The earth is changing. In fact, it is in a constant state of change. Tectonic plates slowly grind and move. Mountains lift in the Himalayas, and slowly wear down in the Appalachians. I’m now sitting in a cottage in…
On a summer collecting trip in Northern Illinois, a botanist made “a most remarkable find” near Lake Calumet in Cook County. No, it wasn’t gold or platinum . . . . It was something far more rare. A diminutive flower…
A Prairie Ghost I’ll never forget the day when an old self-proclaimed “river–rat” came by to show me some bones he had found in the Illinois River when the water was particularly low. Hollow eye sockets stared back at me…
Spring Cleaning… Spring has finally arrived, and there’s a flurry of activity and updates to share. So get out and enjoy everything that this season has to offer. Fire… An ecologist once said that fire season is just like…
Aged hands clasped the black leather-bound book as a thin-framed man walked along the bustling streets of downtown Peoria. His destination was the great archives at the Public Library. His mission was to preserve over 40 years of memories for…
With winter temperatures dipping below freezing, the Illinois River takes on a whole new personality. At this year’s Eagle Day at Forest Park Nature Center, the sub-zero wind chills kept the human population low. But the hardy folks who came…
Prior to the turn of the 20th century, there was a long tradition of pushing oneself away from the table on Christmas and finding an excuse to go traipsing off through the woods. Part of the tradition was to take…
Would you believe that there is a place right here in Central Illinois where one could stand upon the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains? In this same place, you can also look down into the remains of an ancient swamp…
Prairie Chicken Politics Who would have thought that one of the iconic symbols of the Illinois Prairie could become a political hot potato? But that’s exactly what happened this year as biologists attempted to boost the crashing population of Greater…
