… A new collaboration between Garden scientists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hoping to expand the range of a species once extinct in Illinois. Garden scientists, students, … ( Tetraneuris herbacea ). Plant Biology and Conservation Ph.D. student Rafael Urbina Casanova is working with Garden scientists Drs. Jeremie Fant and Andrea Kramer, and collaborators Jenny … relies on dry, rocky habitat in the Great Lakes region to survive. Unfortunately, this habitat is often quarried, so very little habitat remains available in Illinois,” said Rafael. This …
Type: Research
… on the edge of fading away. He had discovered the treasure he set out to find. Often, this is where the story ends. But when the prize is an elusive plant sought by scientists nationwide, this is where the story begins. Andrew … bags. The murky waters that now stood between them and a successful exit from the overgrown site were deep and dangerous, and wading out was not an option. They had no choice but to leap …
Type: Blog
… a gelatinous substance that makes them slippery and difficult to handle. So the first question is, what purpose does the slimy coating serve? This is not the kind of blog post where I give you all the answers. That would not be good science … through the digestive tract of an animal and still germinate. Not all seeds can do that. It is possible that in nature, the coating protects the seeds on their journey from the mother plant …
Type: Blog
… the colors of the season long after the tree leaves have faded and been raked away. It is one of November’s icons, reminding us of the cultural and botanical history of the continent. … teosinte (pronounced tay-oh-SIN-tee), around 10,000 years ago by the people living in what is now Mexico. Over time, maize became a staple crop, yielding different varieties of nutritious … Indian corn in bundles of three alongside gourds, pumpkins, and bundles of straw. Indian corn is related to popcorn. These kinds of maize differ from other kinds in that they have a harder …
Type: Blog
… in length, with the tail being about a quarter of the length of the body and head combined. It is by far the largest of the shrews we will see here. They are generally a velvety, dark gray … dark of night. These high-energy, secretive animals are active year-round, so their presence is more noticeable when the ground is covered with snow. If a healthy population exists in good habitat, it is not unusual to spot …
Type: Blog
… and recreation comes from Lake Michigan. If we waste water, then we waste the lake. It is that simple. The Water Conservation Game is set up and ready to play. The girls responded very well to the activity. I am sharing it on … of the Lake Michigan with an image to represent the local water source. (For most cities, that is groundwater.) I discovered, to my surprise, that many of my Brownie Scouts were not familiar …
Type: Blog
… Competition is heating up in the western United States. Invasive and native plants are racing to claim … and resources. Alicia Foxx, who studies the interplay of roots of native and invasive plants, is glued to the action. The results of this contest, says the plant biology and conservation … Botanic Garden and Northwestern University, could be difficult to reverse. Cheatgrass, which is an aggressive, invasive plant with a dense root system, is in the lead and spreading quickly …
Type: Blog
… Schiedea is a genus of 34 species in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) that is found only in the Hawaiian Islands. This genus of plants is known for having an extraordinary diversity of reproductive systems and serves as an excellent …
Type: Research
… Photo by Bill Bishoff Consider the butterfly’s ability to see ultraviolet light. UV light is a spectrum of light between 10 and 400 nanometers that humans and most other animals cannot … light, and they use these amazing gifts in a variety of clever ways. One well-known phenomenon is the relationship between butterflies and nectar-producing flowers. Thanks to special … These patterns can resemble airport landing strips or helicopter pads, advertising, “The food is in here!” The butterflies easily home in on these markings and land on the flower petals. From …
Type: Blog
… architect. The Chinese Garden of Perfect Brightness. Tie them together and the result is part of the intriguing back story of the Chicago Botanic Garden—which starts long before the … of Perfect Brightness] to the west of Peking,” Simonds wrote. The Garden of Perfect Brightness is one of China’s most iconic monuments, built in stages starting in the early 18th century as a … Garden began construction, Rausch recalled, “I have never seen anything quite as bad as that site. Literally, it was burning.” He was referring to the trash, raw sewage, weeds, and abandoned …
Type: Blog
