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  • … of all ages and a great way to extend Halloween celebrations during the first week of November with leftover jack-o’-lanterns. It’s also a great time to remind kids that pumpkins are plants that grow as a vine. Along with squash and cucumbers, pumpkins are part of the plant family Cucurbita. What you will need: A …
    Type: Blog
  • … of photographers stopped by, and they happily snapped away. Volunteer Robyn Lynblad came up with the idea of naming each moth the way meteorologists name tropical storms, so we named this … and learn about nature in some of its most beautiful forms. Being able to study and interact with nature has a profound effect on people of all ages, especially children. It awakens the …
    Type: Blog
  • … They found that only 24% of the 195 surveyed conferences had such codes of conduct. Of those with codes, 43% did not mention sexual misconduct, 17% did not mention identity-based … marginalized. Read the full paper here . The infographic below summarizes the findings with examples of identities, types of sexual misconduct and consequences from violating codes …
    Type: Research
  • … and other food sources become more plentiful. The birds’ habits are perfectly synchronized with the seasons.  At this time of year, recently returned birds will be looking for material to build a nest and lay eggs. You can provide some bling for a lucky bird family with a few things you have around your home. You will need items including these: A plastic …
    Type: Blog
  • … is done and we’ve finally moved into summer bulb season! The annual beds have been replanted with sweeps of dahlias, cannas, caladium, and begonias to showcase these nonstop workhorses of … whorl, giving the plants a pagoda-like structure. We’re also moving into Asiatic lily season with the first of those beginning to bloom in bold shades of pink, red, yellow, and orange.  …
    Type: Blog
  • … is attributed to its past popularity as a medicinal plant, which led to its overharvest. Along with goldenseal, other quality woodland plants such as bellwort ( Uvularia grandiflora ) and … the woodland, so I thought that would be a good starting point. Hydrastis canadensis  leaves (with one ripe fruit) As luck would have it, the owners of the home also owned the entire … out that he already knew about the goldenseal population from a conversation that he had had with a local forester years ago. The forester thought that there was a good chance it had been …
    Type: Blog
  • … To most people, the word “pollinator” is synonymous with the word “bee,” but only a fraction of plants are pollinated by bees. In fact,  many … world. A newly emerged  Hyles lineata  hawkmoth I am a research tech in the Skogen lab. I work with  Krissa Skogen , Ph.D., her postdocs Tania Jogesh and Rick Overson, and fellow Garden … behavioral experiments to understand how Hyles perceive floral scent This summer, along with Victoria Luizzi, a summer REU student from Amherst College, we looked at which plants female …
    Type: Blog
  • … Norris (the trip leader) and Josh Schultes of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, along with Steve McNamara of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Before we left, our desiderata—or … up to rocky-soiled glades and provided for plentiful opportunity for collecting wildflowers.   With an eye for distinct plant material and genetic diversity, we roamed through the uneven … dropped their seed for the year, or simply didn’t produce any due to drought-induced stress. With the aid of GPS, we marked these areas so future explorers to the Ozarks are aware of these …
    Type: Blog
  • … to Dr. Kramer, before it was restored 30 years ago, McDonalds Woods was largely filled with two non-native species of plants, buckthorn and garlic mustard. Most wildlife don’t eat any … at the Garden. “During the COVID-19 shutdown, I saw a great increase in animal activities with the absence of people on the grounds,” said Douglas. With less crowds, more bald eagles could be seen flying over the Skokie River and catching prey …
    Type: Blog
  • … in moist prairies and thickets, and is a typical wild rose in many ways: five pink petals, with lots of yellow stamens in the center supported by prickly stems. There are distinct … hollies. Ginkgoes planted in the landscape are almost always male because females have fruits with a terrible odor. In order to get holly berries on your holly shrubs, you need to plant a few … stamens of both female and male flowers to collect pollen but linger longer on male flowers with viable pollen and visit female flowers briefly—just enough time to brush pollen against the …
    Type: Blog