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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
MASTER NATURALIST
Dedicated to Enhancing the
Environment with Education
Find out more: web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockisland
MASTER
N AT U R A L I S T
CALENDAR
Field Notes
M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 7
Volume 3, Issue 3
Meet Your Master Naturalists! –by Stephanie Crandall
June 12th: MN Monthly
Meeting: Emerald Ash Borer –
Singing Bird Nature Center,
Black Hawk State Historic Site,
6:30 p.m.
June 13th: CoCoRaHS
Volunteer Training Workshop –
Western IL University, QC
Campus, 6:30 p.m.
June 16th & 17th: Healthy
Living Fair – QC Botanical
Center, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
July 31st & August 2nd:
Rain Garden Teleconference –
U of I Extension Office, July
31st: 1:00 p.m., August 2nd:
7:00 p.m.
August 4th: MN Clinton
Area Field Trip – Bickelhaupt
Arboretum, Eagle Point Park,
Heritage Canyon, and Fulton
Windmill, Fulton, IL, 9:30 a.m.
August 14th: MN Monthly
Meeting: Kiki Pegracke, Living
Lands & Waters – Singing Bird
Nature Center, Black Hawk
State Historic Site, 6:30 p.m.
August 18th: XStream
Cleanup, 8:30 a.m.–Noon
August 22nd: AgroForestry Workshop – Loud
Thunder Forest Preserve,
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
For those of us who were lucky enough to catch Kenny Salwey, the last river
rat, during his visit to Quad Cities this past March, we have a number of people
to thank for inviting such an incredible guest to our community. Our first thank
you (if we were to make a list) should go
out to Curtis Lundy, one of our own Master
Naturalists, who helped get the initial
contacts and efforts in place to bring Kenny
our way. Curtis first came into contact with
Kenny Salwey two years ago at a showing of
his film Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat
in Wabasha, MN where he was lucky
enough to have breakfast with Kenny, the
film cinematographer, and director. Ever
since his first contact with Kenny, he’s kept
in touch and shared fishing trips with the
Master Naturalist Curtis Lundy
last river rat, trying to bring him down river
to us in the Quad Cities. This past January Curtis got a call that an opening
would be possible in Kenny’s schedule to visit with us and so the plan for an
event was set in motion.
Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat was shown three times to sell-out
audiences at Davenport’s Putnam IMAX Theatre, with well over 1,000 folks
trying to get into the shows. Donations were accepted at the event to benefit
Nahant Marsh and $2,000 in contributions was collected from attendees of the
event. Though Curtis was certainly the instigator for this event, many others
brought forth Herculean efforts to ensure its success, including folks at Waste
Commission of Scott County, Keep Scott County Beautiful, Living Lands &
Waters, Friends of Nahant Marsh, and Sisters of Humility.
In addition to befriending Kenny Salwey, Curtis himself has led an interesting
river-creature life that he describes as best modeled by his pet crayfish, who
sheds his exo-skeleton every ten years or so, embarking on another life. Curtis
grew up in Davenport, IA and joined the Jesuit religious order after finishing
high school. He graduated from Boston College with degrees in philosophy and
English in 1972, and then left for London to teach Montessori education for
three years. Upon his return to Davenport, he earned an accounting degree
from St. Ambrose University and embarked on a career in accounting and
financial advising, serving his last six years until 2006 as Chief Financial Advisor
for THE National Bank. In his time away from
formal work, Curtis helped organize the first
Dedicated to Enhancing the
official IOWATER training in Davenport in
Envir onment
with Education
2000 and raised funds to purchase equipment
for local schools to use in implementing the
web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockisland
Lundy (continued on page 2)
309.796.0512
fax 309.796.0673
G
Summer Master Naturalist
Monthly Meetings
June 12th: Peter Chege, new
Quad City Center Horticulture
Specialist, will be presenting an
Emerald Ash Borer program. Bark
specimens and preserved adults and
larvae will be available for viewing.
All Master Naturalists who attend
are eligible for one hour of advanced
training!
August 14th: Kiki Pegracke will
be giving a 45-minute presentation
on the Living Lands & Waters
organization and its achievements.
August Master Naturalist
Field Trip to Clinton Area
Illinois Master Naturalists are
invited to tour Clinton, IA, on
Saturday, August 4th.Tour sites
include the Bickelhaupt Arboretum,
Eagle Point Park, Heritage Canyon
and Fulton Windmill in Fulton, IL,
and a visit with the Boardsen turtles.
Participants are asked to meet at the
Bickelhaupt Arboretum in Clinton at
9:30 a.m. Tour escort will be Linda
Boardsen. Please RSVP by calling
Linda at (563) 242-9297.
Directions to the Arboretum: Take 61
North from the Quad Cities to 30
East.Take 30 East into Clinton as far
as Mill Creek Parkway. At the
bottom of the hill, get in the left lane
and turn onto Mill Creek Parkway
(traffic light).Take Mill Creek Pkwy.
to 2nd Ave. So. Exit. Turn Right onto
2nd Ave. So. Take 2nd Ave. So. to
So. 14th Street and turn right. Look
for arboretum sign. Go over the hill
and you will see the arboretum on
your right. Park in the lower parking
lot. The arboretum's phone number
is (563) 242-4771.
Dedicated to Enhancing the
Envir onment
with Education
web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockisland
309.796.0512
fax 309.796.0673
Page 2
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Lundy (continued from page 1)
program. He was an original organizer of the Partners of Scott County
Watersheds (PSCW) in 1998 and retired as chair in 2001. Curtis served as the
treasurer on the board of directors of Living Lands & Waters from 2000 to 2006
and was also an original organizer of XStream Cleanup. Curtis came to our Master
Naturalist program in the fall of 2005, already an incredibly active volunteer!
Curtis’ new project for “retirement” will be to work on restoring 130 acres of
bluff land he has purchased in northeastern Iowa. The land is bordered by the
Yellow River and contains woods, constructed wetlands, meadows, and
agricultural land that Curtis is working on converting over to organic production.
The land is at present home to a high infestation of invasive plants and unwanted
trees. Curtis has hired Driftless Land Stewardship Alliance to develop a
management plan for the various ecosystems on site as well as rehabilitation of
the trout stream wandering through his valley. Curtis’ goal at the site is to
promote diverse healthy habitat and ideally would like to host student groups to
the property to learn and appreciate the delicate balance entailed in living in and
managing the natural world.
Agro-Forestry Workshop Coming Again to Loud Thunder
Forest Preserve!
The workshop will be held Wednesday, August 22, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. –
4:00 p.m. Sessions offered at the workshop include: Tree Identification, Wildlife
Woodland Habitat, Crop Tree Management, Forest Regulations, Nuisance Pest
Control/New Plantation Management, Forestry Tax Assessment & Federal/State
Programs, and Timber Harvest. This workshop is sponsored by Interstate RC&D,
Rock Island, Mercer, and Henry County SWCD, NRCS, U of I Extension, Loud
Thunder Forest Preserve, IDNR. Registration is $20 if sent before August 10th,
and $30 for late registration. Lunch will be provided. For more information, call
Interstate RC&D at (309) 764-1486, ext. 4.
Healthy Living Fair – June 16th & 17th
The Quad City Botanical Center and Radish magazine will present a new
Healthy Living Fair from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and
17, 2007, on the grounds of the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Avenue,
Rock Island. The free community event, sponsored by the Riverboat
Development Authority, Deere & Co., NewsChannel 8 and Quad City Radio
Group, will present information about healthy living and the environment
through the natural foods, products, plants, resources and services of western
Illinois and eastern Iowa. The fair will include environmentally friendly products
and produce, gardening goods and services, outdoor recreation opportunities,
innovative energy methods, and holistic, alternative and integrative medicine.
Come for lunch! Guests can enjoy lunch from a variety of healthy-foods from
vendors at the outdoor garden cafe. Saturday opens with a community-wide yoga
class. Also on Saturday, shop and visit the Garden Art Exhibition, showcasing
nature-inspired art by local and regional artists for sale and viewing. On Sunday
shop for fresh produce and baked goods at a farmers’ market. Throughout the
weekend, hands-on educational programs for children will be offered.
Outstanding lectures on hot topics in environment, health, conservation,
gardening and other topics will be presented by regional experts. Ongoing live
musical entertainment will further enhance the event.
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Volunteers Needed to Help Monitor Weather
Many Illinois residents are familiar with the hit and miss nature of showers and
thunderstorms during the spring and summer. You might receive an inch of rain,
while a mile away hardly a drop falls.
A new volunteer program designed to increase the density of rainfall
observation locations is being coordinated by the Illinois State Water Survey, the
National Weather Service, and the University of Illinois Extension Natural
Resources Management Team. The “Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and
Snow” (CoCoRaHS) network is a grassroots volunteer system of backyard
weather observers of all ages working together to measure and map
precipitation–rain, hail and snow–in their local communities. Volunteers are
needed in all southwestern Illinois counties.
“This is a community project that benefits the entire state, and anyone can
help, regardless of age or education,” said Steve Hilberg, co-coordinator for
CoCoRaHS in Illinois. “The only requirements are an enthusiasm for watching
and reporting weather conditions, and a desire to learn more about how the
weather can affect and impact our lives. And, it only takes a couple of minutes a
day to participate”.
To participate as a volunteer weather observer, or for additional information,
interested persons are invited to attend an information and training workshop to
be held on Wednesday, June 13th, 6:30 p.m. at Western Illinois University–Quad
Cities Campus: 3561 60th Street, Moline, Room 102.
CoCoRaHS is a non-profit organization supported by a grant from the
National Science Foundation and other contributors. It is a unique, non-profit,
community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, working
together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). By using lowcost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an
interactive Web site, the aim is to provide the highest quality data for natural
resource, education and research applications. It began in Colorado in 1998, and
currently has over 2500 observers in 17 states. Data collected by observers are
used by a wide variety of users such as climatologists, hydrologists, water
managers, and the National Weather Service to monitor drought, heavy rainfall,
and precipitation patterns.
Training is required to become a volunteer in this network. It also provides a
great opportunity to learn from experts and to meet fellow CoCoRaHS observers.
There is no cost to attend the training session, but pre-registration is required.
Register online at the University of Illinois Extension – Rock Island County
website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/rockisland or call the Extension Office at
(309) 796-0512. For more details about the network, visit http://www.cocorahs.org.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Crandall, Natural Resources
Program Coordinator, at (309) 796-0512 or [email protected].
Living Lands & Waters XStream Cleanup 2007
Save the date for Xstream Cleanup 2007, which will be held on Saturday,
August 18th from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Stay tuned for more information!
Native Plant Society
Field Trips
June 16th: Walking Tour and
Qualitative Survey of the Martin
Farm with assistance by Native Plant
Society members.
July 15th: Field Trip to Iowa City
Prairie Mitigation Project Site with
Alec Schorg and Lon Drake. Meet
at the QC Botanical Center at
9:00 a.m. to carpool to the site.
For more information on these
field trips, contact Quad City Native
Plant Society President Bob Bryant
at [email protected].
Living Lands & Waters
Educational Workshop
The workshop From Field to Fresh
Waters:The Agricultural Connections to
the Mississippi River will be held on
August 15th, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information on this
workshop or to sign up for this free
educational training opportunity, visit
www.livinglandsandwaters.org.
Sweet Clover Removal
Workday
Sunday, July 9th: Please join
the Quad City Audubon Society and
the Whiteside County Natural Area
Guardians for an invasive species
removal of sweet clover from the
Linden-Agnew Prairie in remote
Whiteside County. Folks will meet at
the Quad City Downs at 7:00 a.m.
on July 9th to carpool to the site.
The workday will last about three
hours. If you are interested in
participating, please contact Pat
Carlson, QC Audubon President,
at [email protected] or at
(309) 793-4131.
Page 3
Rain Gardens: A Wise Way
to Use Runoff
On Tuesday, July 31st at 1:00 p.m.
and Thursday, August 2nd at 7:00
p.m., a teleconference entitled Rain
Gardens: A Wise Way to Use Runoff will
be offered at the University of Illinois
Extension Office, outlining how to
properly design a rain garden to
enhance the beauty of your yard,
collect runoff, and provide habitat for
birds and butterflies. Register in
advance at (309) 796-0512. Cost of
the program will be $1 for Master
Naturalists and Master Gardeners
and $5 for the general public.
Celebrate Urban Birds!
Help scientists learn how birds
use urban habitats by conducting a
ten-minute bird watch for 15 local
bird species. Find out more at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s
“Celebrate Urban Birds!” web
site. People of all ages, backgrounds,
and abilities can participate in a
bird watch on their own or with
local organizations. Other
“celebration” activities include
gardening, bird watching, art, and
science. Learn more and request
a free kit, while supplies last, at
http://www.urbanbirds.org/celebration.
New Interactive Tool
Online to Help Lower
Energy Costs
Trees Forever and Aquila can help
you improve your home’s energy
efficiency and save on your energy
bills! Using an interactive tool, plant
trees to shade your virtual house
from hot summer rays or plant
windbreaks between your house
and those cold winter winds.Visit
this website to play this fun and
easy game to learn how to plant
your way to energy savings:
www.treesforever.org.
Protect Yourself Against
West Nile Virus
Memorial Day weekend is
considered the official launch of
mosquito season. Consequently, it's
also the date to start protecting
yourself from mosquito bites that
could transmit the West Nile Virus.
To learn how to protect yourself,
visit www.ipm.uiuc.edu/wnv/.
Page 4
The Constant Process of Trilliums
–by Andy Hahn, Master Naturalist
In studying the form and shape of plants, the poet Goethe noticed two forces
at work: those of contraction and expansion. In his studies, Dick van Romunde
called these two tendencies suctioning and swelling. Looking closely, we can see
that each individual plant brings about a unique balance of these two opposites in
several ways. One
common contraction is
within the seed; the
whole plant lies in its
potential. As the plant
is drawn out of the
seed an expansive
quality begins to show
itself as the plant fills
more space. This urge
to fill, and ultimately to
dissolve, is held back
by a sort of drawing in
that gives definition to
the plant’s shape. For more detail we can look at how these tendencies interact
and play out in a particular species of trillium closely resembling trillium
recurvatum.
As it emerges, the trillium’s three leaves form a tented enclosure. This
enclosure gives an appearance of tightness through its crunched appearance and
overlapping leaves. This tightness is overcome as the leaves are elevated higher
into the air and, with a sort of exhale, begin to separate and fold back until each
leaf is draped over its central vein, spreading itself out above the ground.
On these leaves, we see veins which outline their shape along with the form of
the whole plant. We can follow the veins as they come out of the ground and run
parallel up the stem several inches to the point where they branch out in three
directions separated by 120 degrees into the petioles, or leaf stems, and then out
into the leaves which tend towards the horizon.
Taking an individual leaf, we see a central vein emerging from the petiole and
reaching through the center of the leaf to its pointed tip. On both sides of the
central vein, three pairs of veins spread out more towards the edges of the leaf,
coming back together at the tip. The most interior pair takes a sort of feather or
elongated eye shape. The most exterior pair runs close to the leaf ’s edge which
takes on the shape of a circle being sucked outward at one point, approximating a
round bottom spade. The central pair gives a transition between these two shapes.
As a whole, the shape of the leaf shows an expansion out of the petiole giving
over to a sharp drawing back in at the tip.
Together, the opening of the three leaves show three sepals taking the role
which the leaves first had. More tightly than the leaves, but similar to their overall
shape, the sepals create a raindrop-like enclosure. Initially, the sepals meet at a
point directed vertically. From this point, they fall back in three directions which
equally divide the distances between the leaves and end up pointing to the
ground. What they reveal are three deep maroon petals which gradually stretch
more fully upward and away from each other along the lines containing both their
own central veins and those of the leaves.
The petals and leaves show further relations. Both are spade-like, but the petals
expand more at the base so that they sag down below the point where the stem
transitions into the petal. Additionally, the leaves and the petals are spatially close
together. The leaves rise up as high as they can on the stem where they emerge
right below the petals. They couldn’t be much closer. This shows an affinity in the
leaves towards the petals that is not always present in plants; the leaves seem to
act as petals. Moreover, they show this by holding the bud within their enclosure
just as the petals hold the stamens and pistil. They then make a blooming gesture
to reveal the bud just as the petals bloom to reveal the six blackish stamens
surrounding the central green and maroon pistil.
We find in the trillium a constant process of opening, of slowly flowering from
leaves through several layers towards the ultimate showing of the pistil. Opening
allows it to give and receive through pollination. What it receives then turns it
towards an inward process, one of contraction, as the trillium’s whole potential is
drawn once again into seed form.
Insects Are For The Birds
Birds have been singing their spring songs and dandelions have shown off
their blossoms. With warmer weather, now come the insects – beneficial and
destructive. A helpless feeling comes over us when insects begin to attack our
plants and spoil our picnics. Birds can be our first line of defense against insect
pests.
During the late spring and summer months, the diet of many bird species is
insects. Birds can be encouraged to come to your yard if you plant appropriate
types of native cover that provide food.
Species of birds that help control garden pests are named by National Wildlife,
June/July 2007 in an article on ‘Backyard Habitat’ by Sarah Boyle found on their
website (www.nwf.org). Some that can be found in the Midwest are: purple martin,
red-eyed vireo, chipping sparrow, downy woodpecker, common nighthawk, and
house wren. The northern cardinal and black-capped chickadee also eat insects
and feed them to their young during the summer. Growing natural plants that
produce seeds and berries provide additional food and provide for those that stay
around through the winter.
Birds can be encouraged to nest by providing habitat that supports their other
needs. Good habitat for birds gives them more than food, says Cornell University
on their website (www.birds.cornell.edu). “Provide dense thickets where birds can
nest, perch, and escape from predators, by planting some shrubs, growing a hedge
or training vines over fence lines. Try to create an area of thick, wild growth to
imitate a natural environment.
“Dead wood is good. Try to leave dead limbs and trees in place if it’s safe to
do so. Insects that live under the bark and in the decaying wood are an important
food source for birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Cavitynesting birds…need old, hollow trees to nest in. To make a dead tree prettier,
consider planting native vines, such as Virginia Creeper, to disguise its trunk.
“Build a brush pile. Recycle dead branches to start a brush pile for your
ground-dwelling birds…it gives them protection from cold weather and predators.
Lay down a couple of feet of thick branches, and put thinner branches over the
top.
“Leave a mess. If you hate to tidy up your yard and flower beds in fall, birds
will love you for it…Instead of bagging up fallen leaves for disposal rake them
under your shrubs to act as mulch. They’ll harbor insects that ground-dwelling
birds will find. And, come spring those dead leaves, grasses, and plant stems will
be a treasure trove for birds searching for nest material in your yard.”
Even if you could, you wouldn’t want to completely rid your yard of insects,
writes Boyle. Beneficial insects are imperative for a healthy garden. Birds can keep
insects at a stable, balanced level.
–Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water
Conservation District (Published in The Journal Standard, Freeport, Illinois.)
Register Now for
Upcoming ENTICE
Workshops, Including
the New Schedule for
2007-2008
Join the IDNR for an enlightening
ENTICE (Environment and Nature
Training Institute for Conservation
Education) workshop! ENTICE
workshops provide background
information, lessons, supplemental
resources and Continuing
Professional Development Units.
The 2007-2008 ENTICE workshop
schedule is available online.To see
complete workshop descriptions or
to register, visit http://www.ilcf.org/
Workshop/Courses.asp.
Upcoming workshops include the
following titles:
Lake Michigan Ecology, Highland
Park Yacht Club, Highland Park,
May 18, 2007
The Microscopic World, Peggy
Notebaert Nature Museum,
Chicago, May 19, 2007
Global Positioning System,
Vermilion County Conservation
District,
Danville, June 9, 2007
Mammals from Illinois’ Past, Illinois
State Museum, Springfield, June
13, 2007
Geology of Giant City, Giant City
State Park, Makanda, June 15,
2007
Native Americans and Nature
in Illinois, Dickson Mounds
Museum, Lewistown, June 27,
2007
Richard Louv Brings
“Children and Nature”
Message to Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – Richard
Louv, author of Last Child in the
Woods, testified before the United
States House of Representatives
Interior and Environmental
Subcommittee. He described an
emerging children and nature
movement which has taken shape
since his book brought attention to
what Mr. Louv calls “nature deficit
disorder.”
For a transcript of Mr. Louv’s
remarks, go to http://www.
funoutdoors.com/node/view/1775.
Page 5
Request for National Trails
Day Hiking Guides
During National Trails Day on
June 2, 2007, there is a need for one
or two prairie hiking guides at the
1st Annual Rock Island Trail Prairie
Walk in Princeville, IL (in Stark
County).The hike begins at 10:00
a.m. and can last as long as you
would like. It would be helpful if the
volunteer could ID a few prairie
grasses or forbes and/or tell a little
about the history of prairies in
Illinois. No experience is necessary,
just have a willingness to share a
few unique facts and passion for
prairies!
If interested, a volunteer could
also lead a 4-6 mile hike from the
depot to the prairie. If you would
like to volunteer, please contact:
Dede J. Rice, Program Coordinator,
Community & Economic
Development, University of Illinois
Extension, Henry-Stark Counties,
at (309) 286-6200 (office), (309)
883-1413 (cell), or [email protected].
National Arbor Day
Foundations’ Seventh
National Conference
The Practice of Restoring Native
Ecosystems National Conference:
October 8–9, 2007
Arbor Day Farm
Lied Lodge & Conference Center
Nebraska City, NE
This conference will examine
restoration as a form of
environmental stewardship.
Presentations will focus on issues,
approaches, and techniques in
restoration, successful restorations
of ecosystems, and using restoration
principles to address environmental
problems.
For more information, please visit
http://www.arborday.org/shopping/
conferences/conferencelist.cfm?detail
=rne.
Page 6
Kids and Nature
URBANA – Spring has finally arrived and with it the opportunity to build a
new relationship between children and nature, said Jane Scherer, University of
Illinois Extension urban programs specialist and director of web development. In
nature, children find a place to stimulate their senses–to become more observant
and find a sense of freedom and fantasy,” she explained. “Research shows that
natural spaces and materials stimulate children’s imagination and serve as a way
to stimulate inventiveness and creativity.”
U of I Extension has a number of websites that encourage children to explore
nature and the out-of-doors, she added. These sites cover everything from trees
to insects to starting a garden. “‘Walk in the Woods’ (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.
edu/woods/) prepares kids for what they will see in the woods,” Scherer said.
“This includes everything from lichens to deer. It also features in-depth nature
notes that explain in detail 19 different things encountered in the woods,
including poison ivy and mushrooms. “Kids also can share what they learned on
the walk with other children in the ‘Woods Walkers Journal.’”
Warmer temperatures mean insects are more visible. The website “Let’s Talk
About Insects (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/insects/) offers young people a
chance to learn what an insect is and what makes insects beneficial to humans.
“And they learn just how many insects there really are–40 million in an area the
size of a football field,” she noted.
An interactive website, “Dr. Arbor Talks Trees,” (http://www.urbanext.uicu.
edu/trees3/) is targeted to children in sixth through ninth grades. “It covers tree
anatomy--how roots, trunks, leaves, twigs, and buds are all put together,” said
Scherer. “The site also helps children learn to identify the various types of trees.”
There is no better way to learn about nature than gardening and another
website can help a child set up his or her first garden. “My First Garden”
(http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/first garden/) teaches kids the basics of
gardening.
“Children learn how to read a seed packet, for example, and what tools are
needed,” she explained. “It also has a section for keeping a gardening journal. It
covers both vegetables and flowers. And if children lack lots of yard space or a
garden plot, they can learn about creating gardens in unusual places such as old
shoes, cinder blocks, and sewer tiles.”
Using the website, children can plan and create their own salad garden,
growing cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, and tomatoes. “There are even instructions
for a ‘pizza garden,’” she added. “These sites provide a wonderful opportunity
for parents to introduce their children to nature in a positive way and combine
fun with learning.”
Source: Robert Sampson, Extension Specialist, Communications, [email protected]
Emerald Ash Borer – “The Green Menace” Coming to a
Community Near You
URBANA – If you have an ash tree in your yard, now is the time to begin
checking it for emerald ash borers in the adult beetle stage according to
University of Illinois Extension entomologist Phil Nixon. “May 20th to 26th has
been selected as Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week because it coincides with
the time of year that the adult beetles will begin to emerge.”
How to identify the emerald ash borer beetle:
4 Bright metallic emerald green color
4 Half an inch long, bullet-shaped body
4 Exit holes in bark shaped like the letter “D”
“There are a number of look-alikes that people might mistake for the emerald
ash borer,” said Nixon. “The tiger beetle, ground beetles, even some bees and
wasps have the green color. Other borers make an oval or round exit hole. The
“D” shape is distinctive. It’s made by the shape of their body coming out of the
tunnels in the bark – perfectly flat on the bottom and rounded on the top.”
In 2006 the beetles were spotted at ten sites in Kane County and six sites in
northern Cook County in Illinois.
Insecticides containing imidacloprid have proven to be effective in preventing
the ash borer from taking up residence in ash trees. The only brand currently
available to homeowners is Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect
Control. Others can be professionally applied.
But, Nixon said that the best way to prevent infestation of the emerald ash
borer is to purchase only local firewood and if you go camping, don’t transport
any left-over firewood. Leave it at the camp site.
The emerald ash borer was first identified in ash trees near Detroit in 2002 and
has spread to neighboring states since then, most likely via packing materials and
firewood. The larvae winter-over in the bark. Adult beetles emerge from the wood
during May and June, then go on to infest a new neighborhood of unsuspecting
ash trees.
Nixon said that, on their own power, the beetles only travel about half a mile a
year. As with many other invasive species, with assistance from humans, the
emerald ash borer can travel much greater distances and infest ash trees just about
anywhere.
For more information, visit www.emeraldashborer.info/ or www.ipm.uiuc.edu.
Periodical Cicada
Protection
River Action’s 2007 Education Series: Channel Cat Talks and
Riverine Walks – Memorial Day through Labor Day
The 17-year cicadas will emerge
from the soil in older established
neighborhoods and wooded areas
near the end of May and begin
egglaying during the month of June.
The principal damage suffered by
trees and shrubs results from egglaying by the adult female.The
damage is confined mainly to smaller
branches one quarter- to one halfinch diameter. Small trees and shrubs
are at higher risk of damage than
large trees. Cover the branches of
small trees and shrubs with fine
netting, such as bridal netting (tulle)
or cheesecloth, when cicadas are
present. Secure the netting to the
trunk in order to prevent the insect
from getting inside the covering.
Channel Cat Talks: $10.00 per class
4Folktales and Mississippi River Songs with Dale Whiteside: June 5, June 7, July 24, or July 26,
9:00–10:45 a.m.
4Biology with Kraig McPeek: June 12, June 14, July 31, or August 2, 9:00–10:45 a.m.
4River Industry with Captain John Deluhrey: June 19, June 21, August 7, or August 9, 9:00–
10:45 a.m.
4Arsenal Island: Its History with Samantha Heilig: June 26, June 28, August 14, or August 16,
9:00–10:45 a.m.
4Water Quality with David Kull: July 10, July 12, August 21, or August 23, 9:00–10:45 a.m.
4Quad City Bridges with Curtis Roseman: July 17, July 19, August 28, or August 30, 9:00–
10:45 a.m.
Riverine Walks – $5.00 per class or free with River Action membership
4Mississippi Insects: Friends and Foes with Dr. Darrin Good: Wednesday, June 6, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
4Sylvan Island: Industrial Site becomes Recreational Gem with Dr. Norman Moline: Saturday,
June 9, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
4A View of the River with Dr. Reuben Heine: Wednesday, June 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m., OR Saturday,
June 30, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
4Geology of the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities with Jeffrey Strasser: Saturday, July 14,
9:00-10:30 a.m.
4Where Does the Stormwater Go? with Andrea Johnson, City of Rock Island: Wednesday,
July 18, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
4A Geographical and Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Moline with Dr. Curtis Roseman:
Wednesday, July 25, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
4Sylvan Island: Industrial Site becomes Recreational Gem with Dr. Norman Moline: Saturday,
July 28, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
4Wildlife Photography at Nahant Marsh with John Freiband: Wednesday, August 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
OR Saturday, August 11, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
4River Vision and other Re-Inventions Field Trip:The Perspective from Rock Island with
Dr. Charlie Mahaffey: Saturday, August 15, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
4Where Does the Stormwater Go? with Andrea Johnson, City of Rock Island: Saturday, August 18,
9:00-10:30 a.m.
4River Vision and other Re-Inventions Field Trip:The Perspective from Rock Island with
Dr. Charlie Mahaffey: Wednesday, August 22, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact River Action at (563) 322-2969 or email
[email protected]. To download a brochure with complete details and a
registration form, go to www.riveraction.org.
DIRECTIONS:
Cover the plant loosely with
netting.
Tie the bottom of the netting
with twine or strips of cloth
to secure.
Secure the sides of the netting
with metal clips, clothespins,
or staples to prevent cicadas
from entering.
Remove the netting once cicadas
have died (July).
Information taken from Periodical
Cicada Protection Netting, The Morton
Arboretum, www.mortonarb.org.
Page 7
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Rock Island, IL
University of Illinois Extension
Rock Island County
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309.796.0512
Unit Educator
Natural Resources/Zoology
Liz Haynes
Program Coordinator
Natural Resources
Stephanie Crandall
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Envir onment
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Extension, (309)796-0512.
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University of Illinois-USDA-Local Extension Councils Cooperating.
Bookmarks
In About Formative Forces in the Plant World, Dick van
Romunde invites us towards a more intimate relationship
with plants, a relationship shown through his writing as
having been acquired over several years of devoted
attention. By applying the methods of qualitative
observation and pictorial contemplation first used by the
poet Goethe in his studies of things biological, van
Romunde finds his way into several details of many
individual plants. These details are then used themselves
to explain the plants and their various parts.
Beginning with a study of leaves, van Romunde takes
us on a tour of several plants describing how the shape
and form of the leaves of one plant relate to those of
another. With each description it is as though the leaf of
the plant is right there with us as we read. When
describing the leaf of the Giant White Water Lily, van
Romunde tells us how, traveling up the centrally located
vertical stem “the veins burst apart” in a transition to the
horizontal circular leaf. This study of form is carried over
from leaves into the cases of calyxes, petals, and flowers
of several different plants, each accompanied by very
faithful paintings by Elly van Hardeveld.
Throughout, van Romunde connects the individual
plants he studies so that a relationship is maintained
between each plant and between the several parts studied.
By doing this, he presents the plant wholly and allows it
to explain itself as it presents itself in its form.
In the end, we feel invited to go along with van
Romunde; to not so hurriedly pass by whatever sort of
plant may be near, but to stop, admire, and sink ourselves
into the shape and form given to us through each of its
many parts and as a whole.
As Master Naturalists, we do not have to limit this
method just to plants. We can also apply it to animals, the
weather, geological formations, whole landscapes, or
anything around us. By developing such a relationship of
devoted attention in detailed observation and careful
listening in pictorial contemplation, our own thinking is
able to approach the thinking of nature as she livingly
presents it.
–Reviewed by Andy Hahn, Master Naturalist
- PLEASE WRITE US!
For inclusion in the July/August issue
of Field Notes, all submissions should be sent by
July 1st to Gretel at [email protected].
web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockisland