Grant applications are due January 31st, so get on it! Students, citizen scientists, conservation groups, and institutions are alerted to consider applying for a grant from the Illinois Native Plant Society to help fund research and to help improve our understanding of rare, threatened, and endangered species in Illinois. The Survey Grant is a new …
Verbena hastata (blue vervain) photo by Paul Sweet (CC BY-NC) Stats It’s July 20th, it’s been hot, it’s been humid, and the ILBBY’s racked up: 1,779 observers (+294 since last month’s update) 25,881 research grade observations of plants (+5,314) 1,324 species (+184) 855 identifiers (+128) Now things are getting exciting, with @dziomber (Derek) jumping into …
Hot dog, it’s the July Update of the Illinois Botanists Big Year Read More »
Stats It’s June 29th, it’s summer, it’s sedges-are-identifiable season, and the ILBBY 2019’s got: 1,485 observers (+495 since last month’s update) 20,567 research grade observations of plants (+7,191) 1,140 species (+310) 727 identifiers (+209) New to following the ILBBY project are @alefringhouse24, @irenejhf, @jhoekstra, @rozhelfand, and @stocksdale. Welcome! New to observing plants in Illinois on …
Sedgeheaven: June Update of the Illinois Botanists Big Year Read More »
I wrote about ways to mutually improve taxon pages on iNaturalist and Wikipedia over at the iNaturalist Forum.
Chicago-proximate friends, the Northeast Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society has a few events coming up so far this year after a lil lapse in activity in 2018. Join the Northeast Chapter here (or, other Illinois folk, your local chapter!). Have an idea for a field trip, evening lecture, or other event? Reach out …
Find the most plant species in Illinois in a single year and rejoice in your victory! In 2016, the Illinois Native Plant Society hosted the first annual Illinois Botanists Big Year. Anyone may participate, from professional botanist to plant identification novice, by uploading photographic proof of their plant sightings to an online database: iNaturalist. Through …
For a long time I’ve had a list of searching tips and other tricks for improving your use of iNaturalist on my profile there. I thought I’d move that info…somewhere else, to slim down that page, so here we go:
The following is a snapshot of the Wikipedia page I helped to expand of Chicago region naturalist May Theilgaard Watts, as of November 3rd, 2018. Please view the latest version of the Wikipedia page for references and the most up-to-date version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Theilgaard_Watts Consider directly editing the Wikipedia page if you have any recommended edits or …
Photos by Nadir Hashmi (left) and Bob Peterson (right) The following is a snapshot of the Wikipedia page I created for Dr. Floyd A. Swink (Floyd Swink) as of July 30th, 2018, with helpful additions from Mark Kluge. Please view the latest version of the Wikipedia page for references and the most up-to-date version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Swink …
Say you have just one or two days to teach the foundations of plant identification. What do you hone in on and what do you gloss over? What left a lasting impression from a plant identification class that you took, good or bad! Any small little factoid or tidbit that continues to stick with you …
What makes a good (or bad) beginner’s plant identification class? Read More »