy
and mosquito-borne disease.

Phenology data also indicates countrywide or global shifts in weather patterns, drought and heat/cold patterns, bird migration, and other climate related changes. The USA-NPN’s motto is “Taking the Pulse of Our Planet.”

Our Mission
We are currently the only LPP in Northwest Indiana, but part of our mission is to invite other local groups to join the nationwide network of ‘citizen scientists’ who volunteer to collect and submit data to the NPN program through Nature’s Notebook app. Sharon is a certified Local Phenology Leader as of the end of 2026.

Starting in 2027 we intend to begin classes, workshops, and volunteer days to engage folks of all ages in learning about the unique and important ecosystems in Northwest Indiana.

We plan to host art classes and hikes, allowing visitors an immersive and relaxing experience in the country. Sharon is also accepting clients for hypnotherapy and therapeutic relaxation at the farm’s peaceful setting.

Email FlowerPrairieFarm@gmail.com for more information, to schedule a visit, or to get added to our email list.