… was launched through the Chicago Botanic Garden to track the status of rare, threatened, and endangered species in northeast Illinois. A landmark program at the time of its conception, … Plants of Concern has remained a model for long-term, collaborative community science and still represents one of the only programs of its kind in the world. Here, we’ll look back at … of Cook County, Lake County Forest Preserve District, Chicago Park District, US Forest Service - Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and a grant from an anonymous foundation keep the …
Type: Blog
… ‘Tis the season for the harvest bounty at Windy City Harvest! Our staff and program participants are busy harvesting our final summer crops: peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant; and early fall crops: kale, carrots, and cabbage. This harvest season, we unveiled our cookbook, …
Type: Blog
… recognize that familiar call of the black-capped chickadee. It’s often heard in late summer and fall as chickadees gather in family groups and small feeding flocks to prepare for the winter. The chickadee’s song—translated as “Hey, … (though you can’t often hear the third syllable)—is reserved for late winter, spring, and summer, when the bird is courting and nesting. Nothing brightens a mid-February day more than …
Type: Blog
… Women’s Day, the Chicago Botanic Garden celebrates women in science at our institution and around the world. At the Garden, 21 of our 35 scientific staff members are women and, in our graduate program in plant biology and conservation with Northwestern University, more than 70 percent of the students are female or …
Type: Blog
… Second Winter—can test our ability to feel connected to anything living, including each other and ourselves. When we are stuck inside, our mental images of cherry blossoms, tulips, and forsythia, are hit with the reality of the snow outside our windows, causing a short circuitry in our minds and a yearly re-questioning of “Why do we even live here?” However, small signs of life provide …
Type: Blog
… Tranquil, peaceful, and serene are words often associated with the McDonald Woods, which wrap around the northeastern … , senior ecologist at the Garden, the oak woodland is a bustling center for natural processes and species, and may hold answers to unsolved scientific questions. Purple milkweed ( Asclepias purpurascens ) …
Type: Blog
… Now that the leaves are turning and the days are growing shorter, if you’re tempted to pack away your gardening gloves…don’t! At … Garden, we’re as busy ever. Our cool-weather crops include brussels sprouts, spinach, and toscano kale. Fall is a great time to grow vegetables—insects die off, weeds wither, moisture … hanging baskets. Don’t say good-bye to your summer garden yet Document the good, the bad, and the ugly. Walk around your garden making notes, drawing pictures, and taking photographs; …
Type: Blog
… not to love about a Shrek-like sprout head? This DIY project connects young kids to plants and the magic of sprouting seeds. In camps and youth classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden, we encourage little ones to get their hands … We’ve got lots of ideas for projects you can do at home to get kids thinking about plants and how they grow. Here’s how to make just one of our favorite projects. Materials: A nylon sock …
Type: Blog
… Hoffman’s 12-foot-tall sculpture celebrates the word JOY: “the expression of love, comfort, and happiness when we're with the ones we love.” Tanner Woodford’s Pride & Promise—2020 Heritage … boasts hundreds of six-point stars, like those on the Chicago flag, that “represent the pride and promise we feel in our community and home.” And Michael Young’s Night Birds, with their neon-lit feathers and abstract style, …
Type: Blog
… Dye-ing for nature-based fun? Forgo the food coloring and kits, and go for naturally safe, naturally kid-friendly, and naturally beautiful “homemade” egg dyes instead. Dyes can be used on hard-boiled or fancy …
Type: Blog
