October also brings some of the most vivid wildflowers into bloom. Gentians reflect this beauty in precarious environment. The frenzied fall activity raises an old question: Are the insects here because of the flowers, or are the flowers here because of the insects?
A lot has happened since Dr. Fred and Norah Urquhart located massive overwintering Monarch butterfly colonies in Michoacán, Mexico.. Decades of wing-tag data has led to a better understanding of the precarious nature of migration. Now overwintering populations in Mexico have increased by more than 60 percent.
The Illinois River has evolved to hitting flood stage in mid-summer, making for erratic production of mudflats and moist-soil plants, affecting shorebirds and waterfowl
Look for luna moths after they break away from their cocoons after winter incubation for their short-lived lives
Watch — and listen — for Warblers as the little migratory birds stop in central Illinois on their trip North
Making maple syrup illustrates wonders of photosynthesis, and Jacob Mol has its production down to a science at Camp Wokanda
Why do I Ramble? A giant reason is because of local pioneers of nature, like this true ‘old-school’ naturalist — ornithologist, archaeologist, entomologist, and even an oologist from Stark County and its Wady Petra
