Blogs

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Spring flowering trees and shrubs

March 10, 2023

Signs of spring are beginning to pop up if you look close enough. In the last week or so, I’ve noticed harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa) and spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) in natural areas. The beginnings of Virginia bluebells can also be found as their distinctly purple-blue new leaves poke up in more protected locations on the forest floor or in garden beds. ...

Grow a more productive garden with a little imagination and hardworking plant combinations

March 10, 2023

With the spring gardening season beginning, imaginations run wild with gardening possibilities. Some gardeners may ponder the complexities of an age-old practice that is regaining popularity in recent years – companion planting. How do certain combinations of plants benefit from being planted alongside each other, yet other combinations seem to struggle? Uncover the secrets of companion planting...

Recent Blog Articles

potatoes fresh from the garden with dirt

The great potato myth.

March 1, 2023

March is National Nutrition Month and what better way to celebrate than by debunking the great potato myth! In honor of all the Irish, or those who wish they were, we will talk about the lowly, much maligned potato. Myth #1: potatoes are fattening. In fact, potatoes are delicious and nutritious! Potatoes are fat-free, cholesterol-free and a good source of Vitamin B6 and dietary fiber. They are also high in Potassium and Vitamin C. Myth #2: Potatoes are just starch. These mighty tubers are...

Too Late for Frost Seeding?

March 1, 2023

The first week of March is traditionally when many in central and northern Illinois are frost seeding clover. However, this year has brought a dry, mild winter and the grass as even started to green up. It feels like spring, and the plants feel it too. The question has come up quite a bit in the last two weeks, "Is it too late to frost seed or overseed clover?" My reply is… it depends. I think it is important that farmers planning to over-seed in the coming weeks realize that there are some...

Illinois Extension FCS professionals help area residents to live well

February 28, 2023

Health is a lot more than how one looks and feels. Conversations about health should include all eight dimensions or areas of wellness—that is mental, social, emotional, spiritual, financial, occupational, environmental, and intellectual. That’s the focus of Living Well Month, a national event in March promoting overall wellness and the education provided by Family and Consumer Sciences professionals to improve the lives of people...

Prairie Establishment at ClarkLindsey

February 27, 2023

On a sunny and cold day in early February, some Urbana residents helped to spread handfuls of native prairie seed on the ground. Using tools as simple as a paper cup or their bare hands, the seeds were broadcast into the air, falling silently to the ground. As these seeds are exposed to rain, sun and warming temperatures in the coming months, they will germinate and start to establish a native prairie planting filled with beautiful flowering plants and tall, stately grasses. To a gardener...

Play with your kids- it helps strengthen their brain

February 27, 2023

Play is a very important part of life, from infancy throughout childhood. We often think of the importance of play early in childhood, but there is value throughout childhood, even through adolescence. My children are 11 and 13 now and the way we play together has changed over time, but there are still many benefits to encouraging play at their age, including practicing self-regulation, learning to adapt and compromise, as well as just having a way to release from the stress and busyness of...

The weight of winter: Snow and ice on trees

February 24, 2023

I write this article as I look out at a snow-covered landscape and give thanks for the warmth of my office. It is during these days that I’m reminded of the awesome adaptability of nature. Trees and animals can survive, even thrive, in a climate where temperatures can easily span one-hundred degrees and an abundance of weather conditions over the course of a year. Each season can provide certain challenges for trees, in the winter, the weight of snow and ice can overwhelm trees and cause...

Dark blue-purple elderberries hanging on pink stems

Ward off the winter blues with plant propagation

February 24, 2023

In a season of chilly air and cold soil, gardeners cannot help but catch “spring fever”. The remedy for most is trays of soil and tiny seeds – a start of the summer garden – but transplanting those seedlings is a long way off. If plant propagation by seed is too much to remember, try growing plants from cuttings. With a few pruned limbs, you can grow entire plants. At The Refuge Food Forest in Normal, woody perennial fruit crops require annual early spring pruning of both diseased and healthy...

Image of a bowl with oatmeal, blueberries, almonds, and cinnamon on a table with a poon and jar of honey

Take your oatmeal to the next level

February 23, 2023

Waking up to a warm bowl of oatmeal in the cold winter months is a good start to the day. Oatmeal has it’s perks; it’s quick and easy to prepare with a hundred different variations to keep it from getting boring, and it’s fiber content makes it both hearty and healthy, filling up your tummy while keeping your heart ticking strong. Oatmeal starts with the simplest ingredients: oats and milk (or water). Oats mainly come in three different forms: steel cut, rolled and instant. Steel cut oats are...

What you need to know about carbon markets

February 20, 2023

Did you know that there are other ecosystem markets out there that aren’t carbon markets? With the increasing number of players and frequent changes in ecosystem markets, there is a lot of uncertainty. In the February 2022 episode of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast, we talked to Jack McCormick, an Illinois farmer who is part of a carbon market, and his advice to those interested in joining a market. In addition, we discussed...

The mourning cloak butterfly

February 16, 2023

A winter butterfly sighting We have had some warm weather this February, which means it is time to keep an eye out for butterflies! You may be thinking I am in the wrong hemisphere, but there is a chance you can spot butterflies on a warm winter day in Illinois, namely the mourning cloak butterfly. Despite its drab name, the mourning cloak butterfly might be one of spring’s earliest flowers. I first learned of this butterfly in 2015 as my sons and I took a walk on a warm winter day and we...

Personal Finances

Illinois Extension can guide your family through all of life's stages.

Great retirements don't happen by accident. Tips for saving and investing your money.

Live Well. Retire Well.

Money talk by college students, for college students.

Be Centsible

Develop and maintain thoughtful and effective financial behaviors using these trusted methods.

Fearless Financial Future

Family

In today's hectic lives, families find themselves raising children, caring for elders, and working.

Read these timely resources for wellness across the lifespan.

Family Files

Health

Living well means taking time for ourselves so we can be healthy for others who need us.

Take steps to living a healthier life.

To Your Health

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Genuine, sustained self-care is an art.

Refill Your Cup with Self-Care

A journey of wellness dedicated to awareness and the power of knowledge to help you on your health and wellness journey.

Walking the Line to Wellness

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Empowering people to make healthy, respectful and responsible choices.

Community Health: Empowering People

Nutrition and Wellness

Eating healthy shouldn't be this hard.

Healthy information for better living

Live Well. Eat Well

Nutrition information you can use.

Be Smart, Eat Well, Get Healthy

Highlighting food, recipes, and ideas for a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Eats and Repeat

Helpful tips to make meals easy, healthy and tasty!

Simply Nutritious, Quick and Delicious

Community and Economic Development

Illinois Extension helps communities develop strategies to thrive.

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Strategies for strengthening local economies.

Building Entrepreneurial Communities

Participants in Illinois Extension Illini Science Scholars Program share their experiences in this unique opportunity.

Scholars Speak

Natural Resources

We have one planet. Let's work together to ensure its future and ours.

Dig deep into the types of grasses and their uses in our world.

Grasses at a Glance

Read the latest news in natural resources.

Naturalist News

The Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy guides efforts to improve water quality at home and downstream.

Nutrient Loss Reduction

Weather impacts food production, transportation, homes, and lives.

All About Weather

Horticulture

From the flowers you enjoy to the produce you eat to the plants that add value to our life, we offer help for growing strong.

Keeping you (and your garden) growing with good ideas.

Good Growing

Gardening in Illinois including everything from vegetable gardening to native plants.

The Garden Scoop

Where northern Illinois gardeners come to find out what's happening out in the yard.

Over the Garden Fence

Local and statewide information on a variety of current topics for home gardeners and market growers.

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Helping new and experienced gardeners develop their skills and knowledge while encouraging everyone to enjoy the outdoors.

Illinois River Horticulture

Archive of the most popular blog articles from Illinois Extension

Our Greatest Horticulture Hit Blogs

Local Food Systems

Growers are diverse, from urban agriculture and beginning small farmers to farmers markets and organic agriculture.

Learn new resources for urban growers.

Local Foods | Local Farms | Local People

The "Jungle" refers to Elizabeth Wahle's personal St. Louis Metro East garden and it provides the backdrop for her writings about building and sustaining viable food webs and ecosystems within the home landscape.

Welcome to My Jungle

A blog for growers, consumers, and backyard gardeners to grow, eat, and connect in the local food system.

Raise, Grow, Harvest, Eat, Repeat

Connecting you with your food, farmers and community.

Know How. Know More. Connecting Food, Farmers, and Community

Ramping up local food production in the second-most populous county in the US.

Cultivate Cook County

Agriculture

The cattlemen's connection to timely topics, current research, and profitable management strategies.

The Cattle Connection

All issues concerning Small Farms, Agriculture, Local Food Systems, and the Natural Resources.

Acres of Knowledge

Current topics about crop production in Western Illinois, including field crops research at the NWIARDC in Monmouth.

Hill and Furrow

Youth Development

We're the friend you've been looking for.

4-H’s learning opportunities are intentionally designed around four essential concepts necessary for positive youth development: a sense of belonging with a positive group, independence and self-determination, a spirit of generosity toward others, and a wide variety of opportunities to master life challenges.

Our Stories from Illinois 4-H

Timely information, activities, and resources to help you stay connected to loved ones, the world around you, and yourself.

Connection Corner: Activities for Families