Journal archives for March 2018

March 12, 2018

A blog to follow: "Phenology of the East Woods"

"Phenology of the East Woods" blog by Andrew Hipp of the Morton Arboretum

self-described as: "This is an occasional log of observations by the Plant Systematist on his daily ride through the Morton Arboretum's East Woods and walks elsewhere in the Chicago region. It is not fact-checked, nor is it intended to edify the reader. It is riddled with half-thought-through ideas, some of which will be revisited, some of which will not. I hope you enjoy it all the same."

example:

"Kelly green basal leaves of Epilobium are scattered throughout the woods, along with the first leaves of what seem to be Enemion biternatum, though they seem a bit ill-formed for this species, and perhaps too the first leaves of Virginia waterleaf. I should know the seedlings better; not knowing them makes me doubt that I really know the adults as well as I thought I did. At times like this, I sometimes think of a story I believe Tom Brown told, in which his teacher ordered him to go study the birds. Tom responded, as I recall, that he knew birds about as anyone could, to which his teacher asked him how many spots he might find on a Robin’s back. Which makes me wonder whether I’m remembering the story right… are there any spots on a robin’s back?"

follow/subscribe: http://systematics.mortonarb.org/phenology/

Posted on March 12, 2018 01:55 PM by bouteloua bouteloua | 2 comments | Leave a comment

March 24, 2018

Get these events on your schedule or plan your own!

New landing page for the City Nature Challenge in the Chicago Wilderness Region:
https://habitat2030.org/city-nature-challenge/

Events already planned to occur during the timeframe include:
4/28/2018: Bioblitz Warren Woods (Berrien County, MI)
4/28/2018: City Nature Challenge at the Evanston Ecology Center (northern Cook County, IL)
4/29/2018: Bioblitz of Sand Ridge & Burnham Greenway (southern Cook County, IL)
4/29/2018: Night Hike at Bobb Mann and Salt Creek (western Cook County, IL)
4/29/2018: Harms Woods Hike (northern Cook County, IL)

I'll put out another update with the full listing of events and details as well as we get closer to the weekend, but thought I would get these on your radar.

Remember you can plan your own event too! A lotta Cook County up there.

Chicago Wilderness Region:

cassi

Posted on March 24, 2018 02:13 PM by bouteloua bouteloua | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 25, 2018

March 29, 2018

Search for the Trees that Helped Map Illinois

From the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI):

"We’re looking for a special kind of witness tree: the historic trees that helped map the state of Illinois. In the early 1800s, surveyors used “bearing trees,” many of them oaks, as landmarks. How many are still with us, as living witnesses to our history? We want to know: How many of these trees survived?

You can help us find out. All you need is a smartphone. You don’t need to know anything about trees or maps to become part of this living history project. We're asking Illinois residents to visit the sites of bearing trees on their property or on public property and record information about any remaining bearing trees left and, if not, what is there now.

The map below includes the locations of the original bearing trees and line trees as recorded by the surveyors in the 1800s. Click on a point to see more information about the species and the size as noted by the surveyor. There is also a place to record your observations, including whether or not the tree is still there- You can even upload photos! Most points on the map are accurate to about 15 feet, so be sure to look nearby for very large trees that might fit the bill."

http://www.chicagorti.org/WitnessTrees

Posted on March 29, 2018 08:52 PM by bouteloua bouteloua | 0 comments | Leave a comment