Spring ephemeral flowers are an important food resource for early-season pollinators such as flies and native bees. Without ephemerals, these early foragers would go hungry because nothing else is in bloom. In return for their pollen and nectar, pollinators move pollen from flower to flower—an important step in plant reproduction that allows plants to produce…
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Downy paintbrush (Castilleja sessiliflora) is a wildflower native to dry prairies in the central United States. Though considered secure throughout most of its range, downy paintbrush is endangered in Illinois. Troublingly, recent research has indicated that downy paintbrush experiences low fruit set in Illinois, meaning it may be struggling to produce healthy seeds. While this…
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…at the Field Museum herbarium, that is! On March 17th, instead of watching the Chicago River being colored green and enjoying green carbonated beverages, a group of local botany enthusiasts from the Northeast Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society visited the Field Museum herbarium to look at rare plant collections, including the exclusive and…
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Whether you are just starting to explore the local flora or are a seasoned expert, some of you may wonder why scientific plant names change. The short answer is “it’s complicated”. The longer answer is also “it’s complicated”. There will be a number of digressions and side notes in the text below. Skim forward now…
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Ask a pair of whooping cranes that found a new home along a restored wetland along an Illinois River. A flock of 60 whooping cranes that usually migrated through had found a new sedgy habitat and some stayed and built nests of sedge leaves! The farmers along 11 sites in Illinois were paid to take…
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