… of the lawn. The children have a mission on this blustery October morning, an adventure in the far reaches of the Chicago Botanic Garden, where a yellow school bus opens its doors to a … the day-to-day work of a Garden ecologist. Trained Garden volunteers engage students in guided field trips from September to June. They use the same tools as horticultural scientists, take samples in the field, and ask questions that Garden experts examine on a daily basis. The goal of the …
Type: Blog
… edge of a glacier, then left behind as it shifts its motion and melts/recedes. Moraines vary in sizes and heights. Glacial ice that once covered northern Illinois began to recede about 14,000 years ago, leaving the five moraines, like scallops in the landscape, with the oldest to the west, the youngest to the east. Oldest and furthest west … 13,000 years ago; Green Bay Road was built along its crest. The Chicago Botanic Garden lies in the Skokie River Valley between the Highland Park and the Blodgett Moraines. Finally, a bit …
Type: Blog
… by a lack of light. Most people with seasonal affective disorder have symptoms that start in the fall and continue through the winter months, which in the Midwest, can seem endless. Lucky enough, there are many ways to remedy this SAD state of … activity, participants mix together a wide array of spices to create a holiday sachet to use in their home or office, or give as a gift. This activity serves as therapy on multiple levels. …
Type: Blog
… damage to the fence after a windy day, I discovered a large red oak that had lost its foothold in the frozen soil and had toppled over against a white oak. Since the tree was threatening to … These grubs are similar to the white grubs of Junebugs and Japanese beetles that you find in your gardens and lawns, but much larger. Although the rotten wood was frozen, I was able to … revealing a whole colony of 30 to 40 beetle grubs about 2 inches long and about a half inch in diameter. Each grub was cradled in a smooth-surfaced cell in the rotted wood. Even at …
Type: Blog
… ample shade for a hot summer day, and the heart-shaped leaves turn an outstanding gold color in the fall. They have a very symmetrical conical shape, strong central leader, and can reach a … by twig, a crew of four to five staff members from the Grounds Department prunes all 28 trees in the Linden Allée to precise measurements—once in the winter for shaping, and once in the summer for detail grooming. The design is very uniform …
Type: Blog
… on a nearby subject and then repositioning the composition on lights that are farther away. In addition to boken backgrounds, you can add glowing orbs to the foreground by shooting through … than your point of focus. You might even bring your own small battery-operated strand to hold in front of your lens. No tripod; no worries Tripods are not allowed at Lightscape. Instead, … subject and conceal any color noise. If you’re new to photo editing, try a class at the Garden in Photoshop or Lightroom. There is no replacement for a solid tripod, but these easy hacks will …
Type: Blog
… atreus are clearly visible. Photo by Stuart Seeger via Wikimedia Commons This blue beauty is in the genus known as the owl butterflies ( Caligo ). They’re called owl butterflies because the … Caligo translates to “darkness,” which corresponds to the fact that they prefer to fly in the early morning before their predators are out and about. They are native to the tropical … South America, and are among the world’s largest butterflies! There are a few other species in the owl genus at Butterflies & Blooms, including the giant owl and the forest owl. However, …
Type: Blog
… or lavender. Make your own wrapping paper: Wrapping paper that is glossy or shiny, or has foil in it usually cannot be recycled. Try decorating sheets of butcher paper for something more sustainable, or wrap presents in the comics section of the newspaper. Try out some of these ideas and get inspiration for more on December 15 at our free Gifts from the Garden drop-in. It is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Burnstein Hall of the Regenstein Center. …
Type: Blog
… Research in the CaraDonna Lab investigates the interplay among species interactions, population dynamics, … biodiversity loss, pollinator declines, urbanization). We are also particularly interested in temporal ecology and the flexibility of species interactions. We address research questions … and we love working as a collaborative team. These days, most of our research takes place in the Colorado Rocky Mountains at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and also within The …
Type: Staff bio
… very similar to that of a flowering dogwood. The orange dead leaf butterfly is at home in broadleaf forests of India, where it blends in with dead foliage during the dry season, going unnoticed by all but the sharpest predators. … Here at Butterflies & Blooms , this butterfly seemed to seek out dead, brown leaves in the tree canopies and use them as a place to blend in. I always got a kick out of showing …
Type: Blog
