CliffNotes
New Book Chronicles Changes Among Illinois’ Birds and Habitats
The recent release Illinois Birds: A Century of Change, by Jeff Walk, Mike Ward, TJ Benson, Jill Deppe, Stacy Lischka, Steve Bailey, and Jeff Brawn is a milestone work that offers a masterful treatment of avian population changes through time. Bird population studies constitute an important methodology to assess the quality and quantity of change […]
It’s the Berries! Bluff Lands’ Critters Depend on ‘Em
Now that cold winter has gripped our bluff lands, many natural sources of animal wildlife foodstuffs are becoming depleted. While “hard mast” oak acorns and hickory nuts strew our forest floor, they will begin to decompose in the winter’s duff. Our grasses and forbs, both important animal food sources, have died back. Crops, which help […]
Let’s Boot Bush Honeysuckle Off the Land!
The story usually is told as “put a frog in boiling water and he’ll jump out, but put him in water and slowly raise the temperature and he’ll just sit there and cook to death.” While we’re all lots more used to frogs – boiled or not – most of us recognize the camel’s nose […]
Itchy, Scratchy, Stingy? Or Soothing, Snackable?
One causes an immediate “ouch, that hurts!” while the other may take days to elicit a similar response. Both are attractive, almost begging a touch. And, both may be encountered throughout our rich wooded bluff lands, particularly in moist soils along creeks, ravines, and shaded slopes. Canada nettle (Laportea canadensis), also called “wood nettle” or […]
Landscape as Humanscape: Guardians and Caretakers?
In the past 300 years, people have transformed Monroe County’s landscape. In pre-European settlement times, 86% of Monroe County’s 255,000 acres was forested, including portions of the American Bottoms and most of the uplands. There were approximately 13,000 acres of prairie — five percent of county lands — with a large swathe of tall grass […]
The Waders of August, Part 2: Lesser Known Members of the Heron Family
By August flocks of herons and egrets can be spotted at ponds and wetlands, along waterways, and even field drainage ditches. The often seen and graceful “fish cranes” and “white fish cranes” – Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets – are among the common wading birds we see. Lesser know members of the heron family, […]
Colorful Baltimore Orioles & Bird Population Trends
Baltimore Orioles are one of the most stunningly beautiful birds that spend their summers in our area. Their striking orange and black coloration is how they got their common name. When discovered by early English colonists along the Atlantic seaboard, they named the bird for the heraldic flag colors of the first Baron of […]
An Area Natural Treasure, Salt Lick Point is Perfect Spot for a Relaxing Hike
The Village of Valmeyer’s Salt Lick Point Land and Water Reserve is one of our area’s premier natural treasures and stands as testimony to the creative power of collaborative cooperation between government, citizens and non-profit organizations to protect our natural areas. After the Flood of 1993 devastated the original town of Valmeyer, the village decided […]
Bats: Nighttime Bug Busters
Bats are among the most overlooked and misunderstood yet common mammals of Monroe County. They are easily overlooked because they are creatures of the night. They are misunderstood because of conflicted European mythological hogwash, treating them as “Batman- heroic” on the one hand, and “Dracula-like-loathsome” on the other. Not all the world sees bats in […]
Raccoons: Clever? Tricksters? Cute? ADAPTIVE
Raccoons, clever and cute, mischievous and tricksterish, have literally changed their lifestyles along with the rest of America. There are more raccoons living in Illinois and Monroe County today than there were in pre- and early-Euro-American settlement times and most now live in suburban and urban settings. Raccoons owe their success to their adaptability and […]