… pollen, mixed with that of other wind-pollinated plants, is the bane of those who suffer from hay fever. Graminoids such as grasses, sedges, and rushes are well represented in prairies. … are in woodlands and wetlands, they are the second most dominant graminoid behind grasses. From a distance, it is difficult to distinguish the Carices (plural of the genus Carex ) from the grasses, but up close there are quite a few differences. The stems of grasses are …
Type: Blog
… your proposal at the Cove. 7. “Doesn’t that sound amazing?” On Monday nights , carillonneurs from around the globe transform Evening Island into an outdoor concert hall. Not coincidentally, … rocks make a perfect seat for a perfect couple. Enjoy a concert for two on Monday nights from this secret spot on Evening Island. 8. “Which path do you want to take?” A summer walk … Island. 9. “Do you feel like a beer?” There’s something different about this arch: it’s made from hops—which, of course, are the key ingredients in beer. Take photos under the archway, sit …
Type: Blog
… I turned the bag clockwise, the roots and stem appear to be going around counter-clockwise. From here on it’s up to you. Let the plant grow and turn the bag when you want to change the … at this picture of the Visitor Center bridge in fall. Notice the gorgeous pink mums hanging from the trellis. Left alone, the stems of these plants would naturally grow up like the mums … on the stems while the plants are growing in the greenhouses. They actually use metal nuts from a hardware store! The weights are removed before the planters go on display, and they look …
Type: Blog
… 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
… that is excessively wet. A lawn is too wet when you see standing water, or water comes up from the ground as you step on the lawn. In these conditions, the mower tires will leave … has dried a bit. Weeds are more easily pulled when the ground is moist (but not wet). Work from the edges of the beds to pull weeds without compacting soil or damaging other plantings. …
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
