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 The structure of Underwood Prairie is a series of small undulating gravel knolls that are part of the Kaneville Esker, which is Illinois longest esker that was deposited here between 10 and 20 thousand years ago. It is believed that eskers were formed by glacial debris washing across the massive ice sheets into sinuous cracks or chasms in the ice which later melted leaving this wandering, linear imprint on the landscape.
Underwood Prairie is a dedicated Illinois Nature Preserve covered with high quality, aboriginal, dry hill prairie plants. There are more than 50 prairie forbs and shrubs creating an exquisite display of color throughout the blooming season.
The row cropped fields surrounding these knolls are being restored with the native seed bank here and the degraded wetlands are also on their way to recovery.
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