2017 Spring Landscapes - McHenry County Conservation ...

The Invaders… Nature’s Hostile Takeoverby Brian Peiffer, 2017 Education Services Seasonal Program Leader

Above: Amur honeysuckle is often the first green in spring and the last in the fall. (Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org)

Below left: A 'wall' of buckthorn. Right: Open woodland allows light through for smaller native plant species to grow.

Have you ever wondered about the woodland shrubs that leaf out before all the others in early spring? Most often they are non-native, invasive species. The most common of these invasive plants in our woodlands are amur and tartarian honeysuckles and the dreaded common buckthorn. Native to Europe and Asia, these shrubs may have been cultivated because of their longer growing seasons than our native plants. Throughout spring, you can see budding buckthorn and honeysuckle long before any native vegetation begins to show leaves. When buckthorn and honeysuckle get a head start, they don’t leave room for the native plants to grow, thus eliminating food sources and habitat for species that have spent thousands of years developing adaptations specifically involving native plants. This is why we call these aggressive species “invasive” species—they literally invade and take over!Buckthorn and amur honeysuckle are perhaps the most hostile invasive plants of them all. These shrubs are allelopathic; they excrete biochemicals into the soil that suppress the germination

and growth of other vegetation. They can cover vast ground area, choking out seedlings of oaks and understory species. Additionally, the characteristic trait of these aggressive invaders is the thick brush they create that is incredibly resilient. New and often multiple shoots sprout from stumps after they have been cut down. Which is why District staff and Volunteer Stewards will clear invasive species undergrowth and spray them with specifically selected chemicals. In addition, controlled burns in the spring and late fall also help remove and keep the invaders at bay and restore the original ecosystem of an area.

It is important for residents to learn to recognize these invasive species, and avoid planting them or let them grow rampant on their property or backyards. A great way to promote biodiversity in your own yard is to plant only native plant species. Additionally, residents can help the Conservation District in controlling invasive species by helping at habitat restoration work days. Check page 10 to find a work day near you! With your help we can win the battle of the invaders and ensure healthier, more diverse natural communities.

8 Landscapes | Spring 2018

Seasonal Sightings

� Landscapes • spring 2009

Cope’s gray treefrogs usually start calling in mid April. Theirs is a guttural trill, deeper in pitch than the toad’s. As treefrogs, they are often spotted on trees, rocks, and even the sides of buildings, using their toe pads to grip and cling. They can change color based on their surroundings and so you may see a green frog on a leaf, or a gray frog on the trunk of a tree. When gray, they have a varied pattern of grays and blacks much like the bark of the tree.

In May and June, the green frogs and the bullfrogs start calling. Green frogs sound like someone plucking a loose banjo string. Green frogs are green, but sometimes more of an olive shade. They are considered average sized frogs, getting to be 2.5 to 5 inches long. Bullfrogs have the lowest pitched voices, like a bass in the choir. Their multi-syllabic calls sound somewhat like “jug-o-rum” – deep and resonating. Bullfrogs are our largest local frogs, growing to be as big as 6 inches long. They are various shades of green, many times with small dark spots over most of the body and legs.

Visit nearly any conservation area with a wetland to hear these noisy harbingers of spring and celebrate the coming of a new season.

Seasonal Sightings

In our area, it is usually the chorus frogs who start off the season, sometimes starting as early as the beginning of March. Unlike many other frog species, western chorus frogs can call all day long and into the night. As their name implies, you are most likely to hear a large group of these frogs all calling at once.

Try to single out just one frog and listen for a moment. The call of a chorus frog sounds like someone running their finger along a stiff comb. To spot one of these little creatures, you need to be patient and very quiet because as soon as you walk towards the sound, the frogs stop calling. If you do spot one, notice that it is a small frog, less than two inches, grayish in color with three thin dark stripes running lengthwise down its back.

By early April the temperature rises and the northern leopard frogs and the American toads start calling. The leopard frogs’ calls have a deeper tone than the chorus frogs and sound more like someone running a finger along a balloon, or like someone snoring. You may have an easier time spotting leopard frogs on trails near wetlands as they

are much bigger, 2.5 to 4 inches long. They are named for their spots, dark rounded ovals on a green body. If the leopard frog is too quick for you to get a good look, you may still notice that it hops away in a zigzag pattern, in an effort to lose its predator. American toads are more of a woodland species, but during the mating season they are found in any aquatic habitat, as they lay their eggs in water, just as all the frogs do. Toads are easily distinguishable from other frogs with their brown warty bodies and dry skin. Their call is a long, drawn out high pitched trill. They are able to hold their warbling note for up to 30 seconds!

Springing to Life. . . .

American toad

How to safely handle frogs:While we strongly urge you to leave frogs alone, there are very important

guidelines to follow if you do pick one up.

– NEVER squeeze a frog.

– NEVER pick up a frog with bug spray, lotion, or perfume on your hands. Frogs have porous skin and absorbing these chemicals can kill them.

– ALWAYS keep the frog low to the ground in case it jumps away. Falling from several feet up can hurt the frog.

– ALWAYS put the frog back where you found it, in the same waterway.Bullfrog

Tree frog

Just as we think the northern Illinois winter will never end, signs of spring sneak through the cold and the snow and ice. Birds return from their southern wintering grounds, the sap begins to flow in the trees, the days get longer, and the frogs awaken from their winter slumber and immediately begin to call out loudly for a mate.

9spring 2009 • Landscapes

Frogs/ToadsA single mature toad can eat 10,000 insects during a 3 month summer.

A toad can fill its stomach up to 4 times each night.

Gray tree frogs live in trees almost their whole life.

Many frogs can jump up to 10 times their body length.

Frogs and toads use their eyes to help push food into their stomachs.

Do You Speak Frog?

Western Chorus Frog: run your finger along a comb or “preet—preet—preet”

Spring Peeper: call sounds like, “peep—peep—peep“

Northern Leopard Frog: call sounds like a long snore, “snore…snooore….snoooooore…snooooooooore” or, trying running your finger over a balloon to create the sound.

American Toad: call sounds like a ringing bell and has a high trill, “bring….brrring…brrrlling…brrrrrrrrring”

Green Frog: call sounds like a banjo string, “gong….gonnnnng….gong…. .gonnnnnng”

Bull Frog: call sounds like a deep “jug-o-rum… jug-o-rum”

Create a set of six frog calling cards. Work with an adult to use a field guide or the internet to find pictures of each frog that you can use and cut out. Cut out the picture and glue it on one side of a 3 x 5 card. On the other side, write the sound. Use these as flashcards to learn frog calls. You might try checking out a recording from your local library. A good frog call CD to look for is The Calls of Frogs and Toads by Lang Elliot/Naturesound Studio. Or, visit Prairieview Education Center and use ours to listen and make your own sound descriptions of the calls you hear. Finally, go to a district area with a wetland to listen for frogs and toads.

Starting Life: Frogby Claire Llewellyn and

Simon Mendez

Jump, Frog, Jump by robert Kalan

READING CORNER

Environmental Adventures

Egg to Frog Sequence Song and ActivityFrogs begin their life as eggs. They hatch in or near water. At first they have two feet and almost look like little fish. As the tadpole changes into a frog, it begins to lose its tail and grow legs. First it grows the back legs and then the front legs. Eventually the tail completely disappears and it becomes an adult frog!

(Sung to “Are you Sleeping.”)Little tadpole, little tadpole,Lost his tail, lost his tail.Now he has two feet …Now he has four feet …Look a frog, Look a frog!

Fun Facts

6 Landscapes • spring 2010

The beaver may be the most well known. These 40-60 pound rodents live their entire lives in and around the

water. Their fur is waterproof thanks to its denseness and an oily coating that the beaver reapplies regularly. Beavers actually have a split hind claw that helps them comb the oil into their fur. Beavers also are able to close their nose, ears and mouth while underwater. Their lips close behind their orange colored front teeth enabling them to carry branches underwater without taking in water. Beavers are herbivores and during the summer months eat a wide variety of wetland plants, while during the fall and winter, they depend mainly upon trees for their food. Beavers gnaw at the base of a tree trunk until the tree falls over. Some parts of the tree are then stored away in the water for eating throughout the winter and other parts are used for building.

Beavers build their own home, called a lodge. It is an 8 to 12 foot high conical dwelling made of sticks and mud. Beavers are also known to build dams, which block the moving water of a creek and creates deep water that will not freeze solid in the winter. When hiking past wetlands look for lodges, gnawed tree trunks, and sticks cleared of all bark. Keep your eyes open too for the beaver itself, poking just its head up out of the water as it swims. However, if it dives under the water, you may lose patience waiting for it to come back up — a beaver can hold its breath for 15 minutes!

In the water, a muskrat can look like a beaver. It is the same brown color and also swims with just the top of its head out of water. But a muskrat is much smaller than a beaver, weighing roughly 4 pounds and has a skinny rat like tail.

Also a rodent, a muskrat has large front teeth for gnawing just like the beaver. But the muskrat does not gnaw on trees, preferring to eat cattails and other wetland vegetation year round instead.

Muskrats occasionally eat crayfish, mussels, turtles, fish, and snails. It builds its own lodge, but not out of sticks and not as large as that of a beaver. The muskrat lodge is a 3-5 foot high dome of wetland vegetation and mud. Like beavers, muskrats sometimes prefer to dig a burrow in the river bank. Look for muskrats in any of our county’s marshes. Sometimes you can spot them by finding their favorite pathways. Look for a small cleared channel amongst the duck weed, cattails, and other wetland vegetation.

River otters are not very common in McHenry County. They have been spotted in the Kishwaukee river. Their numbers should increase in our area as the Conservation District protects and restores their wetland habitat. An efficient carnivore, otters can live in many types of wetland habitats but prefer areas with stable water levels and a healthy fish population. As top fish predators, they are susceptible to mercury and other poisoning because toxins from tainted fish build up in their systems. river otters are excellent swimmers, their long streamlined bodies and webbed feet allow them to swim up to seven miles per hour! Otters are in the weasel family and their cousins, the smaller minks, are sometimes mistakenly identified as otters. But the size difference is significant. river otters weigh up to 22 pounds and are 36 to 51 inches long.

A mink is two feet or less in length and weighs only 2½ pounds. Minks do have webbed toes, dense water-resistant fur, and are good swimmers, but they tend to spend more time on the shores of wetlands hunting for muskrats, crayfish, frogs, small rodents and

birds. Look for mink tracks in the mud along the water’s edge. They have five toes, although sometimes only four show up, but all toes have visible claw marks. The whole foot is about 1½ inches wide. Minks are common throughout the county and frequently can be seen along the water’s edges.

Photo by Bob Williams

seasonal sightings

When many of us think of wildlife in the wetlands, the species that first come to mind are frogs, turtles, fish, and ducks. But did you know that aquatic mammals reside in McHenry County? They have fur and breathe air, but thanks to adaptations that help them survive their semi-aquatic lifestyle, they spend much of their time in the water.

Aquatic Mammals –Beavers, Muskrats, River Otters and Minks


Tell Tail DescriptionsMink: fairly long, bushy Otter: thicker at the base, tapered, not bushyBeaver: broad, flat paddle-like tail, nearly hairlessMuskrat: long, skinny, nearly hairless, rat-like

Match the tail to the correct water mammal.

Answers: 1c, 2d, 3b, 4a

Activity 1

Activity 2

Muskrats and beavers both make their homes in or near the water. The 8-12 foot high beaver lodge is made of sticks, wetland vegetation, and mud. The muskrat’s lodge is only about 3-5 feet high and is made out of wetland vegetation and mud.

Can you help the muskrat find his lodge?1

2

4

3

Muskrat (a)

Mink (b)

Beaver (d)

Otter (c)

Fun facts • One way beavers communicate is by slapping their tail on

the water. This can be heard up to a mile away.• Beavers can stay under water for up to 5 minutes.• River otters spend 1/2 their lives sleeping.• River otters look playful as they sometimes run and slide

to travel across land. One slide can be as long as 20' and reach up to 18 mph.

Start

7spring 2010 • Landscapes

MarchMarch may still seem very much like winter, but signs of spring abound. As wetlands thaw, migrating waterfowl can be seen in the open water. Sandhill cranes fly overhead in flocks from 15–100, announcing their return with a loud trilling guttural call. Male red-winged blackbirds stake their claim, calling “konkareeee” to all who will listen. Early wildflowers poke up from the still cold ground – spring beauties, toothwort, and trout lily are some of the first.

The first butterfly of the season can be spotted in March. Not because it has migrated back to our area, nor because it has already undergone steps of its total metamorphosis, but because it has overwintered in its adult butterfly state. The first warm days in March are just enough to rouse the mourning cloak. A dark butterfly with a light border around the outer edges of its wings, the mourning cloak flits around looking for tree

wounds oozing early season sap so that it can lap up the sap for energy.

AprilApril brings a carpet of wildflowers to our woodlands and swelling buds on the trees. These buds in turn attract dozens of migrating warblers of all different colors and patterns. You will need binoculars and some patience as they will rarely sit still for you, but the views are rewarding. Woodland birds that will stay with us for the summer season are also busy building their nests, while the eggs of wetland birds are

already hatching.

The thawing of the land in open areas means the return of the 13-lined ground squirrel. These rodents have been hibernating since some time in late October or November and are now ravenous for some green grass. They can often be seen in mowed grass areas. The holes that lead to a complex system of underground tunnels are small and usually do not have piles of excavated dirt near one end as a ground hog hole would have; this is

because the ground squirrel spreads the soil around and stomps it down. Often mistaken for prairie dogs, ground squirrels do exhibit some of the same behavior as their western cousins. You may frequently spot a designated adult standing on its hind legs, serving as look-out for the family. If danger is spotted, they will emit a high-pitched squeal to let the others know to seek shelter underground.

May

The warmer weather

brings more wildflowers, more migrants, and more animals preparing their nests. It also brings out the cold-blooded reptiles. In May, watch your step on the trails. Traveling sometimes across roads and trails, tiny painted turtles are headed for wetlands. Only the size of a half dollar coin, these young turtles hatched late last summer. They then waited out the winter buried in the same area where their mother left them. When May’s warmth thaws the ground, the turtles emerge and seek out a wetland home.

The spring season in northern Illinois is a time of great change. Changing weather and changing daylight bring new sightings every week to our area. Some spring wildflowers only bloom for a couple weeks and migrant wildlife may stop for only a day. In order to see it all, you need to get out often. Here are just a few highlights of the season.

FIND MORE SIGNS OF SPRING See page 24 "Searching for Spring",

or page 33 for “Color of Coral” 10

Skunk cabbage

Signs of Spring

Seasonal Sightings

Landscapes • Spring 2011

Bob Williams

Bob Williams

Palm warbler

Spring Beauty

Turtle Maze

READING CORNERColorful Spring by Erin Moran and Danny Pickett

It's Spring! by Linda Glaser


By the end of a long, cold, snowy winter it may feel like spring is never going to arrive. However, if you pay attention to all the clues in nature, you will crack the code to find out that warm weather really is on its way. Be a nature detective this spring, and search for clues that spring is arriving.

Head out to one of the District's many conservation areas and find as many of the “Signs of Spring” from the list as you can. When you find what you are looking for, place a check in the box. Please do not pick or collect anything.

START

Painted turtles hatch in late summer and stay underneath the ground during winter. In the spring they emerge in search of a wetland. Help the turtle find its wetland below.

Take a hike on the Marsh Loop Trail at Glacial Park this May to try to spot baby turtles on their way to the marsh. Feel free to take pictures if you are lucky enough to spot one, but remember just observe, don’t disturb.

Fun facts In spring, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, increasing the number of daylight hours and bringing warmer weather that causes plants to bring forth new growth.

END

Scavenger Hunt

Listen for the buzzing call of

the Red-Winged Blackbird.

Look for wildflowers in bloom

on the forest floor.

Look for leaves beginning to

grow from tree branches.

Listen for the sound of frogs.

Look for a butterfly flying

through the air.

Look for green plants rising

toward the sun.

Signs of Spring

Signs of Spring

11Spring 2011 • Landscapes

Sandhill Crane CoyoteAmerican RobinWhite Tail Deer

Before birds can have their babies they need to build a nest. Do you have birds living in your yard? You can help by providing them with material to build their nests. Try putting some of the things listed below in the crevice of a tree or a wire suet holder.

cotton • yarn dead twigs • string/thread

TRY THIS aT Home


Seasonal Sightings

Landscapes | Spring 2012

“OffSpring”

environmental Adventures

by Kim Compton, Education Program Coordinator

Spring is a great time for animals to have babies! The warmer weather

and plentiful food supply make it much easier for them to survive. Try the

activities below to learn more. Then head outside for a hike and you may

be lucky enough to see some baby animals this spring.

Colt

Fawn

Chick Pup

Spring in the animal world is a time of birth. As you head out onto the trails, be on the lookout for young animals of every kind. Watching baby animals in the springtime is a special treat and we are fortunate to witness nature in action in many of our Conservation District sites.

Please remember to be respectful of wildlife and you will be rewarded.Wooded trails in the early spring abound with the acrobatics of grey squirrels flinging themselves from tree to tree, scurrying across the leaf-littered ground or bounding through the snow. Watching the nimble maneuvering of adult squirrels can be entertaining enough, but seeing the younger generation’s attempts at the same can be quite humorous. You won’t have much time to witness their childhood because within a few weeks after leaving the nest, grey squirrels are fully grown!

Young great horned owls are also in the treetops this time of year and they too, grow quickly. So quickly that sometimes they get too big for their nests and fall out. If you should ever find a young owl on the ground, give it space. The attentive parents are nearby and still caring for their baby even though it is out of the nest. However, if the owl is still fuzzy-looking, meaning it does not have its adult feathers, then it probably still needs to be in the nest. Call the Wildlife resource Center to find out how to best handle the situation.

While walking peacefully on wooded or grassland trails, you may come upon a newborn fawn lying perfectly still. Don’t go any closer! Its mother has left the baby alone deliberately while she goes in search of food. If you scare the fawn away, it may have trouble reuniting with its mother. It is natural for a doe and fawn to be

separated for several hours at a time. A young deer has no scent, which helps to hide it from predators. If the mother stayed close to her young one, she may actually draw predators to it by her scent.

Wetlands are filled with an assortment of fuzzy chicks. Goslings (baby geese), ducklings (baby ducks), and colts (baby cranes) all have short yellow, downy feathers covering their bodies and are unable to fly. On the ground and in the water, the baby birds are vulnerable to predators. While flightless, these little creatures stay very close to their parents. In addition, the babies are learning from their parents how to find food and shelter. Enjoy watching the antics of a family of ducks, but keep your distance. You can scare birds away from good feeding spots and possibly separate the family. remember that parents can be fierce fighters when they feel their young are threatened.

Young rabbits are also easy to spot in the spring. Often they seem very tame but they will grow up soon enough and learn the ways of the wild. fully furred baby cottontails with their eyes open and hopping around are already on their own. Should you find a nest of rabbits, please leave them alone. Mom is still caring for them but doesn’t spend much time at the nest site. rarely do you see the mother with her young, but she is watching from a distance.

There may be times in the spring that you suddenly find yourself being dive-bombed! Diving and or chattering birds are protective parents trying to drive you away from a nesting site. Heed their advice and move away from the area. If you ever find a baby bird on the ground it can always be returned to its nest. Don’t worry—your scent on the baby will not scare off the parents because most birds do not have a good sense of smell. If you cannot find the nest or cannot reach it, you are welcome to call the Wildlife resource Center for advice. Sometimes you’ll see a young bird hopping around on the ground. These young birds, called fledglings, hop out of the nest before they can fly. It is normal for them to spend time on the ground. The parents are still caring for them during this time. Please leave them alone, but feel free to watch from a distance and keep any cats or pets indoors.

READ

ING CO

RNER

Lost in the Woods

by Carl r. Sams II & Jean Stoick

Fun fact Newborn deer bed down alone for the first three weeks of their life. The mother comes by only to feed them. Their spotted coat and limited body odor help to hide them from predators. NOTE: If you find a fawn lying in the grass — LEAVE IT ALONE. Mother deer hide their babies to protect them from predators. MOM WILL RETURN. Enjoy the sight, but please don’t disturb the fawn.

Name That BabyDraw a line from the picture to the correct baby name. Check your answers below.

Answers: White Tail Deer = Fawn, American Robin = Chick, Coyote = Pup, Sandhill Crane = Colt

T h e S e a s o n o f N e w L i f e

Often baby animals are mistakenly assumed to be orphans. Please do NOT pick up or disturb baby animals. Wild mothers know what they are doing. When in doubt, leave it alone. You are always welcome to call our Wildlife Resource Center at (815) 728-8307 to ask for advice.

Young Sandhill Crane

Dave Miller

Bob W

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March to early April:

Hepatica— Its delicate flowers can be white, pink, or nearly purple.

Spring beauties—small white to pink petals with thin pink lines radiating from the center to the tips of the petals.

Bloodroot—while it gets its name from a blood red liquid inside the root, the flower is actually bright white.

April:Dogtooth violet—beautiful curled and drooping white flowers.

Woodland phlox—a loose cluster of 5-lobed flowers in shades of light blue to violet.

Virginia bluebells— blue trumpet-shaped flowers.

Prairie trillium—three deep red petals per flower.

May:

Shooting stars—nodding star-like flowers that can range from pale pink to lilac.

Columbine—drooping flower is both brilliant red and yellow.

Wild geraniums—shades of rosy to deep purple.

May apples—large umbrella-like leaves may obscure the flower. Typically, a mature may apple has two stalks, each with the large leaf, and then at the junction of the stems hangs a solitary white flower.


It begins in March. first the green leaves poke up through the melting forest floor. Sometimes even through thin layers of snow and frost. Then come the flowers. Week after week new species and new colors carpet the woodlands. Pinks, reds, blues, yellows, whites, and purples all take their turn in the sun-dappled space under the trees. Nearly every week this spring there will be a dazzling display of colors in our woodlands. To see them all, you should go out often. And don’t wait until summer—these flowers must bloom, fruit, and go to seed all before the leaves of the trees block out their sun.

The variety of color in spring wildflowers is mostly a by-product of nature’s diversity—if everything were the same, one species would be competing for the same habitat, and populations could only be sustained by what that habitat could provide. Instead, the competition drives species to evolve different characteristics. Multiple species can diversify and each species finds its own niche or place in the environment.

Sometimes color and patterns have obviously evolved with preferences from specific pollinators. for example, the delicate flower of the Spring Beauty has pink lines that radiate from the base of each of the petals. It is believed that these lines serve as guides for early season bees to follow straight to the center. Columbines, on the other hand, attract hummingbirds with their bright red and yellow colors and their long narrow flower shape. White flowers more easily attract moths because they can be more easily spotted at night.

Visit one of your local conservation areas every week or two to see the greatest diversity of woodland color.

The Colors of Spring

Wild ginger


Seasonal Sightings

WANT TO LEARN MORE? Visit the “Celebration of Wildflowers and Art” event on April 27 at Coral Woods for

kids’ activities, local artists, hikes, and more! See page 20 for more details.

FIND MORE COLORS OF SPRING See page 35 "Woodland Wildflower Walk,

or page 27 for “Budding Spring”

Start your ownWildfloWer Phenology Calendar

Phenology is the study of the relationships between the weather and plant and animal life. Keep a phenology calendar by notating dates and locations that you find certain species in bloom. If you need help with identification, check out “Wildflowers of Illinois Woodlands,” by Sylvan T. Runkel. Look for spring wildflowers while hiking at a variety of Conservation District sites throughout the spring, including Coral Woods in Marengo, Hickory Grove Highlands in Cary, or Boger Bog in Bull Valley. You will need to make a few visits in order to find all of the flowers on this page, as blooming wildflower species change weekly. Make sure to enjoy these flowers without removing them from their habitat.

Rachel and Sammy Visit the Forest: A Guide to Spring Woodland Wildflowers by Jannifer Powelson

A Woodland Counting Book by Claudia McGehee

READING CORNER

Wildflower Scavenger Hunt

Spring Beauty (white with pink stripes)

Violet (purple) Buttercup (yellow)

Prairie Trillium (deep red)

Draw a flower Bloodroot (white)

Woodland Geranium (pink/purple)

Shooting Star (White)

Columbine (light red)

Jos eph O'Br ien, USDA Forest Service, Bu gwood.org

FUN FACT: Bloodroot gets its name from the orange-red color of its sapM

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13Landscapes | Spring 2013


"Dead" Trees …the life within

As you walk through your local conservation area you will notice quite a few dead trees, some standing and some laying on the ground. It may look messy if you compare it to a manicured park or lawn but there is a method to the madness. Quite simply, dead trees are helpful to the habitat. They provide homes and food for wildlife and as they decompose they add nutrients back into the soil so that new trees and other plants can grow. With all the activity occurring around and on these dead trees, there is plenty to see if you stop to explore.

Bark-beetle tunnelsIf you spot a dead tree missing bark, make sure to stop and look closely at the wood for the tunnels of bark beetles. While some bark beetles bore into the wood, the ones which make tunnels just under the bark on the surface of the wood leave paths and patterns that appear to be like

intricate engravings on the wood. At times the tunnels will be random, but look for a slightly wider, deeper tunnel that is surrounded by radiating paths. This beautiful creation was made by a beetle laying its eggs in the center chamber. When the larvae hatch they each head out on their own, making multiple paths out from the center.

Woodpecker holesDead trees also attract insects, which in turn attract insect eating birds like woodpeckers. While looking for insects under the bark, woodpeckers will make smaller, beak sized holes to get to the bugs, or they may peel off the bark from the dead wood. In addition, woodpeckers like to use dead wood when making their nests. They will work all day to carve out a round hole in the dead limb or

trunk that can hold a female and her eggs. A small woodpecker like a downy will make a nest hole 1–1.5 inches wide. A larger woodpecker like a red-bellied will make a hole about 2.5 inches wide. Piliated woodpeckers are rare in McHenry County, but you will know if you see their nesting hole as it is the only woodpecker who makes a hole significantly taller than it is wide. All these nesting holes are also often used for shelter by other animals such as chickadees and wrens, mice, squirrels and flying squirrels.

FungiBracket fungi feed off nutrients leftover in the dead wood of a standing or fallen tree. As their mycelium extract nutrients, the long thin strands break apart the tough dead wood cells, speeding decomposition and new soil production. The part of the mushroom that we see is actually the sporophore—the part that produces the spores which spread and grow new mushrooms. There are many species of bracket fungi each with

differing colors and patterns. Don’t forget to look underneath—sometimes you will be surprised at the intricacy of their patterns.

DecomposersSome arthropods can also help to speed decomposition in dead trees. The best place to look is on a dead log. Bring along a magnifying lens and carefully scan the various cavities for pill bugs (roly polies), millipedes, and slugs. You may choose to roll a dead log over to look for critters underneath, but remember to roll it back to its original location when you are done investigating.Like many things in nature, dead trees require a closer look if we are to truly appreciate their benefits and beauty. Next time you encounter one, challenge yourself to see it in a different way.


L–R: Sow Bug aka Roly Poly, Millipede; Above right: Borer Beetle tunnels. Randall Schietzelt (3)

Randall Schietzelt

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Seasonal Sightings

Dead trees are important too! An amazing world of plants, fungus, lichens, and tiny creatures exists in, under, and on top of a rotting log. These living things all help the process of decomposition, which will cause the dead wood to crumble into tiny pieces. These soft pieces of crumbly wood become rich soil on the forest floor, helping seeds to grow into new forest plants.

Go on a DeaD LoG ScavenGer Hunt!While exploring a wooded Conservation District site, look for dead logs along the side of the trail. Look under, to the side of, and on top of the log for the following living things that help a log decay. How many can you find?

fill in the missing letters of the living things seen below that help a log turn back into soil.

Make sure to return any logs back to their original position so you don't disturb anybody's home!

m _ s _ ro _ m e a_ _ h w _ r m

b e _ t _ e

s _ _ g a _ t

Check out an Exploration Backpack from

lost Valley Visitor Center or Prairieview

Education Center for tools to use when

exploring dead logs, like magnifying

glasses and bug boxes!

READING CORNER

Rotten Logs and Forest Floors by Sharon Katz Cooper

What's Under the Log? by Anne Hunter

Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer

Life in a log

HOt tip!



As winter finally releases its hold and spring begins to arrive, animals are overcome by their primal need to breed. Because there is a limited amount of time before food and water will again become scarce, animals must hurry to successfully reproduce. This annual movement of American toads, tiger salamanders, and tree frogs among others is a type of local migration. It may be a distance of just 100 feet or up to half a mile, but it still fits the definition of migration as a type of seasonal movement from one region to another. As a result, this time of year some amphibians may be easier to spot as they travel to vernal pools to find mates and lay eggs.

Vernal pools are areas of water that develop when snow melts and spring rains begin. A majority of the time these wooded, low-lying areas dry up in the summer, placing an even earlier deadline on mating amphibians. They are hoping not only to lay eggs and fertilize them, but to also have their young survive through metamorphosis and become adults before the water dries up.

One reason amphibians choose vernal pools is because they are temporary. The fact that they do not last all year ensures that predatory fish and beetles will not be present. This makes the temporary vernal pools a safe nursery for tadpoles and efts (young salamanders).

The word “amphibian” means double life and hints at the fact that amphibians need two distinct habitats for their very different life cycle stages. Eggs are laid in the water and the larval forms of both frogs and salamanders live underwater, breathing through gills. It is only once metamorphosis is complete that the adult forms emerge onto land and become air breathing woodland creatures. Tree frogs head upward into the trees, while salamanders and toads can be found some distance from water. Then again in spring, when the urge to reproduce again calls, they return to the vernal pool from which they were born.

During these local migrations, it is important for us to be aware of these small creatures potentially crossing roads and trails. On wet days in the spring please drive slowly, especially at night by wet areas. And on trails, make sure to look below your feet. You may just be rewarded with a glimpse of a salamander or a frog on a mission.

LEFT: Toad eggs/Bob Graham


On the Move— Nature’s 100 foot journey

Bob Graham


Seasonal Sightings

The Adventures of Tulip the

Grey Tree Frog

by Arleen D

ale Kirtland

The Salamander Room

by A

nne Mozer

Secret Pool by Kim

berly Ridley

READ

ING

COR

NER

Critter Crossing: Proceed with Caution!

While exploring Conservation District sites this spring, be on the lookout for frog and salamander species that are on the move to find their favorite vernal (temporary) woodland pond, where they will breed and lay eggs. You might hear male frogs serenading females, see adult frogs or salamanders crossing trails, or even find their eggs in a vernal pool.

Eastern Tiger Salamander

Grey Tree Frog

Take a Peek!Creep quietly to the edge of a vernal pool and look

for floating frog eggs that look like clear tapioca (like those below). Be sure to not disturb them!

FUN FACTDuring their journey to find a vernal pond, a tiger salamander can travel over 900 feet through a woodland habitat. This is the same as a 4-foot tall child crawling on their hands and knees for more than 1 mile!

Get out your crayons and give these critters some color. The gray tree frog needs a gray or green back, a white belly, and a yellow warning coloration on the underside of his hind leg. The tiger salamander needs yellow stripes.

Color Me!

Check out the Chicago Wilderness website

HabitatProject.org to hear the songs of local frogs and toads!

Bob Graham

Vernal Pool Hot SpotsLook for frogs and salamanders on the move on District trails:

• Rush Creek, Harvard: Short loop south of pond

• Coral Woods, Marengo: Nature trail

• Boger Bog, Bull Valley: Main trail loop

• Harrison Benwell, Wonder Lake: Long outer loop trail

!



2019


Phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal changes in nature, particularly in regards to plants and animals.

These changes can be crucial to the survival of certain species. For example, if nectar eaters are looking for food before the spring wildflowers are blooming, being off schedule can have devastating effects.

You may remember the unbearable attacks of mosquitoes last September? We had unusual late rains and warmth, and a next generation of mosquitoes hatched after mosquito eaters like swallows and bats had already left for the season. It is possible that we were suffering due to the lack of mosquito predators.Scientists use phenology data to study the effects climate change is having on the natural world and us. But keeping your own phenology calendar can be fun as well. Use a journal or a calendar and record the first time you see a species in the spring, the first time you notice a certain type of wildflower, the first time you see young birds leaving the nest, the first time you notice that species are gone from the area in the fall. Be sure to record the day’s weather as well. Hit the trails and see if we are following a typical year or not, and start to record your own observations so you can check them against future years as well.Based on my own phenology calendars that I have been keeping for the last 15-20 years, I can tell you approximately when to look for which species this spring. Male red-winged blackbirds and flocks of sandhill cranes almost always return in the last two weeks of February. Being omnivores, they can find something to eat that early in the year. Chickadees, which stayed around all winter, may begin their song call in February. You may also see skunk cabbage blooming in February, even in the snow! They generate their own heat and can thaw the ground around themselves.

In early March, look for spring beauties in the woods, one of our earliest wildflower bloomers. And listen for chorus frogs. They start looking for a mate as soon as their ponds and wetlands begin to thaw. March also brings the migrating waterfowl through our area. Wetlands, ponds, and puddles will be filled with hooded and common mergansers, pied-billed grebes, blue and green-winged teal, and more! Near the end of March, be on the lookout for killdeer, turkey vultures, and meadowlarks, as well as the wildflowers bloodroot and hepatica.In early April, the groundhogs and ground squirrels come out of hibernation, as do the garter snakes, brown snakes, and red-bellied snakes. Leopard frogs will begin calling. Wildflowers over the next couple of weeks may include dutchman’s breeches, trout lilies, trillium, toothwort, and woodland phlox. By mid April the insect eaters are back – swallows, dragonflies, and warblers of all kinds are flying around eating their fill. Goslings will begin to appear in mid to late April and American toads and grey tree frogs will begin calling. Shorebirds also begin arriving in April.By early May, the woodlands are full of color as birds like indigo buntings, orioles, scarlet tanagers, and rose breasted grosbeaks return to the area. Blooming wildflowers include wild geraniums, may apples, shooting stars, and columbine. You may see crane colts (young) at this time and begin to hear green frogs calling.Of course there is so much more to see, hear, and record so feel free to follow your own list of favorite species. Also keep in mind that these natural events may vary by as much as two weeks or more due to changes in weather patterns.

Nature’s Schedule


Seasonal Sightings

Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through art by Thomas Locker (Author, Illustrator), Candace Christiansen (Author)Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson (Author), Tiphanie Beeke (Illustrator)Seasons of the Year by Margaret Hall

Phenology:the study of plant and animal cycles and how they are influenced by seasonal and

environmental changes. Recording phenological data is a great way to engage your inner scientist and to get more closely in touch with the cycles of nature.

Male Red Winged Blackbirds are one of the first migrating birds to appear in the spring.

Date:Location/ecosystem:

Conditions/temperature:

Budding trees and shrubs are a sure sign warmer weather is on its way!

Date:Species:Location/ecosystem:


Reptiles and amphibians will begin coming out of hibernation to warm themselves in the sun. Record the first cold-blooded critter you see.



Spring gets more noisy too. Don’t forget to use your ears! Record the first bird or frog sound you hear.



Spring wildflowers will begin to bloom as temperatures warm. Record the first blooming flower you see.



Many species of insect will become active as spring progresses. Record the first insect you see.



Tips and Tricks for Phenology Hikes » Don’t know what species you’re seeing? Take a picture to look it up in a field guide later, or embrace your inner artist and draw a picture!

» Bring binoculars to observe species more closely.

» Watch animals for a short time and try to figure out what they are doing…are they.... Building a nest? Looking for food? Staking out their territory?

R EAD I N Gc o r n e r

Hike, Observe, Repeat.Below are some notable occurrences and species you will begin seeing in the springtime.

Go for a hike a few times a month and see when you first are able to observe these species.

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Landscapes | Spring 2019 11


Warblers are small insect-eating birds that often flitter around in the tops of trees. Sometimes this can be frustrating for bird watchers but with a little luck and patience, you can get a chance to see these beautifully colorful birds in McHenry County’s woodlands.

Spring is the perfect time to look for warblers — both because they are at their most colorful during breeding season, and because dozens of species migrate through our area during this time. To find them, keep your eyes and ears open. Often we hear them before we see them so it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with several species’ calls on an app like Merlin or eBird. To see them you will need binoculars but first scan the tops of trees with just your eyes, looking for movement among the branches. Then focus in.

To tell warblers apart from each other, look for several physical characteristics in color and pattern. For example, note whether the bird has an eye ring — a ring of color, usually white that encircles the eye. Next look for “eyebrows”, forehead patches, head caps or “crowns”, and throat color. On the body, pay attention to the wings to see if there are color bars called wing bars horizontally across the wings’ feathers. Some warblers have a differently colored rump patch so watch for this too. Once you are able to focus in on these features, you will be able to identify the warbler species before it flies away.

Study a field guide to then learn some of the more common species’ features. This way you aren’t trying to look through the whole book while also trying to look at the live bird. Start simple. For example, the yellow warbler (A) is completely yellow with

reddish vertical streaks on its breast. The common yellowthroat (B) has a bright yellow throat and rump patch, a black mask, and a white stripe above the black. The black and white warbler (C) has no colors other than black and white that are heavily streaked over the whole body and it has an obvious white eyebrow.

Identifying birds with multiple colors and features may seem overwhelming at first but you will learn to find their main features. A palm warbler (D) has yellow underneath its body, brown wings and back, a yellow throat, a yellow head stripe, and reddish streaks down its breast. But, its most distinguishing feature is its rufous colored crown. Find that and you will know you are looking at a palm warbler. Similarly, the American redstart (E) has a distinguishing feature — and that is its unmistakable combination of black and orange. No other warblers have that color combination. Sometimes the name of the species can help with identification. The blue winged warbler (F) has blue gray wings, but also look for two white wing bars, a yellow crown, and yellow underbody.

There are 27 warbler species on the McHenry County bird checklist. Only five are known to nest here. So your window for warbler watching may be short. Usually migration through our area is concentrated in mid to late April. This is also a good time to bird watch because the trees have not leafed out yet. Once there is full leaf cover, you will have a much harder time finding small warbler species.

Consider joining us on a guided bird hike! Woodland Wandering is Thursday, April 16 from 6–8:30 p.m. at Glacial Park. For Ages 14+, details on page 22.

Warblersby Education and Visitor Center Services Coordinator Kim Compton

Top, L–R: Yellow warbler [M] (Setophaga petechia); Common yellowthroat [M] (Geothlypis trichas); Black and White warbler [M] (Mniotilta varia) Bottom, L–R: Palm warbler [M] (Setophaga palmarum); American redstart [M] (Setophaga ruticilla); Blue-winged warbler [M] (Vermivora cyanoptera)

A

D

B

E

C

F

Marty Hackl

Marty Hackl

Marty Hackl

Marty Hackl

Vern Wilkins, Indiana University, Bugwood.org

Vern Wilkins, Indiana University, Bugwood.org


Seasonal Sightings

Wondrous Warblers

Throughout the United States, there are more than 50 different species of warblers! These birds come in many colors but can be difficult to identify because of their quick movements. However, warblers do have some special markings that can help you tell them apart. Below, you will find a picture of a warbler with some special markings that will help you identify warblers more easily. See if you can correctly label the picture with the right markings listed in the word bank.

WORD BANK

Eye Ring Crown Throat Rump Patch Wing Bars

Bird HikeNow that you know a little more about warblers, head out to one of the McHenry County Conservation District’s sites like Coral Woods, Marengo Ridge or Glacial Park to see if you can spot some!

Need some help on your warbler identification? Not to worry, come celebrate World Migratory Bird Day at the Lost Valley Visitor Center in Glacial Park on May 9 from 8 a.m.–Noon for a family fun-packed time! See page 21 for complete birding program details.

Draw your own!Using pictures found on the previous page draw markings and color the picture to match one of the warblers. Or make up your own! Don’t forget the eye ring!

Warbler Wave by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre

Conservation Tales: The Cerulean Warbler by Tom J. McConnell

Stokes Beginner's Guide to Birds – Eastern Region by Donald and Lillian Stokes

R EAD I N Gc o r n e r



Lichens are fascinating, beautiful, and their presence indicates a healthy environment—what’s not to like? Spring is a great time to look for lichens because they grow and thrive in times of increased rain and dampness. Go for a walk in any local conservation area to find them.

Lichens are organisms that are actually made up of organisms from as many as three different kingdoms. The first partner is a fungus. A fungus on its own must get food by decomposition or parasitism since it does not make its own. But fungus in a lichen partners with algae, cyanobacteria, or both at once. The fungus then benefits since its photosynthetic partners make food. The partners also benefit by using the fungus as a shelter and structure, and they may get mineral nutrients from the fungus as well. When two or more species depend upon each other such as this, it is called a symbiotic relationship. But with lichen, the species take it even one step further. The different partners essentially work together to create a functioning, new kind of organism that can no longer be separated.

Lichens will grow on a variety of surfaces or substrates. Look on tree bark, rocks, logs, and even metal. You may want to bring a magnifying lens with you on your next hike to examine the structure of the different types of lichens. Crustose lichens are completely attached to the substrate and have a crusty, lumpy, and/or cracked appearance. Squamulose lichens are scaly and are

often hard to tell apart from crustose lichen. Foliose lichens are leafy and the lobes are not attached to the substrate but rather protrude from a lower attached portion of the lichen. Fruticose lichens are branchy – they grow as one portion that branches out. The branches can be as fine as hair or can look more like a stalk and cup such as a golf tee. Besides the variety of texture and structure, lichens come in a variety of colors and many are vibrant. Look for yellows, greens, reds, oranges, blues, and browns! The colors may be bright even before spring flowers start blooming or green leaves begin emerging, giving a dreary day in March some color.

Lichens are tough pioneering organisms that can live on many different substrates all over the world and can withstand periods of drought, heat and cold. However, lichens are vulnerable to air pollution and their absence can indicate poor air quality. One place lichens do not grow is in polluted industrial areas. Scientists have used lichen studies to determine the environmental health of an area. The Conservation District hired a lichenologist to study the presence, amount and diversity of lichens in McHenry County in 2009. Prior to the study, there were 59 documented kinds of lichen in the county. After the study, we could list 110 different types! With such diversity, you could spend hours examining all the different kinds found right here in McHenry County. Enjoy!


Why You Should Like Lichens

Einar Timdal


Seasonal Sightings

Spring is a great time to take notice of all the different lichens in your area! With all the abundant rainfall lichens absorb the moisture becoming more vibrant in color. Spring is one of the times of the year when lichens grow the most because of all the water available.

Lichens

Did you Know?Lichens are made up of two living things: fungi and algae. They benefit from living together. The algae makes food and the fungus provides a protective structure. When the relationship benefits both organisms this is called a symbiotic relationship.

Outdoor Activity #1Lichens come in all sorts of different colors. Go for a hike and see if you can find a lichen that closely matches a color below. You can check the box next to the color which most closely resembles the lichen you find!

Outdoor Activity #2Lichens can grow on living trees, dead wood, rocks, leaves, dirt, and even metal. The material they grow on is called a substrate. Go for a short hike and see how many different types of substrate you can find lichens growing on. You can use the checklist below to keep track!

Live Tree

Wood

Dirt

Leaf

Rock

Answ

er Ke

y-A:

Frut

icose

, B: C

rust

ose,

C: Fo

liose

, D: S

quam

alos

e

A B C D

Can you guess which type of lichen each is?Did you know there are lot’s of different shapes and textures of lichen? Scientists group them according to these shapes and textures. To the right are the descriptions of each scientific category.

Crusty flat lichens are called Crustose.Scaly and mostly flat lichens are called Squamulose.Lichens that are leafy looking are called FolioseLichens that have many branches are called Fruticose

David Stephens, Bugwood.org

Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org



MCCDistrict.org

Wildlife to Watch for: Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes

4

Sandhill Cranes Make McHenry County HomeIn late February and throughout the month of March, thousands of sandhill cranes travel from their wintering grounds in the south back up to their northern breeding grounds. Our population of cranes winter in Florida and breed in the upper Midwest and Canada. You most likely will hear these magnificent birds before you see them. Their call, a long gutteral trill, can be heard up to a mile away. It is a haunting, almost prehistoric sound uttered by way of an accordion stretched wind pipe that projects the call beyond most birds’ ranges.

As you search the sky for these large birds, look for birds whose long legs dangle behind them and whose necks stretch straight out in front. While great blue herons look similar and also have long legs, they fly with their necks folded in to their chests. Geese have necks that appear to be as long as those of cranes, but their legs aren’t near as long.

While many of the cranes continue northward, some will choose McHenry County for their nesting grounds. By mid-April, mated pairs will take turns incubating any eggs. The female will lay one

or two eggs, although usually only one young will survive. Humans are cautioned not to approach nesting sandhill cranes, and to watch from a distance. All parents are defensive of their young and sandhill cranes are also very shy. They have been known to abandon a nest if disturbed too regularly. Sandhills are classified as threatened in the state of Illinois and we are fortunate to have nesting pairs in our area. If you see a crane on the ground, you will recognize it by its size – it stands about 3 ½ feet tall and has a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet. It is also characterized by its red patch on the top front of its head, which both the male and female have. The rest of the body is a slate grey to reddish brown.

By May, the egg will hatch and both male and female will carefully guard their colt while teaching it how to feed and how to stay safe. The colt will have fuzzy yellow feathers that are not developed for flight. It will take a good two months before the young sandhill will be able to fly. Still, it may stay with its parents for 10 months, following along during migration to learn the route.

Whooping Cranes, an Endangered SpeciesIn April 2006, Glacial Park was graced with the presence of 14 whooping cranes. These cranes are considerably different than the sandhills and far rarer. They have a red forehead patch like the sandhill cranes, but they are bright white and even bigger than the sandhill cranes. When their wings are outstretched you will see a stark contrast between the white body and the black tips of the wings. In 1941, there were only 15 of these extremely endangered birds left on the earth. Through determined conservation efforts, dedicated groups have managed to captive-rear birds and teach them how to migrate. Estimates are now near 200 birds and growing! Individual whooping cranes have been spotted migrating with flocks of sandhills so keep your eyes to the sky. We cannot promise we will see these birds again in McHenry County, but we can hope. As long as we provide the habitat they require, they have a chance to survive and we have a chance to see them.

For a chance to see cranes, visit Lyons Prairie and Marsh in Cary, Glacial Park in Ringwood, Exner Marsh in Lake in the Hills, and Elizabeth Lake in Richmond. Also attend our educational program about cranes, “Searching for Sandhills” on page 29. For more information about the special efforts to help whooping cranes, check out the Journey North website at www.learner.org/jnorth.

Whooping Crane

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Cranes in flight

Preservation, Education, Recreation 5


Winged Migration Word find

Find 6 birds that migrate.N N R R E O T H G U K M L F I J D G D S C Q R Z G K X V I N R I O R O Y L F N L D U E Q H K F B I O N E K M U B C U Y R E W V B G W H N T A F T D V A T H D G D Q Z C A H M V N G Z S K P N I N I Q V R K U K H S B H X I S X I G J C C M T F O L G T M H I P Y D A D W G H P V F V M B T C P L J A S W H N V X V U X Y D U O S P Z G I W Q Q H H D R I B E U L B B C L N O R E H D G A I R K O O A B C D J V P Q M A D O R G S G V T R O S A I G W C Q D G I F U

BLUEBIRD CRANEGOOSE HERONHUMMINGBIRD ROBIN

Winged Migration Word find

Find 6 birds that migrate.N N R R E O T H G U K M L F I J D G D S C Q R Z G K X V I N R I O R O Y L F N L D U E Q H K F B I O N E K M U B C U Y R E W V B G W H N T A F T D V A T H D G D Q Z C A H M V N G Z S K P N I N I Q V R K U K H S B H X I S X I G J C C M T F O L G T M H I P Y D A D W G H P V F V M B T C P L J A S W H N V X V U X Y D U O S P Z G I W Q Q H H D R I B E U L B B C L N O R E H D G A I R K O O A B C D J V P Q M A D O R G S G V T R O S A I G W C Q D G I F U

BLUEBIRD CRANEGOOSE HERONHUMMINGBIRD ROBIN

Where does the Sandhill Crane live? Draw a line from the crane to its

correct habitat.

Backyard

Forest

Wetlands

Sandhill Cranes are fascinating birds. Did you know:

*Cranes are very tall, some reaching 4 feet!

*Baby cranes are called chicks or colts.

*Cranes like to eat insects, fish, frogs, worms, seeds, mice and water plants.

*Eastern cranes migrate to Florida each fall and return each spring.

*Cranes’ long legs, long neck and beak are special adaptations that help them wade

through the tall grasses and shallow water while searching for food in their wetland

home.

The crane is hungry. What type of food can it eat?

Draw a line from the correct food to the crane.

Make your own Invasive Plant Field Guide!

Use this field guide to be on the lookout for invasive plants that can take over areas rich in plant diversity.

Am

ur Honeysuckle

(Lonicera maackii) Native to tem

perate western Asia

Top, L–R: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org; Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org; Bottom, L–R: Rob Routledge, Sault

College, Bugwood.org; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Comm

on Buckthorn(Rham

nus cathartica) Native to Eurasia

Top, L&R: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Bottom

, L–R: Jan Samanek, Phytosanitary Adm

inistration, Bugwood.org; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Tartarian Honeysuckle

(Lonicera tatarica) Native to Siberia and other parts of eastern Asia

Top: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org; Right: Ohio State Weed Lab , The Ohio State University, Bugw

ood.org; Bottom: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Autum

n Olive

(Elaeagnus umbellata) Native to eastern Asia

Top: Nancy Loewenstein, Auburn University, Bugwood.org; Right: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org; Bottom

: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org



2017 Spring Landscapes - McHenry County Conservation ...

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