Photos from the Prairie

The prairie, although not as sprawling as it once was, is an ever-changing beauty to behold to anyone who sets their eyes on it. The beauty of the prairie can easily be captured, in my opinion, through the lens of a camera. In general, I feel more people need to know what the prairie has to offer and I hope my photos can help to inspire many.

June:

In June, a majority of the plants I photographed tended to be species that preferred dryer, sandier soils like Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens), Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis), and Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida). The Troublesome Sedge (Carex molesta) was an exception since it grew in a seasonably wet field with clay. I also felt like a sedge needed to be included in the group of photos, as sedges are more than just plants with edges!

July:

The photos from July were taken from a diverse amount of locations such as the typical tallgrass prairies, dolomite prairies, and wetlands. For the typical tallgrass prairie habitats, Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya) and Sullivant’s Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) were somewhat uncommon sights, as compared to their more common relatives, Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). As for the dolomite prairie and the wetland habitats, Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) and Dark-Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) were very common plants to see and photograph.

August:

For August, we visited primarily typical tallgrass prairie habitats. The first two species I photographed this month were the Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) and Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus). Other species in this habitat included the Round-Headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata) and the Great Plains Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum).

September: 

In September, there was an abundance of golds and yellows as most of the Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) were in bloom. Of the goldenrods, the Old Field Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) was one of the first that I noticed blooming. Nearby, Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) was still in full bloom with an insect that I believe to be one of the signs of fall, the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). In addition to the Goldenrods and Silphiums, the white ray flowers of White Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) were also present. Also in bloom within the wetlands was the carnivorous Common Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza).

October: 

At last, October! During October, we primarily cleaned seed from the collections we made during the summer, so I did not take many photos on my camera. When we did collect seeds, we went to the wetlands and back to the dolomite prairies. In the wetlands, we came across the tiny Mosquito Fern (Azolla caroliniana), whereas in the dolomite prairie, we were greeted by the Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium).

Although I may have missed the prairie’s beauty during the spring, I am glad I witnessed the beauty it offered throughout the summer and fall with my fellow Midewin CLM interns! The photos, although just of plants, remind me of the fun memories we made during our five months as interns. Although this is bye, for now, Midewin, I will be back to continue appreciating and photographing the prairie!

Plunging into the Wetlands and the Dolomite Pavements on the Prairie

September greeted us with a plunge into the wetlands of Midewin! Toward the beginning of the month, we participated in a volunteer seed collection day at Schoolhouse Wetland. Here, we primarily collected the abundant Dark Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) and Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum). During collection, I scouted the area for more species to collect and I found a floating mat of vegetation in the center of the wetland! It was very interesting to see the movement of the mat as I bounced on it! 

The floating mat of vegetation at Schoolhouse Road Wetlands

Aside from the Schoolhouse wetland, we also visited another wet location and were greeted with a field of the Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)! I initially spotted the population from the road, which surprised all of us as this beautiful critter was right in front of our eyes the whole time! 

Other than the wetlands, we also spent the majority of our time this month at the dolomite sites. On the dolomite pavements, we pulled the annoying Hairy Cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa) at the beginning of the month. It was a very daunting task to pull every individual of the plant, however, it was satisfying to see the immediate results with the annual grass now gone! Aside from weeding Hairy Cupgrass, we also collected seeds from the minuet Poverty Dropseed (Sporobolus vaginiflorus), Rough Dropseed (Sporobolus compositus), and the fruits of the Prairie Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrorhiza). The prickly pears were my personal favorite as the collection bag smelled incredibly sweet with all the fruits in it! 

Lastly, as the month neared its end, we wrapped it up by cleaning the Dark Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens) in the brush machine. It felt satisfying to not only collect the species but also clean it and prepare it to be used in a seed mix.

The cleaned seeds of Scirpus atrovirens…so satisfying!

Overall, September was eventful on the prairie and the month was over quickly! 

Puddle Clubs and Pollinators of the Prairie

August is here and the pollinators are in a frenzy for forage as fall inches closer!

This month, I took the time to become closely acquainted with the many different flying critters that could bee seen on the prairie. For the most part, the pollinators were not very hard to find as they could typically be found foraging on the pollen/nectar of the prairie wildflowers; however, there were a few exceptions with some of the bees as they would find interest in eating my lunch! 

Aside from foraging on prairie plants or my lunch, the general behavior and nesting habitat of a few of the pollinators were interesting to watch. During Robel Pole protocols with Harsha, Michelle, and the other CLM interns, we were greeted by a group of Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos) and Eastern Tailed-Blues (Cupido comyntas) at a puddle. Until recently, I did not know that this behavior was called Puddle Clubbing. Essentially, puddle clubs are congregations of the same or different species of butterflies (mostly males) that gather around a source of water (sometimes large or measly), which typically contains essential minerals that the butterflies can obtain with their proboscis. The puddles can also serve as an area for males to display and compete for a female if one happens to fly by! 

A puddle club with Pearl Crescents and Eastern Tailed-Blues

Regarding nesting habitat, the two species of pollinators I observed (a Megachilid sp. and the Honeybee, Apis mellifera) were relatively intriguing, to say the least. The Megachilid (a leafcutter bee) is a resident of the bedrock pavements of the dolomite prairie that we observed while monitoring the Hispid False Mallow (Malvastrum hispidum). In this habitat, there can be little to no soil and the pavements can get relatively hot during the day, so it was impressive to see this species utilizing this area for a home! As interested in bees as I am, I took a closer look at the leaf cutter’s home by moving the rocks at the entrance of the nest to see see how deep it was. Shortly after displacing the rock, Ingrid from POC, Naomi, and I were greeted by a disoriented bee…sorry!

The Leafcutting Bee inspecting its reconstructed home in the Dolomite Pavement

As for the honeybees, we found them within an older building on the prairie while we were seed collecting/scouting. In this case, I was not surprised to stumble upon them here as I have found honeybees in similar structures before, but I was surprised to see exposed comb! It is not ideal for them to utilize the comb for storage or rearing their young, although this comb could serve a hidden purpose not seen by the observer!

The workers of the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
A colony of Honeybees in an unusual spot!

With that, August on the prairie was filled with a plethora of pollinators that added to the fun of seed collecting! As fall slowly sets in, I hope to see many more flying/buzzing critters!

Pillars of the Prairie

June is over and the heat of July is finally here!

July at Midewin started with placing transect flags at various locations on the prairie that had their fair share of hazards! I was in primarily mesic habitats with the botany technician, Anna, where we faced thickets of sandbar willows (Salix interior), horsetails (Equisetum sp.), and of course the disgusting Phragmites (Phragmites australis).

Following setup, we began the transects and gathered data for the Floristic Quality Index (FQI). During data collection, it reminded me of a live auction where people would shout their bets at a person, but instead it was the latin/common names of the plants being shouted at the tablet holder!

Within the middle of transect season, a few of us CLMs assisted the previous CLM interns, Harsha and Veronica, in brush cutting the awful Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellatum). As a whole, we managed to cut down a great amount of the shrubs and also break a sweat which attracted the sweat bees!

Aside from transects and brush cutting, the latter half of July was spent collecting and scouting for sedges, rushes, and wetland species. While collecting on the prairie, we found ourselves to be dwarfed in comparison to the pillaring beasts that are in the genus Silphium. The largest plants tended to be seven feet tall (or taller) and had golden inflorescences that would sometimes had a critter in the bloom! All four species of rosinweeds were also relatively abundant in most habitats, but only 3 of the 4 species tended to grow with each other. How rude of the plants to not include the fourth species!

The Silphium, in my opinion, are like the trees of the prairie, as they pillar over most prairie vegetation aside from some Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi). Additionally, they also act as pillars within the prairie as they are workhorse species within restorations. Truly, they act like pillars with other species to support a small part of the prairie’s foundation.

I hope to one day view these pillaring plants, with their immense leaves, tickle the bellies of Bison within the tallgrass prairie once again just as Aldo Leopold wished. With that, I hope other people can appreciate the absolute behemoths that are within the genus Silphium as much as I do!

Hopefully August will bring more fun on the prairie when the season changes and more plants bloom! See y’all soon!

Patrollin’ on the Prairie

The month of June kicked off our adventures on the prairie! Initially, we began our field season at Midewin doing meander surveys. A lot of the plants were familiar to me, however, I struggled with a few that I would normally brush off mainly due to them not being very showy (looking at you Carex!). During the meandering, we also had an active competition amongst the volunteers and CLM interns who could ID the last plant in the allotted time. Vlad and I were actively competing to find the coolest plant last, which he found a cool native and I found an Ox-Eye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) an invasive species last. So, for the most part, we tied!

The beautifully invasive Ox-Eye Daisy that can be seen at Midewin and practically any disturbed roadside

Regarding seed collection, June was spent collecting Atlantic Camas (Camassia scilloides) and multiple Carex species. I feel more confident in my Carex ID and this group no longer frightens me with its extensive amount of terminology! Of all the sedges we observed, I liked Davis’ Sedge (Carex davisii) the most as the perigynia look similar to popcorn kernels.

With seed collection, we were also in a wide variety of habitats like tallgrass prairie and sedge meadows. The sedge meadows were one of my favorites as they had unique tussock sedges that looked like waves of green as the wind blew through them.

The winds of the prairie blowing through the tussock sedges at Grant Creek North

Other than camassia and sedges, we also saw other cool critters like insects and many different milkweed species. When I would have down time before work or during lunch, I would take as many photos with my camera as possible. I was definitely more biased to taking pictures of bees and milkweed! 

Speaking of the bees, they were in a rush when it came to foraging on the Leadplant (Amorpha canescens). The species of bees ranged from the small Sweat Bees (Augochlora/Augochloropsis sp.) to many Brown-Belted Bumble Bees (Bombus griseocollis). The flowers of the Leadplant were very fragrant, so I do not blame the bees for being in a hurry to get this limited supply of nectar!

As for the Milkweeds, they were also fragrant and of course had many different insect species on them. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), for example, smelled strongly of perfume and gained a lot of attraction from the red milkweed beetles (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus). As for the pollinators of common milkweed, flies and bees were a common site as were the milkweed’s pollinia attached to their legs! I also managed to see my first monarch caterpillar (Danaus pleixpplus) of the season hopefully there will be more to come!

Overall, June brought great experiences from meandering in the prairie to learning many of the sedges that occur in Illinois. I can’t wait to get lost in the Silphium forests once they bloom in July, so expect a LOT of Silphium and subsequentially their pollinators in next month’s blog!