… In the middle of the night, an 8-inch bundle of feathers and hollow bones projects a haunting, … the bird—an eastern screech-owl—could likely be right above your head (that is, if you are out in the middle of the woods at night). A year-round, common resident of northern Illinois, the eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio) is primarily found in woodlands; it prefers trees with natural cavities near a field with a stream or shallow river. …
Type: Blog
… Monarch butterflies have left their overwintering sites in Mexico and are heading back toward the Midwest, including the Chicago area. In the 1990s, hundreds of millions of monarchs made the journey each fall from the northern plains of the United States and Canada to forested sites north of Mexico City. In western North America, more than a million monarchs made a shorter flight to tree groves on …
Type: Blog
… April definitely does not always go out like a lamb. Some years, we in Chicago don't put away our sweaters until the end of the month. Here at the Chicago Botanic Garden, we recorded our coldest April in 2018, ever since we started recording temperatures in 1982. Our average high temperature in April that year was 48.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is …
Type: Blog
… Interested in a healthier, happier life? Try connecting with the natural world. A new, technologically advanced body of research shows that spending time in nature can provide protection against cancer, high blood pressure, depression, stress, and more. Take a walk in nature to improve your mood and your health. A recent National Geographic article noted that …
Type: Blog
… of sending messages as a gift of flowers has flourished over the centuries. Popularized in the Victorian era, when public display of emotion was frowned upon, great effort and detail went into the choice of flowers presented in a bouquet. Each flower chosen had its own well-known meaning concealed in its size, shape, color, and even the way it was presented — by hand, singularly, or in a …
Type: Blog
… will wilt dramatically if allowed to dry out. The plants should never be allowed to stand in water for more than 20 minutes if possible. Poinsettia plants can be a challenge to keep … as the plant looks healthy, continue to provide it with even moisture and warm temperatures in a bright location, out of direct sun. In six to eight weeks, it will begin to lose its leaves and turn slightly off-color. At that …
Type: Blog
… When I was growing up, there were certain animals I was saddened to think I would never see in my lifetime. There were those species that had become extinct, of course, like passenger … they were functionally extinct for me. Birds like the prairie chickens, barely holding on in postage stamp-sized grasslands that we had not yet converted to something “useful.” Peregrine … didn’t see them, no matter how hard I tried. As a kid I thought these kinds of losses were in the past. Unfortunately, the loss of species has not stopped, or lessened, but is increasing …
Type: Blog
… nursery supervisor. Many of the Garden's more unique and difficult-to-source plants are grown in the nursery. Raue started working at the Garden in 1986, as a horticulture intern rotating through different departments. Following her internship, in the next seven years, Raue worked as a horticulturist for the Farwell Landscape Garden, Native …
Type: Staff bio
… ‘Jet Black Wonder’ has unique black spots and pink- tinged flowers. Arum first emerge in the late fall. The broad, arrow-shaped leaves of Arum italicum are highly ornamental and sturdy—quickly perking up after hard freezes, providing a welcome spot of green in the winter garden. Throughout the winter, they remain green and full, providing a welcome burst of green in the winter garden. In the late spring, they send up creamy white flowers that resemble calla …
Type: Blog
… and early this summer the fortune was found. Standing on the far side of a hummock swamp in Delhaas Woods in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Andrew Bunting had located a unique magnolia tree population on the … this is where the story begins. Andrew Bunting collecting sweetbay magnolia samples in Delhaas Woods, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bunting, the former assistant director and director …
Type: Blog
