Insects and pests

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When should I clean up my garden? Picture of a garden with brown native bunch grasses and brown fallen tree leaves.
When should I start cleaning up my garden?
As the days get longer and the temperatures start to warm, we often get the itch to start gardening. On the first warm day of the year, I often find...
mourning cloak butterfly
The mourning cloak butterfly
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...
Round leaves of nasturtium are a mound of growth with red flowers peaking out
Fortify the spring vegetable garden with marigolds, sweet alyssum, and nasturtiums
In late spring, a gardener walks out to their vegetable garden ready to collect a harvest, only to discover shot holes through kale and bites taken...
Why are there bugs in my firewood? Identifying and managing firewood insects. A stack of firewood on the ground covered in a dusting of snow.
Why are there bugs in my firewood? Identifying and managing firewood insects
With the arrival of winter-like weather, many of us will be firing up the fireplace. When bringing wood inside for the fire, we can sometimes bring...
Massive fruit, myths, and mastodons: the Osage orange fruit of Osage orange in metal bucket
Massive fruit, myths, and mastodons: the Osage orange
While traveling through the Midwest on leaf peeping adventures, modern day explorers may find a rather nondescript tree with unique, distinct fruit....
plants in winter
Providing winter hospitality to wildlife
Providing winter hospitality to both vertebrate (birds mammals, lizards, etc.) and invertebrate (insects, spiders, worms, etc) wildlife is an...
What praying mantid have I found? Identifying praying mantids in Illinois. Closeup photo of a female Carolina mantid on a tree
What praying mantid have I found? Identifying praying mantids in Illinois
Most people are familiar with praying mantids. These large predatory insects are a common site in the fall, and we often encounter their egg cases (...
Methods for identifying plants is a great learning experience
I admire the knowledge of plant biologists, especially that group of expert botanists who make me feel like a novice in comparison…those are the...

News Releases

wild parsnip
Identify, avoid, and manage troublesome wild parsnip
URBANA, Ill. — I love parsnips. Often parsnips, large white carrot-like root vegetables, are substituted for celery in my soups and stews. The cultivated parsnip that we eat heralds from the appropriately named wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa. However, wild parsnip is a plant to avoid. The wild...
Maps of Illinois from 2020 to 2022 showing Northern corn rootworm numbers by county.
2022 Field crop disease, insect management report available
URBANA, Ill — Every year, University of Illinois scientists conduct pest and disease surveys in corn and soybean crops across the state, along with in-field tests of insecticides, seed treatments, and more. The 2022 report, now available, describes ongoing Bt-resistance monitoring results; field...
Can insects protect my garden ecosystem better than chemicals?
by Jan Phipps, Edgar County Master Gardener There are many beneficial insects in the garden that prey on other insects.  Several great names indicate their function: robber flies, ambush bugs, and assassin bugs.  The following are a few of the predatory insects with which you want to...
Give monarch butterflies something to munch on, plant native milkweeds
URBANA, Ill. – Imagine eating only one type of food your entire life. Your survival depends entirely on being able to find this food. This is the challenge monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, face every day as landscapes change nationwide and fewer native plants are available. But home...

Videos

How to Identify and Monitor for Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard is a high-priority invasive plant that harms native forest ecosystems in Illinois. The first step to removing it is finding it. - Own a forest? Always keep an eye out for garlic mustard along creeks, forest edges, and trails. Identification: Garlic mustard grows over two years....

How to {revent and Remove Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard is a high-priority invasive plant that harms native forest ecosystems in Illinois. The key to keeping it from taking over your woodland is early detection and rapid response.

  • Prevent it from getting on your land. Clean shoes and tires when moving between properties...

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