Spotlight on Natural Resources

Early spring is a wonderful time to view wildlife in Illinois. Woodcock, one of the earliest of the migrating birds, return to the state and start displaying to attract mates and set up territories. Mole salamanders will head to breeding pools, even when ice is still on. Crawfish frogs and spring peepers can be heard in full chorus on warm nights. Whitetail deer lose their antlers. This month on the podcast, Chris Evans joins us to discuss wildlife encounters to be had in early spring in Illinois.

Ever think about what will captivate you in retirement? You don’t want to just sit around but you don’t want to over-commit now that you have your own time. Phenology could be a retirement hobby. Join Peggy Doty to talk about how phenology offers an activity for your mind and just enough commitment to wake up interested in this new idea. Phenology is a meeting of people and the wild living things around them, and you can schedule your meeting any time you like.

Books referenced:

• The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne & A Garden Kalendar by Gilbert White
• Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (and definitely look into Nina Leopold)
• The Nature of Oaks: The rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Tree by Doug Tallamy
• Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
• The Geese of Beaver Bog by Bernd Heinrich

Community Science Projects:

• Citizenscience.gov
• Budburst
• Sounds of Nature Project

Hiding in the thickets of our Illinois woodland habitat, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is a small and secretive owl species that migrates through our area.  During this podcast, University of Illinois Avian Lab Manager and Field Coordinator, Mike Avara, joins us to share research the university is doing on the Northern Saw-whet Owl. Find out why these owls are so special, why they are researching these birds, and what they have discovered about these owls. Mike will also walk us through a day in the life of an owl researcher.

Resources
Project Owlnet
University of Illinois Natural Resources & Environment Sciences Ward Laboratory - Avian Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation

Join us this week as we chat with Dr. Joy O'Keefe about bats of Illinois and what we can do to support them. Bats are essential to a healthy ecosystem, as they eat insects that are pests to trees, crops, and us. Most bats use trees as their daytime roosts during spring, summer, and fall. If you have good places for bats to hunt for food, how do you attract them to roost on your property? Learn what makes good natural and artificial roost habitat for bats and other ways to support your local bat population.

On this special edition of Spotlight on Natural Resources, hear from Scott Schirmer, State Plant Regulatory Official with Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Chris Evans, Forestry Extension and Research Specialist with University of Illinois Extension as we talk about Spotted Lanternfly. Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive insect that has been confirmed in Illinois for the first time in September 2023. After chatting about Spotted Lanternfly, stick around as Chris takes a deep dive into invasive species in general, including what you can do to help stop the spread.

Spotted Lanternfly factsheet at go.illinois.edu/spottedlanternfly
Report sightings to lanternfly@illinois.edu

Join us this week as we chat with Aquatic Invasives Species Specialist Katie O'Reilly about all things aquatic invasives in Lake Michigan. We take a spooky look at what kinds of species are aquatic invaders and what we can do to combat invasive species in our waterways.

Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Aquatic Invasive Species
Choose Copi
The Sea Lamprey from Illinois Department of Natural Resources

September is National Preparedness Month. Kerri Taylor joins us from Illinois Safe Electricity to teach us about how we can better prepare our homes, families, workplaces, and communities in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.  Focusing on storm preparedness, we discuss in-depth how to prepare an emergency supply kit, how to choose and safely use a generator, and how to ensure we are using carbon monoxide detectors properly. We walk through a number of common scenarios and explain the proper way to respond.

Links/Resources referenced
ready.gov/September
Generator Safety
Wireless Emergency Alerts

NOAA Weather Radio
IL Citizen Corps
Red Cross
Neighborhood Watch
Fire Corps
Civil Air Patrol
American Radio Relay League 

With high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus entering our waterways and making their way to the Gulf of Mexico, Illinois is taking action to address nutrient loss and hold those nutrients in place. Rachel Curry and Nicole Haverback are the boots on the ground for this project in Illinois, and they join us on the podcast to take about the NLRS and what it means for farmers and the public.  

Links mentioned: 

Lawn to Lake

The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast

The Nutrient Loss Reduction Blog

Original and biennial Illinois NLRS reports
NOAA's 2023 report

With droughts and drastic weather occurring in Illinois, how do we keep our landscapes resilient? Extension Stormwater Specialist, Eliana Brown, joins the podcast to discuss how we can help build healthy landscapes in this extreme weather.

Links mentioned:
Drought Monitor Website
Red Oak Rain Garden Native Plant Resources

Corn sweat - an interesting Midwest phenomenon that happens during the summer months.  Find out what corn sweat really is and how it affects our weather, wildlife and other plants. Duane Friend, Illinois Master Naturalist Coordinator and Climate Specialist, joins us during this episode.  Hint: An acre of corn can “sweat” up to 4,000 gallons of water in a day!

Find out more about our Illinois weather phenomena through the Illinois Extension blog, All About Weather. 
Latest articles:
Why are we getting smoke from Canada?
How much do you know about climate? Take the quiz!
Has this spring in Illinois been windier than usual?

Biodiversity - such a buzzword these days. But what is biodiversity and why does everyone seem to be talking about it? Extension Educator Abigail Garofalo will break down this scientific concept and give you insights into the biodiversity crisis and what you can do about it. 

Don’t count out nighttime when it comes to exploring.  Each season brings a different “night” whether it be the long winter nights with clear skies or the late sunsets in summer, there is always something to discover in nature at night.  In fact, in terms of wildlife, over 60% of our mammals are nocturnal. Extension Natural Resources Educator Amy Lefringhouse joins Erin Garrett and Abigail Garofalo to discuss nature at night. 

Spring is here, and one of the best places to enjoy the season is hiking through a forest. In spring you can find the forest floor bursting with life. Many of the spring-blooming flowers you see when out on a hike are from a group of plants called spring ephemerals. We’re going to dive into what these plants are and why they’re so unique today. 

Maple Syrup Season in Illinois

Resources: 

https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/products/grassland-birds-fostering-habitats-using-rotational-grazing-p103

https://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/GrasslandBirdsWorkbook.pdf

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/agricultural_practices_that_conserve_grasslands_birds_(e3190).pdf

It seems like summer just started, but now is a great time to start planning for fall landscape installations! If you’ve got trees in your backyard, consider adding soft landings around the bases of them.