April is the month when the forest floor comes alive with new growth. In Illinois forests, the ground layer comes alive while the tree tops still slumber. The amount of daylight steadily increases throughout the month as spring takes over…
March is one of those months that can seem to last forever. It can be a month where a waning winter reawakens, followed by a summer-like day of promise. From a weather perspective, it’s all over the place. The record…
This year marks the 35th year that I have had the opportunity to be involved with annual winter Bald Eagle counts along the Illinois River. Surveys provide a snapshot of Bald Eagle numbers on a particular day across the state.…
At 123 years old, the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the longest running citizen science project in existence. Its roots date back to 1900, when ornithologist Frank Chapman suggested that people should go out at Christmas and count…
The first time I can remember being exposed to the Illinois prairie was more than 40 years ago on a hike led by Hal Gardner at Jubilee College State Park. It was part of a “Prairie Day” event to build…
Fall color has definitely been spectacular this year along the bluffs of the Illinois River. There is really never a year that has dreadful fall color. It is just some years stand out from others. This year, we…
August is a great time for insect enthusiasts. Insect populations are reaching their peak, and the dog days of summer are upon us. During the day, flowers are abuzz and a-flutter with all types of bees, butterflies and other insects…
In the cold winter of 1819, a crew of surveyors was crisscrossing the hills along the bluffs of the Illinois River. They were part of the General Land Office’s new initiative to deploy a square-grid geographic identification system. This process…
The high-pitched whistle-trill of the Cedar Waxwing comes from the top branches of a tall Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). The blue-colored berries of the Red Cedar are what the namesake bird is after. A plentiful food that can easily…
From beneath the melting snow, it can be seen. Shriveled, green rosettes of leaves, awaiting the warmth of spring. Each of these rosettes represents a plant that has found a toe-hold along our wooded paths in central Illinois. Each is…
