… When it comes to controlling invasive plants, a little faith can’t hurt. This is particularly true for garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). We have been struggling to get … observations circulating in the Chicago region regarding a possible disease that apparently is having a significant negative effect on garlic mustard (see woodsandprairie.blogspot.com ). Observers have reported an almost complete absence of garlic mustard in areas that are …
Type: Blog
… may recognize many from your own childhood. “For children, the most powerful form of learning is with their hands.” “Nature is children’s real home.” What’s under that log? Life. Build an ant playground out of sticks! … used to do this all the time, and now she’s a wildlife biologist.” 1. Pick up a Stick How cool is this? In 2008, the stick was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame! It’s in great …
Type: Blog
… Grounds supervisor. Melecio supervises four regular employees and 43 seasonal employees, and is responsible for general grounds maintenance, major event support (set up and tear down), and the landscape waste program. He is an expert equipment operator and trains staff and volunteers in safety and equipment …
Type: Staff bio
… air and from the leaf litter in the tree niche it inhabits. Orchid Roots Are Adventitious That is, an orchid’s roots can grow along the stem of the plant, not just out of the bottom of it. The … removed from the mother plant along with their own set of adventitious roots. The White Stuff Is Velamen An aerial root should look fleshy and green; the white coating that covers it is called the velamen. Thin and rather papery, but spongy and protective, it’s a one-way water …
Type: Blog
… graduate program run by Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Flower timing is critical for many reasons. For the earliest of the spring bloomers, earlier flowering provides … spring blooms known as ephemerals, these early foragers would go hungry because nothing else is in bloom. In return for pollen and nectar, bees and other pollinators move pollen from flower … us a better understanding for how certain plant species will respond to climate change, which is signaling many plant species to flower earlier than in the past. Samantha Danguilan is a …
Type: Blog
… science to pursue careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math. Divine, who is from the Chicago neighborhood of Ashburn, will be a freshman at Lindblom Math and Science Academy next year. Another participant, Alexis, who is from Little Village, begins his freshman year at Northside College Preparatory High School in … recommended that she apply to the program, which seemed a perfect fit—her interest in science is rooted in the books she read as a child. Divine has always loved reading and would sometimes …
Type: Blog
… if you don’t want a brown, unruly patch of land. Conservation scientist Becky Barak, Ph.D., is looking to change that assumption. By studying alternatives to traditional turfgrass, she and … Research. In 2022, Barak received a Biota Award from the Walder Foundation; this award, which is given to early-career researchers who are working on biodiversity restoration, allowed the … meadow and prairie plots include flowering plants, in addition to grasses and sedges. A new site at Uptown Coastal Natural Area with the Chicago Park District is planted with a range of …
Type: Blog
… but it often overshadows the concerns ecologists have about our own native bees. Illinois is home to about 500 species of bees that are important pollinators in natural areas, in … bees. (I picture carpenter bees wearing little tool belts around their waists.) Nick Dorian is a postdoctoral researcher with the Garden’s Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science … found at a nursery,” Dorian says. The endangered rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) is supported by gardens containing wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Photo credit: Nick Dorian. …
Type: Plant Info
… the plants, harvesting the bounty, and eating the delicious, nutritious final product is a priceless education in itself. Gardening and the subsequent cooking activities transcend … yard that receives six to eight hours of sun a day. An area with a north-south orientation is ideal, in that it takes advantage of the east-west movement of the sun and gives veggies more … at the garden center. To prevent the tallest plants from shading out the low-growing ones, site them at the back, on the sides, or down the middle of the garden, depending on the …
Type: Plant Info
… any seed starting are time, light, a growing medium, cleanliness, water, and attention. Time is critical. Some species need weeks longer than others. Impatiens, for example, need to be … a couple of standard fluorescent tubes in a utilitarian shop light works fine, if the fixture is hung on chains with S-hooks so its height can be adjusted. Install it securely in an … very well and allow the delicate roots to find their way between its particles. Potting mix is generally too dense; it's better to buy a sterile seed-starting mix. The mix must be sterile …
Type: Plant Info
