… May on record at Chicago O’Hare (9.51 inches) and Midway (7.65 inches) airport stations. For three consecutive years now, the O’Hare station has broken total precipitation records for the month of May. A 1-inch rainfall on an acre produces about 27,000 gallons of water and it … and suburbs continue to develop and build structures and roads, there is less permeable space for water to enter the ground and, as a result, there is more flooding in many areas. Allowing …
Type: Plant Info
… For one December session of our Plant Explorers after school program at Chicago International Charter School—Irving Park, the students made living ornaments for the holidays. This tiny terrarium project can have a calming influence on a potentially … were walking through a forest. And there were enough in the pack for all 15 students to get one. Use whatever you like! If you have a spray bottle with water handy, it helps to give the …
Type: Blog
… by the dark red stems rising from the dark bronze foliage in summer. This astilbe is ideal for moist soils in shaded conditions; water it during droughts. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… to frost. Easy to grow, Cambodian Queen is a proven performer. Pair with Asters and Anemones for a stunning fall show. Mounding habit. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… reach a height of about 4 feet. In July and August it produces pale pink flowers. It is ideal for a border. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Join Managing Ecologist Heather Decker for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of McDonald Woods. See the spring woodland wildflowers …
Type: Item Detail
… the Prairie Series Life in the prairie in the middle of winter is fairly uneventful; at least for humans who focus primarily on life above ground. Perhaps now is a good time to reflect on the … of this nation. The root mass in a prairie is more than double the shoot mass above ground. For thousands of years, the death and regeneration of roots and organisms that interact with them … colorful balls in which children can easily breathe when burrowing beneath the surface, you get a sense of how air can be transferred underground to support its biological inhabitants; …
Type: Blog
… And it can save you some big bucks. A 1-gallon pot of purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), for example, may cost $8 to $10. A packet of seeds can provide dozens of the same plant for about one-third of the price. Each seed holds an embryonic plant that’s resting and waiting for the right conditions to germinate. One of the most satisfying things a gardener can do is …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: A member of the goat-sucker family, this cryptic woodland bird is known for its distinctive call at night. It roosts on the ground in the McDonald woods but is difficult …
Type: Birding
… heard, but may be seen, in wet areas of the Dixon Prairie or along restored shorelines. Look for their globular nests in sedges along the Skokie River. …
Type: Birding
