Join Nick Seaton, board member with the Southern Illinois Native Plant Society at Max Creek to botanize the plants found along the trail system. This event is open to the public but will be capped at 15 participants. Please bring water and snacks and expect to hike approximately 3 miles from 9-12 noon on Saturday July 17th. Max Creek is located north of Vienna off of Taylor Ridge Lane.

If you get Enemion biternatum and Thalictrum thalictroides mixed up, you’re not alone. It doesn’t help that their common names—false rue anemone and rue anemone—are so similar. Both spring ephemerals are in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Both have typically white petaloid sepals and three-lobed leaves. Here are some differences in their appearance: E. biternatum has…
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This year we have already had 2 field trips, one at Bruce Semans’ Cabin and the other at Veara Woods.  Both field trips were well attended.  Another field trip is being planned for the Route 66 Prairie outside of Litchfield. Chris Benda led the field trip on April 18 at Bruce Semans’ Cabin along the…
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The Morton Arboretum is iconic for many reasons. And I’m not sure founder Joy Morton had any idea that his grand idea would evolve into an international center for tree research, centered in its labs and respected herbarium, almost 100 years later. In 1940, their first superintendent, Clarence Godschalk, hired teacher May Theilgaard Watts. May…
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While researching an article for Erigenia, the peer-reviewed journal of the Illinois Native Plant Society, I ran across a notation about a “Mrs. Chase.” Since she was the only woman mentioned amid many eminent male botanists, my interest was piqued. A cursory internet search for her yielded no immediate helpful results so I dropped it…
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Tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) is an aster family species native to a large portion of North America and introduced to Europe and Asia. This species has the beautiful golden-yellow flowers typical of other goldenrods, and blooms from late summer into the fall. The plants tend to stand out at the end of their flowering period…
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March 19, 2021 We are writing as concerned members and board of the Northeast Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society (INPS). The mission of the INPS is to promote the study, appreciation, and conservation of the native flora and natural communities of Illinois. A recently proposed ordinance to create a Managed Native Garden Registry…
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The 2021 Illinois Indigenous Plants Symposium will be held virtually from April 15 through April 17! Join us to explore this year’s theme, “Putting Theory into Practice: Ecosystem Restoration and Management.” Nine sessions held over three days provide numerous learning opportunities on topics ranging from different management techniques to successful management partnerships. Join us!  The…
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Chicago Managed Native Garden Registry Town HallTuesday, March 2nd, 2021 at 7PMRSVP (Zoom) Join a virtual “town hall” on the proposed Managed Native Garden Registry Ordinance for the City of Chicago on Tuesday, March 2nd at 7PM. Representatives from the offices of co-sponsoring aldermen and the Department of Planning and Development will be present to…
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Scutellaria — or skullcap — species can be found in a variety of habitats in northeastern Illinois. These perennials belong to the mint family (note their opposite leaves); more than 470 species of skullcaps can be found worldwide, mainly in temperate regions. The genus name comes from the Latin scutella, meaning “square-shaped salver or tray;…
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