INPS EVENTS
Hosah Park: A Hidden Jewel Under Threat
Four and a half years ago I ran into Ken Klick, restoration ecologist for Lake County Forest Preserves, at Illinois Beach State Park. Ken was headed up to do some rare plant monitoring at Hosah Park and invited me to join him. I had been to Hosah a few years before on a Habitat 2030… Read more
Chapter Events
Five years of Progress on Horn Prairie
I was just going through prairie photos, thinking about Henry Eilers and how far recognition of our Prairie has come over the past 5 years! As they say: “time flies when you are having fun!” It was mid to late December of 2014 when I received an email from one HENRY EILERS. I had no… Read more
Chapter Events
A note from Horn Prairie
We had a fantastic year at the Horn Prairie with abundant rainfall all summer long. The entire 40 acre site was burned in March of 2019, and the prairie ALWAYS blooms better after a good burn. We hosted two prairie tours for INPS this past season with great turn out both times. We were very… Read more
Central Chapter Events
2020 Annual Gathering Save the Date
June 26-28, 2020 Each year the members of the Illinois Native Plant Society come together for several days of exploring natural areas and learning about the native plants of the region, with food, fun, and fellowship. This year the Annual Gathering will be hosted by the Grand Prairie Chapter. Details to follow!
The Annual Gathering Annual Event
Climate Change and Starflower in the Midwest
The Illinois Native Plant Society Research Fund was developed to promote the conservation of Illinois native plants and communities through scientific research. llinois is nicknamed “The Prairie State,” but many woodland species also make their home here, visible in our forest preserves and other natural areas. One of these species is starflower (Lysimachia borealis), an… Read more
Northeast Chapter Events
Spiranthes on the Moon
What ecological potential can a former steel processing site hold? The answer is being explored at Big Marsh Park in the Calumet Region on Chicago’s Far Southeast Side. Dr. Lauren Umek, an ecologist and project manager with the Chicago Park District, gave an overview of the site’s history and possible future during the INPS Northeast… Read more
Northeast Chapter Events
Mid-Summer Field Trip to Montrose Beach Dunes: Plants (Almost) Upstaged by Piping Plovers
Sixteen participants had the great privilege of visiting Montrose Beach Dunes on July 16 under the guidance of its longtime and very knowledgeable site steward. Montrose Beach Dunes development began in the early 1990s when Lake Michigan’s water level dropped to a historic low, creating a much wider beach soon colonized by plants such as… Read more
Northeast Chapter Events
Chiwaukee Prairie: steps in time
The distance from the Lake Michigan shore at the Wisconsin-Illinois border to the Union Pacific railway tracks is roughly one mile. In that mile lies 10,000 years of the Earth’s history, from the last glacier’s retreat to today’s ridges and swales—and you can walk it in less than half an hour. The railway tracks, dug… Read more
Northeast Chapter Events
INPS @ IBSP 2019
This Memorial Day, the Northeast Chapter joined a group of volunteers that have gone on a plant walk at Illinois Beach State Park for the past 35 Memorial Days. It’s a fantastic tour of a fantastic natural area every year. This year we had over 60 people attend. That’s not a typo—over 60 people! Due… Read more
Northeast Chapter Events
Sedging at Harms Woods
Northeast Chapter members who joined site steward, John Balaban, and North Branch Restoration Project volunteer, Katie Miller, at Harms Woods Forest Preserve on June 8 were rewarded by a generous abundance of sedges. Thirty-one Carex species were identified during the outing, including one state-endangered and one state-threatened species (not listed here). The woodland wildflowers also did… Read more