Master Naturalist Blogs

The Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program, CAPS, focuses on the early detection and surveillance of harmful or economically significant exotic plant pests, diseases, and weeds that have eluded first-line of defense inspections or have...

Did you know that many of the invasive plants that landowners, foresters, and conservation workers fight today were first introduced as pretty landscaping plants? It seems hard to believe that one little plant you install in your yard has the potential to rule the world, or at least the nearby...

Illinois is home to a diversity of natural ecosystems, including the grasslands, forests, and wetlands that once covered a majority of the state. Most of these ecosystems have been converted to other land-cover types, notably row-crop agriculture and urban and suburban development, but remaining...

EDDMapS, formerly known as The Bugwood Network, was launched 20 years ago by the University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health to provide an aggregated source of invasive plant distribution data and information in...

If you live in the Midwest, you may be used to seeing garlic mustard thriving along forested roadsides or buckthorn shrubs taking over forests and parks. These are two examples of invasive plants that have become widespread. Plants are considered invasive if they are non-native, meaning they...

Emerald ash borer, bush honeysuckle, bighead carp – if any of those names made you shudder, you’re likely aware of the widespread environmental and economic harm invasive species cause in Illinois.But the first time I passionately spoke with a...

It was a beautiful April Saturday afternoon at the Anita Purves Nature Center in Urbana. Like most spring Saturdays, the grounds of the nature center were full of families from the surrounding area exploring the indoor exhibits and strolling along the boardwalk through the nearby woods. Unlike most...

It’s July 19, 2023. Standing at a trailhead within Skokie Lagoons, I was armed with close-focus binoculars and a clipboard, about to embark on a leisurely walk. It was a pleasant summer day at 79°F, the sun brightly shining with just a couple of clouds dotting the sky, and feeling only the...