Two species of teasel occur in Illinois, Dipsacus fullonum and D. laciniatus, and both are equally invasive. The plants were bought to the United States…
Teasel
Rattlesnake Master
Walking up to Hickory Knolls, our wonderful nature center, I never cease to be struck by the abundance of beauty displayed by our native wildflowers.…
Joe-Pye Weed
Mmmmm. Pie. Is there anything more delectably satisfying than a nice pie? My own preferences run toward a double-crust fruity variety, with the top five…
Whaoo Shrub
Wahoo! Fall color is at its peak here in the TriCities! The leafy fireworks are a little later in arriving this year, perhaps due to…
Elderberries
Given what I’ve been up to lately, I’d get it if you thought I was a Brewster. Old movie buffs and high school theater veterans…
Jewelweed
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not very good at texting. Half the time I don’t realize I’ve even gotten a text. And when…
Insect Pollinators
Native pollinators have been in the news a lot lately and, for the most part, the reports have not been good. Powerful pesticides combined with…
A deeper look at animal, plant names
Our local species of mole, the eastern or common mole, is also known as Scalopus aquaticus, which would indicate an association with water. Alas, this species is the least aquatic of the North American moles, although it does a fairly good job of “swimming” through soil in search of invertebrates on which to feed. (Photo
Prairie Dropseed
Mmm…popcorn … It’s one of my favorite snacks, and something I’ve had a hankering for for a while now. But it wasn’t until this week that I figured out why. Each morning as I walk into work at Hickory Knolls, I get to look at a fabulous array of native plants carefully tended by our
Great Angelica
February 27, 2015 Bird Tracks Large, green globes of flowers and thick purple stems make great angelica easy to identify. According to the late, great naturalist Dick Young, “The broad, pinnately compound, toothed leaves and large, rounded blossom umbels give angelica an ethereal, hazy, lazy cast…Its angel name fits.” Holy great angelica, Batman! Over the