… ©Carol Freeman They have to among nature’s greatest achievements. Their transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly is truly mind-boggling when you really think about it. … situation are my 105mm and 200mm macro lenses. They allow me to be a comfortable distance away from the butterflies, get excellent details, and also keep the background soft. As with all … ISO, and aperture to get sharp, interesting photos. Hecale Longwing ©Carol Freeman To keep from getting in the way of other guests, I leave the tripod at home and handhold my camera. This …
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… to observe and record how plants change with the seasons. The spots of green usually come from evergreen trees that keep their leaves year-round. In the Midwest, those tend to be conifers … tree, naked of its leaves. The ingenuity of leaf loss is protection, preventing branches from bearing too much weight and breaking when it snows. All I need is patience, and I will see … reveal insights into the life cycle of plants that we may rush by in our hurry to get inside from the snow or cold. It’s a great time for everyone—especially kids and families—to cultivate …
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… United States witnessed a rare event: the first total solar eclipse to cross over the country from coast to coast in nearly a century. The path of totality—meaning the area of the United … the gaps in moving leaves is only a sliver of the sun, and it shows. Photo by David Prasad from Fresno, California, United States [ CC BY-SA 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons , taken during … crisp outline of the crescent sun. [ CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons At peak viewing time, from roughly 12:45 to 2 p.m., we saw a skinny crescent of light peeking out from behind the moon, …
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… favorite of staff and visitors alike, the zebra longwing ( Heliconius charitonius ) is native from South America to south Texas and Florida, and occasionally an immigrant can be found as far … These friendly butterflies even eat together, bask together (open their wings to gain warmth from the sun), and take flying trips together around the house. The zebra longwing is extremely …
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… leaves Weave sticks and dried grasses together Stack stones according to size Create a “frame” from sticks and make a picture inside The beauty of this activity is its simplicity. Focus on the … and symmetry in the materials rather than any one image—a pile of stacked stones, a river made from colored leaves, a tapestry of woven grasses. So, leave any ideas about “artistic ability” at … to discover or add to. Imagine walking in the park and discovering a river of leaves flowing from a tree stump or a stick heart in the middle of the path. …
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… and homemade floral gift ideas. Spouses can evoke their wedding day by combining flowers from their ceremony and reception into a Valentine’s bouquet, said Tim Pollak, outdoor … sweet peas, freesias, and delphinium for a nostalgic, sweetly scented gift. Tropical flowers from spots such as Hawaii and Florida can conjure up memories of a romantic getaway. Seeking a … senior horticulturist. A little advance planning can produce beautiful flowering branches from early-spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia. Prune 2- to-3-foot lengths, put them in a …
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… flower at the Chicago Botanic Garden to bloom. A member of the Aroid plant family (Araceae) from Sumatra, it has a number of titan arum relatives at the Garden from around the world. Sunshine the titan arum ( Amorphophallus titanum ) in the Sensory Garden … foetidus ) are the two most common Chicago natives in this family. Other relatives hail from continents, regions, countries, and islands. Taxa growing at the Garden have the following …
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… to the world of herb-infused beverages. Muddled basil adds a refreshing twist to lemonade. From Garden to Glass Just about any herb you’d grow in your yard can be used to flavor drinks. … the second rule of muddling: always hold your arm at a 90-degree angle, pressing straight down from the elbow through the wrist through the muddler. (What’s a muddler? Read on.) Press down … Yes, a wooden spoon works, too. Vintage aficionados: look for stainless steel bar sets from the ’50s and ’60s. That big bump at the end of the long swizzle stick is a muddler. Infusion …
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… to bring food, health, and jobs to the community. The Youth Farm educates and employs teens from communities from Washington Park, North Lawndale, and Waukegan at three farm sites each year. They learn … instructional videos to cook at home. The whole Youth Farm team had to quickly switch gears from holding mostly in-person workshops to virtual sessions. “Virtual learning has been …
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… and two dams were installed at the north and south ends of our lake system to isolate it from the river except during high flows (see graphic). These dams were installed to help protect communities downstream of the Garden from flooding: if levels in the Skokie River rise high enough, river water flows over the north … in the Bulb Garden on August 16, 2017 Because the Garden was intentionally designed from the very beginning to accept and temporarily store floodwater from the Skokie River, we’ve …
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