CliffNotes
Hill Prairie Biodiversity Is the Center of a Thriving Ecosystem
Nearly all of Illinois’ one-time vast 22 million acres of tallgrass prairie no longer exists, even in living memory. By 1830, farmers began to realize that tallgrass prairie soils were more fertile than forest soils and much easier to convert to agricultural use, especially after John Deere’s inspired 1837 creation of a steel plow, a […]
Discover the Perseid Meteor Shower and Look Into Deep Space
If you look up at the night sky on a clear night you will see streaming out of the darkness light that has taken millions, even billions of years to reach you. The farthest known galaxy is 13.2 billion light years away. Most of the universe, in fact, cannot be seen with the naked eye. […]
Dragonflies and Damselflies at the Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve
Article and photographs by Dr. Joe and Pat Roti Roti. During the prairie restoration and site access development at the Paul Wightman Subterranean Nature Preserve (PWSNP), we have conducted initial surveys of the Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) populations. The goals of this work are twofold: first, there is a conservation interest and opportunity for citizen […]
Copperhead Snakes: Part of the Neighborhood
There is no such things as snakes. Believe it or not, this is a true statement. Just ask any herpetologist (a person who studies reptiles and amphibians). What we call “snakes” are really just a specialized group of lizards. This probably doesn’t help anyone sleep at night though – sort of the flip side of […]
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Nature Photography Seminar and Workshop
Text by Susan Rick, Clifftop. As spring approaches, the weather in Monroe County is the usual variable from one day to the next: a few days in the sixties and snow forecast in the same week. The woods, however, are slowly coming to life before our eyes. Wildflowers, insects, butterflies and birds are beginning […]
Give A Hoot!
Clifftop is hosting another full moon “Owl Prowl” at White Rock Nature Preserve on Saturday night, February 20th, 2016. It has been a very popular event in past years, particularly with children, and brings out the best in people and in owls. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear, and sometimes see, our resident great horned, […]
Ancient Dragonflies Live Like There’s No Tomorrow
A folklore story, of uncertain origin, tells that there once was a community of little water bugs living in a small pond, in the muddy water, under the lily pads. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions. Once in a while, sadness would come to the community […]
Area’s Holey Lands Are An Ecological Treasure
As we celebrate the 200th birthday of Monroe County’s political incorporation, we should not lose sight of the facts that our cultural history runs deeper and longer. The peopling of Monroe, like all places, is a story of feast or famine, booms and busts, successes and failures, and constant change. Native American drumming gave way […]
Spend the Winter in Balmy Southwestern Illinois!
Just about the time some of us begin to envision a wintertime escape to warmer areas, our own “snowbirds” take up residence with us, making winter homes in the warmth of our balmy climate. They join our year-round resident birds, and all benefit from their ability to find sufficient food and shelter in cold weather […]
Fungus Among Us: Valuable Player in Our Ecosystem
The fungus among us are quite literally everywhere. They grow under – and even in — our very noses. When scrambling about our woodlands in search of morels, take into account that the normal, healthy human mouth hosts about 300 species of beneficial fungi. Fungi are members of their own biological kingdom and are neither […]