Blogs

Highlight Blog Posts
counting dollars

Preventative care for financial wellness goals

Improving financial wellness takes some effort. Keeping your bills organized can help get a better understanding of where you are spending money. Do you know where all your money goes each month? Are the majority of your expenses fixed or variable? When occasional expenses come around, is your budget ready?According to the...
Two tornadoes touch down over plains

Watch out for Twisters! (Not the movie)

At the time I’m writing this, Twisters, the sequel to the cow-flying film Twister released in 1996, just hit the movie theatres. Luckily, I didn’t make a spectacle of myself during the original, shouting out about all the scientific inaccuracies. While I have not yet seen the new movie, I do want to talk about the weather of twisters, as in multiple funnels. Multiple vortex...
Recent Blog Articles

Landscape Mulch with Expectations

By this time of the year, there has already been a lot of landscape mulch applied for the summer. Landscape mulch can provide more benefit than just how nice a freshly applied layer looks. When applied around young trees, we know that it reduces the competition from grass and makes it easier for...
Finish this story

Japanese Beetles on the Prowl

Over the weekend the Illinois Pest Survey shared a post on Facebook saying that Japanese Beetles were out in Central Illinois. Sure enough, I go and check the growing degree days for the area and they are at the point when Japanese Beetles begin to emerge. If you want to know more about growing...
Finish this story

Landscape mulch with expectations

By this time of the year, there has already been a lot of landscape mulch applied for the summer. Landscape mulch can provide more benefit than just how nice a freshly applied layer looks. When applied around young trees, we know that it reduces the competition from grass and makes it easier for...
Finish this story

They're Back, Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetle adults may be munching on roses, lindens, raspberries, birch trees, crabapple and apple trees in your neighborhood. The beetles are voracious foliage and fruit feeders of nearly 300 species of plants. Feeding on plants generally lasts for about six weeks. The Japanese beetle is...
Finish this story

Mosquitos in the Landscape

Mosquitos are adjusting to our ever-changing weather patterns just like our plants in the home landscape this season. May into June would be our traditional time mosquitos start show up for the summer. This season, April had the rain and not May, so mosquitos can be behind a bit. Mosquitoes favor...
Finish this story
Strwawberry

Grow Your Own Strawberries

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Have you had fresh strawberries yet this year? They are great when eaten fresh from the garden, and it is easy to grow your own. If you don't grow them yet, consider planting some next spring, which is the best time to plant new...
Finish this story

Is a Vegan Diet Healthy?

This week's blog post is written by Illinois State University graduate student and dietetic intern, Samantha Concha! You may be aware of the current vegan craze that has been circulating around social media and probably some of your favorite weekly magazines and newspapers. But are you...
Finish this story

Let's Shop for Mortgage Loans

Are you shopping for a new home to purchase? If so, are you spending enough time shopping for your mortgage loan too? Shop around to find the best interest rate you can on loans. According to research from the...
Finish this story

We Have Blogs on Many Different Topics

Personal Finances

Illinois Extension can guide your family through all of life's stages.
couple sitting on patio

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

Plan Well. Retire Well.

university of illinois graduate

Money talk by college students, for college students.

Be Centsible

man helping couple with money issues

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

Fearless Financial Future

cardboard people standing on money

Find the financial balance that fits your personal budget and financial planning goals.

Finding Financial Balance

Family

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

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. 
woman doing yoga stretches in the park

Take steps to living a healthier life.

To Your Health

person sitting on couch with cup of coffee

Genuine, sustained self-care is an art.

Refill Your Cup with Self-Care

person walking road

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

person sitting on couch holding someone's hands

Empowering people to make healthy, respectful and responsible choices.

Community Health: Empowering People

young black girl being treated by black doctor

Working together to address social and structural health inequities

Health Insights Illinois

Nutrition and Wellness

Eating healthy shouldn't be this hard.
healthy foods on table

Healthy information for better living

Live Well. Eat Well.

healthy food on table

Nutrition information you can use.

Be Smart, Eat Well, Get Healthy

person chopping banana for smoothie

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

Healthy Eats and Repeat

healthy food on table

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.
young adult standing with other professionals seated

Strategies for strengthening local economies.

Building Entrepreneurial Communities

government building

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.
grass

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

Grasses at a Glance

world globe made of paper

Read the latest news in natural resources.

Naturalist News

field buffer

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

Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy

tornado

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.
mums

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

Good Growing

garden shed

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

The Garden Scoop

garden path

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

Over the Garden Fence

flower

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

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

garden path

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

Illinois River Horticulture

flower

Archive of the most popular blog articles from Illinois Extension

Our Greatest Horticulture Hit Blogs

Local Food Systems and Specialty Crops

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

Learn new resources for urban growers.

Local Foods | Local Farms | Local People

strawberries

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

squash soup

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

Raise, Grow, Harvest, Eat, Repeat

man holding onion

Connecting you with your food, farmers and community.

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

carrots in the ground

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

Cultivate Cook County

vegetables in basket for sale

Conditions can change quickly. As a commercial fruit and vegetable grower, get the latest information as it is available.

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

 

Agriculture

angus bull

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

The Cattle Connection

wheat field

Whether you're a farmer or landowner, trust the advice from Extension's farm coach.

Farm Coach

tractor spraying insecticide and pesticide

Emerging news and best practices for pesticide use and testing.

Pesticide News

corn

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

Acres of Knowledge

crops

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.
children wearing rainboots

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

family standing on beach

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

Connection Corner: Activities for Families