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 »
Saw this meme floating around social media produced by Texas A&M Forest Service. Thought I’d make my own version… It is in the spirit of Gerould Wilhelm’s essay, “Building a Loving, Healthy Home for a Tree.”
The following is a snapshot of the Wikipedia page I created for Robert H. Mohlenbrock as of March 4th, 2018. Please view the latest version of the Wikipedia page for the most up-to-date version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Mohlenbrock Consider editing the WP page if you have any updates or additions. I would be happy to help you or …
Look for your nearest Illinois Natural Areas Inventory site or Illinois Nature Preserve.[1] Make the call whether or not to trespass if it looks like private property. Plug it in your GPS and hit the road. Near the preserve, your parking spot is preferably near some houses or tucked out of the way so that your …
The past year has been exciting for me, botanically speaking, as I pushed myself outside my somewhat monotonous prairie restoration monitoring to explore more remnant areas, learning the more obscure Illinois flora in my free time. With the new Flora of the Chicago Region in hand, I documented over 1000 plant taxa in the state …