Provena Behavioral Health
Plans Destruction of Garden
with Rare Native Wildflowers

by John Hilty

Earlier this month, Sheila Ferguson, the manager of residential programs for Provena Behavioral Health, sent a letter to me stating that my wildflower garden would be destroyed later this summer. This small wildflower garden is located at my apartment complex on Carroll Ave. in Urbana. It contains over 50 species of prairie wildflowers, including local ecotypes of 4 species that are state-listed as endangered in Illinois: Salvia azurea (Wild Blue Sage), Penstemon grandiflorus (Large-Flowered Penstemon), Camassia angustifolia (Prairie Hyacinth), and Silene regia (Royal Catchfly). I received permission to create this wildflower garden several years ago.

This letter was sent to me only 2 days after I refused to allow two residential specialists of Provena Behavioral Health to enter my apartment without an independent witness. Because these were the same two people who conspired to file a false police complaint against me last fall (which was dismissed by the judge), I was fearful that they would try the same thing again if I was left alone with them in my apartment. I believe that the proposed destruction of my wildflower garden is an act of retaliation against me for winning the court case and resisting further attempts at incrimination. Below, is a photograph of Royal Catchfly in my garden last year, with Purple and Yellow Coneflower in the background.

Also, the residential specialists were attempting to conduct a surprise inspection of my apartment, which violates the city ordinance. I understand from some of the other residents of the apartment complex that they conducted harsh inspections, and threatened to evict them if their apartments were not fully compliant with their requirements. Thus, there are several tenants in the building who are quite upset over the harsh treatment that they received, one of whom has already moved out to live with a friend because he couldn't stand it any longer. This is rather sad, because most of these tenants have serious disabilities and are sensitive to stress.

The wildflower garden is important to me because it is a source of healthful recreation and beauty, and many of the photographs at my website, Prairie Wildflowers of Illinois, come from the plants growing in this wildflower garden. I was planning to donate seeds and young plants from this garden to local environmental groups for prairie restoration. Also, the website is an important source of inspiration and knowledge to its thousands of visitors every year. Unfortunately, some of the officials at Provena Behavioral Health are more interested in petty-minded revenge than managing their residential programs for the benefit of their clients and members of the community.