News & Media

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Illinois Extension strives to provide relevant, science-based information that serves residents and businesses in our area and across the state. From blogs featuring the best seasonal tips and techniques to news stories highlighting upcoming learning opportunities, we offer you impactful insights backed by the research and public engagement resources of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.

News Releases
Planning, designing a native garden
URBANA, Ill. – Those who love gardening, wildflowers, or who are tired of mowing expansive lawns should consider creating a native plant garden. Gemini Bhalsod, a horticulture educator with...
mushroom
Edible wild mushrooms are more than just your next meal
URBANA, Ill. – Every spring, enthusiastic woodland hunters scour forests across Illinois in search of an elusive and delectable fungi, the morel. Determined foragers delight in the thrill of harvesting wild morel mushrooms, Morchella spp, that can’t be bought at a grocery...
Get rid of weeds and insects at home without pesticides
URBANA, Ill. – It finally happened; your garden’s first tomato is ready to harvest. Bright red and plump, you can practically taste it, but on closer inspection someone already has. Do you dig out the trusty bottle of insecticide? Not so fast, says...
Bring office plants neglected during pandemic back to life
URBANA, Ill. – When people walked out of their workplaces last March, most did not think it would be months or even a year before they would come back.   As employees continue to return to in-person work, they might find themselves facing...
Gardening benefits body, mind, wallet
URBANA, Ill. — A continuously connected lifestyle can drain internal batteries quickly, but digging into the world outside may be the best way to rejuvenate, revitalize and recharge. “The gadgets of gardening aren’t flashy: a shovel, pruners, hoses and bags of seeds,” says...
Assortment of cool-season grasses add beauty to spring
URBANA, Ill. – In spring, cool-season grasses grasses play an important role in providing habitat and food sources as they emerge, grow, and flower. Learn to identify the wide variety of grasses in a free online webinar by University of Illinois Extension.  "Grass identification...