CliffNotes
Pteridophytes Are Our Friendly Neighborhood Ferns
Are you a lover of Pteridophytes? Do you even notice them when you are out of doors? There are about 11,000 Pteridophytes in the world and about 100 in the North Eastern and Central US. They are the fern and fern allies. Ferns and their allies, the horsetails and clubmosses, occur everywhere except in the […]
Plans Moving Forward at Clifftop’s Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve
The 535 acre Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve (PWSNP) on the sinkhole plain in rural Fults was acquired in late 2013 and established in 2014 by Clifftop, this region’s ALL VOLUNTEER conservation not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and conservation of high quality native Ozark habitats in the bluff lands and karst sinkhole plain […]
The White Oak and the Oak-Hickory Forest of Monroe County
By Mark Brown, IDNR District Forester Since the last glaciers receded over 10,000 years ago, the landscape of Illinois has been dominated by a patchwork of tall grass prairie and hardwood forest. Wildfire, touched off by lightning strikes and indigenous peoples, helped to form the landscape. Periodic fires would prevent woody plant species from encroaching […]
“Just Say No” to Bradford Pear
Soon you will observe suburban yards dotted with and long driveways lined with densely flowered and branched Bradford pear trees. They create a breathtaking, yet malodorous, show each spring. Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), of which Bradford pear is a cultivar, was introduced to the United States from China in the early 1900s, with the hope […]
Searching for Illinois’ Biggest Trees
By Chris Evans, University of Illinois Extension Forester Even though Illinois is known as the Prairie State, historically about 1/3 of the state was forested, totaling nearly 14 million acres! The strong-hold was within the rolling terrain of the Shawnee Hills in deep southern Illinois and the dissected landscape along the big rivers. Illinois is […]
Preservation of Local Hill Prairies Will Make Mother Nature Smile
The bluffs of Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair Counties contain 40% of the hill prairies in the state of Illinois. They are also unique because they harbor a special group of herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), plants, and an invertebrate, many of which aren’t found elsewhere in Illinois. Many of these plants and animals are common […]
Give A Hoot About Monroe County’s Owl Population
Owls are mysterious night prowlers, usually heard but seldom seen. Four species of owls are year round residents in this region: barred owl, great horned owl, eastern screech owl and barn owl. January through March each year they are very vocal and territorial as they begin their annual courtship and mating rituals for nesting. So […]
Winter Is Fast Approaching, and the Critters Are Well Underway In Their Preparation
The days are getting shorter and the temperature is turning colder. It is time to do all those fall projects to ready our homes and yards for winter. Rake the leaves that seem to hang on to the trees forever, especially if your yard is full of oaks. Clean up the garden, pulling up the […]
Time to Take a Hike and Absorb the Beautiful Local Autumn Views
There is finally a chill in the air and the trees are hinting at what will be the beauty of their fall colors. Why travel to Maine or Michigan to view the vibrant oranges, reds and yellows when all we need do is motor around the highways and byways of our local counties. But don’t […]
Geometry of a Total Solar Eclipse
By Dr. Michael Krawczynski, solar and planetary scientist at Washington University, St. Louis, for Clifftop A total solar eclipse could be considered just a coincidence of geometry. Put most simply it is when the Moon slips directly between the Sun and the Earth. But in reality, personally experiencing the beauty and science behind this alignment […]