…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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The Illinois Native Plant Society Research Fund promotes the study and conservation of Illinois native plants and ecosystems through scientific research. This program supports projects by graduate students, faculty, land managers, and community scientists. Grant awards range from $500 to $1500 and are intended for one-year projects. The INPS Central Chapter may provide additional funding for…
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The ‘Naturalist at Large’ by the retired biology professor Bernd Heinrich is a feature in the Natural History Magazine; always a favorite of mine. In the last issue of the magazine he writes about ‘The Lives of Trees in the Forest [Growing up in a tough neighborhood]’. Last year in his northern New England woods…
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Due Date: March 31, 2019 The final reports for the 2018 Research Grants are due no later then March 31, 2019. Grant recipients should review the Final Report Requirements on the 2018 Research Grants page. Once you have reviewed the requirements and gotten the necessary files prepared, you can submit your final report by following…
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April 5-7, 2019 John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL Understanding the Research Behind Local Conservation Southern Illinois is known to be one of the most biologically diverse places in the Midwest, and the Shawnee National Forest, the related state and federal lands, and our large private holdings contain the most magnificent examples of that diversity.…
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A nice colony of Pale-spike Lobelia [Lobelia spicata] is in early bloom in my garden as I sit here one of the last days in June. It is a rather dainty species as compared to its well-known relatives, the robust Great Blue Lobelia and the Cardinal Flower and therefore perhaps less well known. The flower color…
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-Mary Ring, Plant Sale Chair The INPS Central Chapter’s plant sale again was a resounding success, the result of the phenomenal efforts of the chapter’s talented and dedicated growers and volunteers. And again, customers began claiming their positions in the opening line beginning at 7:45 a.m., patiently waiting for the 9:00 opening. Between 125 and…
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Rare plants, unusual plants, that were some alternate headings that came to mind. This exploration is prompted by a long list of plants that I have come across over a period of time that had not previously recorded from ‘my neck of the woods’. They were often far removed from their main area of distribution.…
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(Read Part 1) Provenance matters. Indian-grass is a good case in point. Mass produced range-land selections have been extensively used in Government set-aside programs far away from their origins. They do very well which is desirable in agronomic ways. Trying to enhance such plantings with prairie forbs has proven impossible—at least in the projects that…
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For my birthday last summer I received a reprint of a book: “Flora von Bremen, Oldenburg, Ostfriesland und der Ostfriesischen Inseln.” It was published in 1936. Some old works still resonate, many do not. This one did. First the image on the cover piqued my curiosity—a line drawing of Rice Cut-grass [Leersia oryzoides]. Really! You…
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