The Proper Way to Mulch
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.”
A Short Biography of Robert H. Mohlenbrock
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 …
Walk the Wood
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 …
Learning, learning
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 …
#BringBackTheBees, Another Misguided Conservation Effort
Another example of a poorly-designed “wildflower” seed mix to entice the public to engage in conservation efforts with Cheerios’ #BringBackTheBees campaign (see previous post on DuneCraft’s “Native” Perennial Seed Bombs). Really, how hard is it to consult an ecologist or botanist for efforts like these? And what a lesson in providing both common and scientific names. It’s …
#BringBackTheBees, Another Misguided Conservation Effort Read More »
Finding the Forgotten Flora
“I remember well, for instance, how here in Rockford, Ill., say twenty years ago, the indigenous plants of the prairie and oak-opening sprang up on every side in close proximity to the beaten paths of busy men. The industrious young botanist, collecting for exchange, found his only limitations in the quantity of driers he possessed, …
A Big Year, Botanist Style
Known to all birders, a “big year” is a competition to spot the most bird species within a given area in one year. Competition areas can be as large as the entire world to as small as a city park, but the popular competitions are country-(e.g. ABA), state-, or county-wide. And so, why not a …
Kankakee Mallow (Iliamna remota) in Fruit
On a quick trip to Langham Island in Kankakee River State Park west of Bourbonnais, IL this past August, I had the chance to see the rare Kankakee mallow (Iliamna remota) in fruit . (And in flower!) I was surprised at the fuzzy chestnut brown fruits, having never seen them in person or photos online. The land …
Virginia Waterleaf vs. Great Waterleaf
How do you distinguish Virginia and great waterleaf plants in the early spring? Swink & Wilhelm (1994): 1. Leaves predominantly pinnately compound or lobed, divided into 5 to 7 lobes or leaflets. . . . . Hydrophyllum virginianum 1. Leaves predominantly palmately lobed, or some with a small pair of pinnae at the base: Calyx …
Invasive Buckthorn by the Numbers
INVASIVE PLANTS DEFINED native plant: in North America, a plant that was found in a particular area prior to European settlement or has arrived since then through natural means of dispersal. Example: side oats grama, Bouteloua curtipendula non-native plant: in North America, a plant that was introduced to a particular area after European settlement via …