… nectar. Once, when I was photographing a closed gentian, I was surprised by a bee that emerged from the corolla, where it was completely hidden from view when I approached the plant. One more gentian worth a mention is the cream gentian …
Type: Blog
… predates Hollywood and familiar authors. In Greek myth, wolfsbane (Aconitum) originated from the toxic slobber of a three-headed dog named Cerberus, the scary canine guardian to the … with wolfsbane on a full moon could actually cause shape-shifting. Patients who suffered from lycanthropy (the delusion of being a wolf) were prescribed regular—and often lethal—doses of …
Type: Blog
… the nature trail in McDonald Woods, I stopped, having heard a high-pitched squeaking emanating from the sedges and grasses along side the trail. (This was when my hearing was still acute … shrew ( Blarina brevicauda). Short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) by Gilles Gonthier from Canada [ CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons The short-tailed shrew averages about 4.8 … exists in good habitat, it is not unusual to spot their miniature tracks trailing away from small tunnel openings in the surface of the snow. If you are particularly lucky, you might …
Type: Blog
… plant diversity and identify its drivers. This project uses different indicators derived from satellite imagery to estimate the plant diversity of wetland sites across the conterminous …
Type: Research
… leaf-cutter bees. This mason bee has filled the "pollen baskets" on its hind legs with pollen from the eryngo, and they are now swollen and bright yellow. Pollen is also sticking to the hairs … green body. The same green bottle fly can bee seen with its proboscis sipping nectar from the flower in this image. 10. Cluster fly This is the only image I got of another blowfly … bug, and one spider—sixteen different bugs on this one bright, smelly plant! The take-away from my experience is that scent is a really successful strategy for attracting pollinators. Like …
Type: Blog
… as the grower for outdoor floriculture. She has a bachelor of science degree in horticulture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. …
Type: Staff bio
… of interaction occurring among species. These interactions can vary considerably through time—from hours, to days, seasons, years, decades, and beyond. Nevertheless, species interaction …
Type: Research
… applications in Cook and Lake Counties (Illinois), as well as existing collections data from local herbaria and animal collections. This project has two major goals: determining how (1) …
Type: Research
… keel) and thus expose the pollen producing anthers. A rich palette of blue flowering plants from the Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) surrounds the white wild indigo plants. A … is the pale coneflower (Echinacea pallida) . The narrower leaves of this plant distinguish it from the commonly planted purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) (sometimes called broad-leaved …
Type: Blog
… potting soil. Place the tallest plants in the center if the dish garden is to be viewed from several sides, or place them in the back of the container if viewed only from one side. Mix plants with contrasting foliage, colors, leaf sizes, and shapes. Top dress the …
Type: Blog
