Walking through the woods, you will notice that not all forests are the same. The plant composition, elevation in the land, geography, and soil composition all make for a variety of forest types. One of my favorites and most unique is the flatwood forest. A flatwoods is a level area with a hardpan underneath that keeps water from draining. This unique feature creates distinctive biodiversity opportunities and a forest composition for the most adaptive species. Types of flatwoods...

Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a showy plant that makes you stop and ask questions about it whenever it is stumbled upon - whether in your garden or along a hike. From its impressive height, sometimes up to 10 feet tall, to its distinctive reddish-purple stems - you stop and ask yourself: “what is it?” To me, this is the least interesting question you could ask. By observing this showy species, you can ask more interesting questions that tell you so much more about this plant’s...

As we transition to fall here in Illinois, you may see smoke in the air or see the grasslands or forests burning.  These could be signs of a prescribed fire being conducted intentionally to manage our natural ecosystems.  The use of prescribed fire is increasing throughout Illinois.  To understand why fire is being used as a management tool, let’s take a look at the role fire has played in the development of ecosystems in Illinois.  Fire History in...

My family and I recently traveled out of state to drop my oldest daughter off at a summer college program. We were taking this opportunity to do some camping and exploring of the public lands in the upper Midwest. As we traveled down a forest-lined highway en route to our planned national forest campground, we were astonished that, for literally miles, almost every tree in sight was completely devoid of leaves even though it was in the middle of summer.  Not knowing what was going on, I had to...

I am sure that most of us are familiar with the concept of invasive species - non-native organisms that are introduced into a new environment and take advantage of the lack of natural checks and balances to run amok and impact our native species and natural ecosystems.  My first introduction to invasive species was when I was a kid, growing up in the southern United States, seeing the invasive vine kudzu swallow entire trees. While we do have kudzu...

“Forty-two pounds of Edible Fungus In the Wilderness a-growin’ Saved the Settlers from Starvation,   Helped the founding of this Nation.”                 - Robert McCloskey, 1943 While this song telling of the miraculous feats of edible mushrooms was part of a fictional story, it does underscore that we eat a lot of wild mushrooms. Commercially available, buttons, portobellos, shiitakes, and other varieties just aren't enough for some and foraging for wild...

Garlic mustard, just two little words can bring a groan from naturalists across the Eastern United States. But garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, also known as Poor Man’s Mustard, Hedge Garlic, Garlic Root and Jack-by-the-Hedge didn’t start out in this country as a menace. Early European settlers brought this plant with them for food and medicinal purposes. In case you were wondering,...

By the time February rolls around, many of us are longing for springtime.  Spring brings a renewal of plant life in our forests, the arrival of the first batch of neotropical birds migrating back from their southern winter homes, and the awakening of reptiles and amphibians that have been long dormant during the frigid temperatures of winter.  Skunk cabbage’s emergence out of the soil, the first calls of spring peepers, red maple buds bursting into bloom, and woodcock displaying in the meadows...

Late fall and early winter provide an opportunity for a rare glimpse at a fascinating phenomenon, if you are willing to get up early!  Frost flowers, also called ice flowers, are thin, often undulating ribbons of ice that form at the base of certain plants.  This happens when the air temperature drops below freezing, but the soil temperature remains relatively warm.  Frost flowers usually appear in late fall as the temperatures drop below freezing at night but can also form in spring sometimes...

The mighty white oak tree, Quercus alba, has long been the subject of folklore and legend. Sometimes called the “King of Trees,” the oak is often associated with titans in the pagan pantheon, Zeus and Thor to name just two. In Illinois, we recognize its importance and have named the white oak our state tree. We celebrate the month of October as Oak Awareness Month or Oaktober fest. These trees, which can grow 50 to...