Friday, March 3, 2023

Griggsville, Illinois, "The Purple Martin Capital of the Nation."

Due to the town's location between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in southern Illinois, Griggsville has a severe mosquito problem. 
A Male Purple Martin is dark and glossy blue. Females are brown in color.
In 1962, local businessman and nature enthusiast J.L. Wade encouraged the city to build birdhouses for purple martins, renowned for consuming more than 2,000 mosquitos daily, making them "America's Most Wanted Bird." 


Over the years, Griggsville built more than 5,000 birdhouses, which led to the town's nickname, "The Purple Martin Capital of the Nation."
The Purple Martin Highrise of Griggsville, Illinois.







Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™ is RATED PG-13. Please comment accordingly. Advertisements, spammers and scammers will be removed.