The Southern Chapter of INPS is presenting a workshop on the identification of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) in southern Illinois. The workshop will begin with an introduction to plant features, how to use a dichotomous key and hand lens, and a hike to identify Asteraceae in the field.
Join us for the 2021 Annual Gathering of the Illinois Native Plant Society. We will meet virtually on September 11 at 5 pm for a membership meeting, and we will have keynote presentations followed by a discussion about climate change impacts on Illinois plants on September 18 at 7 pm. Participate in a competition to identify the most Asteraceae species during the week of Sept 11-18. In addition, local chapters are planning in-person events.
When my parents moved to Northbrook in 1951, the entire area between Crabtree Lane and Dundee Road was prairie and unchanneled west fork of the north branch of the Chicago River (except for a handful of houses on the north side of Crabtree Lane near Western Ave). Many natural prairie areas that had never been…
Read more
Lakeside daisy’s (Tetraneuris herbacea) rocky road to recovery began in 1988 when it was listed as a federally threatened species. This designation was determined in part by the limited availability of suitable habitat, and the potential loss of that habitat as a result of stone quarrying operations in major parts of its range (namely Ohio).…
Read more
Dune willow (Salix syrticola) is an Illinois Endangered species found at only a few lakeshore sites in northeastern IL. David Johannesen, a Plants of Concern volunteer, raised an alert in 2020 when he discovered plants were being lost to lakeshore erosion, and flooding had submerged half of the 10 remaining dune willows at Illinois Beach…
Read more
-Lois Fox Since the last newsletter in April, two more field trips that were very different from each other have taken place. One was at the Route 66 Prairie outside of Litchfield and the other at Carol Anderson’s home in Rochester. Both were well attended. Henry Eilers led the field trip on May 15 at…
Read more
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…
Read more
The Illinois Native Plant Society is excited to announce its 2021 roster of Research and Survey Grant recipients. An interesting variety of projects from different parts of the State will conduct research on Illinois native plants in the field or the lab, or will implement field surveys of very rare listed species to provide data to the Illinois Natural Heritage Database.
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…
Read more
