Environment

Events

Ecology at Your Home

August 13, 2026

Fantastic Fungi: Movie & Literature Review

August 14, 2026

County

Fulton

Mason

Peoria

Tazewell

Climate Stewards Informational Session

August 18, 2026

Conservation Tours

August 22, 2026

County

McDonough

More Events

Blog Posts

Taking a closer look at the Panicum genus

August 10, 2026

Recently I led a three-day online course on grass identification. Thanks to those of you who participated! One of the things I focused on is how...

Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary: A local nature classroom

August 4, 2026

By Roberta Clifton, Extension Master Naturalist, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and TazewellOff the beaten path, but only 30 minutes from our capital...

a native bumble bee visiting a native plant, blue vervain. photo by Layne Knoche

Resources for city planners: native gardens and landscaping code

July 28, 2026

This is the first of several blog posts that we hope will be helpful to city planners as they try to navigate updating their residential landscaping...

Cereal rye emerging through corn stover in a field

Cover crop conversations: Profitability, soil health, and yield

July 22, 2026

When evaluating cover crops, many conversations begin with one question: Are they profitable? In...

More Blogs

News Releases

Patti Powell and Becki Wisdom holding Illinois Bats poster during a program

July 31, 2026

Discovering Bats: Nighttime Superheroes program reaches youth across southern Illinois
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – This summer, youth across southern Illinois explored the fascinating world of bats through the program, Discovering Bats: Nighttime Superheroes. Through interactive storytelling, hands-on activities, and educational games, participants learned about one...

a person takes a photo of a monarch butterfly

July 23, 2026

Everyday Environment series returns with nature-based solutions for home and community
URBANA, Ill. — Discover the power of working with nature. University of Illinois Extension’s natural resources series,...

A dirt path through an Illinois forest in fall

July 13, 2026

How long does it take to grow a tree that supports endangered Indiana bats?
URBANA, Ill. — Bugs run rampant in the summer, and if you have ever suffered from a mosquito bite and regretted not putting on bug spray, you should know about nature’s insect repellent: the Indiana bat. Federally endangered since 1967, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) helps...

A woman with a clipboard checks the food in an open refrigerator

July 14, 2026

Help shape solutions to food waste by taking the Illinois Household Food Waste Survey
URBANA, Ill. — From farm to table to trash can, what happens to food is bigger than leftovers. Producing food uses valuable resources like water and fuel, and when uneaten food ends up in landfills, it...

More News

Videos

Poison Ivy Identification and Lookalikes

Learn how to identify poison ivy and how to differentiate it from common lookalikes.

Invasive Species Q&A

Do you have questions about invasive species? We have the answers! This Q&A livestream about invasive species in Illinois was presented and recorded on May 21, 2026, on Facebook for the Everyday Environment series.