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Tag Archives: belmont prairie nature preserve
Three Reasons to Hike the January Prairie
"…I looked on the natural world, and I felt joy." — Michael McCarthy
This is the season of hot chocolate and electric blankets; library books and naps. And yet. When I spend too much time insulated at home, I find myself fretting over the latest newspaper headlines, or worrying about getting sick. Covid has left few of our families untouched.
Thimbleweed (Anemone cylindrica), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
What's the solution? I can't solve Covid, but I can keep my worries from circling around and around in an endless loop.
Snow on Russell R. Kirt Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
A hike outdoors goes a long way to restoring my spirits. Cold has settled into the Chicago region. A fine layer of snow has covered the grime along the roads and left everything shimmering white. The air smells like clean laundry. The ice has become manageable under a few days of concentrated sunlight.
Prairie pond at Russell R. Kirt Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
It's beautiful outside! Despite the chill. Consider these three reasons to brave the cold and go for a prairie hike this week.
Shadows and Shapes
Snow backdrops prairie plants and transforms them.
Unknown vine; East Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
It backlights the tallgrass; silhouetting wildflowers and grasses.
Familiar plants cast blue-gray shadows, giving them a different dimension.
East Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
Even if you've seen a plant a hundred times before…
Common milkweed (Asclepia syriaca), Russell R. Kirt Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
…it takes on a winter persona, and seems new.
Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL.
Snow shadows lend the prairie a sense of mystery.
The spark and glaze of ice turn your hike into something magical.
Breathe in. The cold air numbs the worry. Breathe out. Feel the terrors of the day fade away.
For now. A moment of peace.
Winter Traffic
During these pandemic times its comforting to know we live in community. Small prairie creatures—usually invisible— are made visible by their tracks.
Busy intersection, Russell R. Kirt Prairie, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL.
Tunnels are evidence of more life humming under the snow.
I leave my tracks alongside theirs. It's a reminder that we all share the world, even when we don't see each other.
Prairie Skies
Winter has a way of changing the prairie sky from moment to moment. It might be brilliant blue one day, or crowded with puffy cumulus clouds the next.
Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL.
Wild geese fly by, their bowling pin silhouettes humorous when directly overhead; the clamor raucous even in the distance as they fly from prairie to soccer field to golf course.
Skies might be soft with sheep shapes on one day…
Or blindingly bright on the next stroll through.
The prairie gives us the advantage of a 360-degree view of the sky. Its immensity reminds us of how very small….so small…. our worries are in the great span of time and space.
As we hike, our sense of wonder is rekindled.
Our fear disappears. Or at least, it lessens.
Our mind rests. The well of contentment, seriously depleted, begins to fill. And then, we feel it again.
Joy.
The opening quote is from the book The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy by Michael McCarthy (1947-), a long-time British environmental editor for The Independent and writer for The Times. You can listen to his interview with Krista Tippett for "On Being" here.
Join Cindy for a program this winter!
"100 Years Around the Morton Arboretum" — Wednesday, January 26, 6:30pm-8:30 pm. Watch history come to life in this special centennial-themed lecture about The Morton Arboretum. Celebrating 100 years, The Morton Arboretum has a fascinating past. Two of the Arboretum's most knowledgeable historians, author Cindy Crosby and the ever-amazing library collections manager Rita Hassert, will share stories of the Mortons, the Arboretum, and the trees that make this place such a treasure. Join us via Zoom from the comfort of your home. (Now all online). Register here.
February 8-March 1 (Three evenings, 6:30-9pm): The Foundations of Nature Writing Online —Learn the nuts and bolts of excellent nature writing and improve your wordsmithing skills in this online course from The Morton Arboretum. Over the course of four weeks, you will complete three self-paced e-learning modules and attend weekly scheduled Zoom sessions with your instructor and classmates. Whether you're a blogger, a novelist, a poet, or simply enjoy keeping a personal journal, writing is a fun and meaningful way to deepen your connection to the natural world. February 8, noon Central time: Access self-paced materials online. February 15, 22, and March 1, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central time: Attend live. Register here.
March 3–Tallgrass Prairie Ecology Online –online class with assignments over 60 days; one live Zoom together. Digitally explore the intricacies of the tallgrass prairie landscape and learn how to restore these signature American ecosystems. Look at the history of this particular type of grassland from the descent of glaciers over the Midwest millions of years ago to the introduction of John Deere's famous plow to where we are today. We will examine different types of prairie, explore the plant and animal communities of the prairie, and discuss strategies specific to restoring prairies in this engaging online course. Come away with a better understanding of prairies and key insights into how to restore their beauty. You will have 60 days to access the materials. Register here.
Also — check out this free program offered by Wild Ones! (Not one of Cindy's but she's attending!)
The Flora and Fauna of Bell Bowl Prairie February 17, 7-8:30 p.m. Join other prairie lovers to learn about the flora and fauna of Bell Bowl Prairie, slated for destruction by the Chicago-Rockford International Airport this spring. It's free, but you must register. More information here. Scroll down to "Upcoming Events" and you'll see the February 17 Webinar with the always-awesome Rock Valley Wild Ones native plants group. Watch for the Zoom link coming soon on their site! Or contact Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter here. Be sure and visit http://www.savebellbowlprairie.org to see how you can help.
Posted in belmont prairie, college of dupage natural areas', Joy, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged anxiety, belmont prairie, belmont prairie nature preserve, blue shadows, Chicago region, clouds, college of dupage, college of dupage natural areas, common milkweed, coronavirus, downers grove, DuPage County, geese, glen ellyn, hiking, ice, Illinois, Illinois Nature Preserves, Joy, michael mccarthy, Midwest, Natural Areas, nature, nature blogs, nature photography, nature writers, on being, online ecology classes, online nature writing classes, Online Tallgrass Prairie classes, pale purple coneflower, Pandemic, prairie, prairie blogs, prairie grasses, prairie skies, prairie wildflowers, Russell R. Kirt Prairie, snow, tallgrass prairie, The Morton Arboretum, the moth snowstorm, thimbleweed, tracks, trails, women nature writers, wonder, worry
A Prairie Postcard
"But if we don't understand and care for the smaller manifestations of wildness close at hand, how can we ever care for the great wildernesses?" —Conor Gearin
Temperatures hover around zero in the Chicago region. The "Winter Storm to End All Storms" seems to have fizzled out in a matter of less than half a dozen inches. And here I sit, in 70-degree weather. In Florida. There's a part of me that's sad to miss the first real snow of the season. A small part of me. (A very teeny, tiny part.)
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL January 2017.
But there's solace knowing that this week, I'm absorbed in learning the names of birds, blooms, dragonflies, shells, and other flora and fauna of southwestern Florida. This region, which I've visited for almost 45 years, doesn't hold the same place in my heart as the Illinois tallgrass prairie, my landscape of home. But hiking here reminds me of the breadth and depth of diversity of the natural world, and the joy of discovery. Here's a postcard to you:
Hello from Florida! Visiting this tropical region in December and January jolts me out of my sense of normalcy about what "winter" looks like. It reminds me that the way I experience life in this season in the Chicago region is completely different than how my neighbors to the south experience it. What a change from the Midwestern prairie! Displacement—a complete change—is a good reset for me to begin a new year.
Here are a few of the wonders I see on my hikes:
My first Mangrove Skipper.
Mangrove skipper (Phocides pygmalion) on romerillo (Bidens alba), J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
The Great Pondhawk. A new dragonfly species for me!
Great pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa), J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
Another "lifer" is the Mottled Duck, paddling through the mangroves. (Don't know what a "lifer" is? Take this quiz.)
Mottled duck (Anas fulvigula), J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
Ducks are easy to overlook, when there are these birds around. Roseate Spoonbills!
Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
Wow. Such shocking pink. They look like they were run through the wash in the whites load with one red sock, don't they?
Roseate Spoonbill (XX), Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
Only the hibiscus rivals it here for color.
Hibiscus (Hibiscus sp.), Captiva Island, FL.
And—of course—there are pelicans.
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Captiva Island Florida.
So many pelicans. A flock of pelicans is called a "pouch of pelicans" or sometimes, a "squadron of pelicans. Fun!
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Captiva Island, FL.
This poem runs through my mind:
"A wonderful bird is the pelican, His beak can hold more than his belican."
Swimming near the pelicans is a mama manatee and her baby.
Captiva Island, FL.
Four—or are there five?—are at the marina. I learn manatees are large, gray-ish aquatic mammals that feed on sea grasses. They can weigh up to 1,200 pounds, similar to a bison! Baby manatees stay with their moms for up to two years. Boat collisions pose a threat to this species, so hanging out by the boat docks, as these manatees are doing, isn't a great idea. (Read more about manatees here.)
Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), Captiva Island, FL.
As I watch them surface every few minutes for air, I find myself wondering about the future for this unusual mammal. I think of the Illinois bison at Nachusa Grasslands, Midewin National Tallgrass Preserve, and Fermilab back home, and how bison have been preserved in good numbers at these places after near extinction. Maybe there is hope for the manatees, too.
Bison are the biggest hazard on my prairie hikes back home. But here, it's a large reptile.
American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
Yikes. They may weigh more than 750 pounds! See you later, alligator.
Probably the Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata), J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, FL.
As the sun sets over the Gulf Coast, I pack my bags and prepare to head home.
Sunset, Captiva Island, FL.
I'll miss the delights of the island's natural wonders, but my heart is in the tallgrass. I can't wait to see the prairie with a little snow on it. At last. Even if the temperature is 70 degrees colder than it is here.
Sending you love from the Sunshine State!
The opening quote is from Conor Gearin's essay "Little Golden-Flower Room: On Wild Places and Intimacy" from the digital magazine The Millions. His essay is included in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019 (edited by Sy Montgomery), a book I purchased at Gene's Books on Sanibel Island, one of my favorite independent bookstores. Gearin's essay beautifully explores one small Iowa prairie remnant.
Need a New Year's Resolution? Help save Bell Bowl Prairie, an unusual hill remnant prairie that is slated for destruction by Chicago-Rockford International Airport. Your action can make a difference! See how at www.savebellbowlprairie.org
Posted in florida, Manatee, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged alligator, American alligator, belmont prairie nature preserve, birding lifer, bison, brown pelican, conor gearin, displacement, downers grove, florida, Florida Thatch Palm, Gene's Books, great pondhawk dragonfly, hibiscus, hiking, Illinois, Illinois Nature Preserve, J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Little Golden-Flower Room, Manatee, mangrove skipper, mottled duck, nature, nature photography, new year, new year's resolutions, pouch of pelicans, quotes about wilderness, romerillo, roseate spoonbill, sanibel island, Save Bell Bowl Prairie, snow, squadron of pelicans, The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019, The Millions, wanderlust, wilderness
A Tallgrass New Year
"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." —Hal Borland
And so 2021 comes to a close.
On the prairie, the tallgrass colors transition to their winter hues.
The prairie is stripped to bare essence.
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
The deep roots of prairie plants continue to hold the tallgrass through the winter.
As Paul Gruchow wrote, "The work that matters does not always show."
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
2021 has been another tough year. We've attempted to make each day meaningful in the midst of uncertainty and loss.
Ball gall, Lyman Woods prairie kame, Downers Grove, IL.
We've pulled from our reserve strength until we wonder if there is anything left. Trying to keep a sense of normalcy. Trying to get our work done. Trying. Trying. It all seems like too much sometimes, doesn't it? In When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chӧdrӧn writes, "To be fully alive, fully human, is to be continually thrown out of the nest." The past two years have made us realize how comfortable that "nest" used to be.
But we keep moving forward, little by little. Reaching for that extra bit of patience. Putting away the media for a time out. Setting aside a morning to go for a walk and just be.
Listening to our lives. Listening to that interior landscape.
We've learned we are fragile.
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
We've also learned we are more resilient than we ever knew we could be.
Thimbleweed (Anemone cylindrica), Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
In 2019, we had no idea of the challenges ahead.
Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
And yet, here we are. Meeting those challenges. Exhausted? You bet! It's not always pretty, but we keep getting up in the morning and getting things done.
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
We're making the best of where we find ourselves.
Trying to keep our sense of humor, even when there doesn't seem to be much to laugh about.
Random tree creation found in Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
With less margin, we are learning to untangle what's most important from what we can let go of.
Dogbane or Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
We are making life work, even if it's messy. Knowing that whatever is ahead in 2022, we'll give it our best shot.
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
We'll hike—the prairies, the woodlands, or wherever we find ourselves—aware of the beauty of the natural world. We've never appreciated the outdoors spaces like we have these past months.
We'll give thanks for joys, big and small. Grateful in new ways for what we have.
And we'll encourage each other. Because we need community, now more than ever before.
Keep on hiking. The road has been long, but we've got this. Together.
New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) in late December, Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
Hal Borland (1900-1978) was a naturalist and journalist born in Nebraska. He is the author of many books of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and plays, and wrote a tremendous number of nature observation editorials for The New York Times. He was also a recipient of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing. I'm so grateful for his "through the year" books— I love books that follow the months and seasons! Thanks to blog reader Helen Boertje, who generously shared her copies of Borland's books with me. I'm so grateful.
Making a New Year's resolution? Don't forget Bell Bowl Prairie! Commit to doing one action on the list you'll find at Save Bell Bowl Prairie, and help us save this rare prairie remnant from the bulldozers.
Happy New Year, and thank you for reading in 2021. What a year it's been! I'm grateful to have this community of readers who love the natural world. I'm looking forward to virtually hiking the prairies with you in 2022. Thank you for your encouragement, and for your love of the natural world.
Posted in hiking, Pandemic, Prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged 2022, ball gall, belmont prairie nature preserve, big bluestem, Canada goldenrod, common milkweed, compass plant, dogbane, downers grove, forest preserve of dupage county, gratitude, Hal Borland, Happy New Year, hiking, IL, Illinois, illinois bundleflower, indian hemp, lisle, Lyman Woods, nature, nature photography, new england aster, Pandemic, paying attention, prairie, prairie dock, Prairie Stewardship, rattlesnake master, Save Bell Bowl Prairie, schulenberg prairie, sense of humor, tallgrass prairie, The Morton Arboretum, thimbleweed, trails
November Arrives on the Tallgrass Prairie
Posted on November 2, 2021 | 10 comments
"Show's over, folks. And didn't October do a bang-up job? Crisp breezes, full-throated cries
of migrating geese, low-floating coral moon. Nothing left but fool's gold in the trees." —Maggie Dietz
It's transition week on the prairie.
Bee balm (Monarda fistulosa), Searls Park Prairie, Rockford, IL.
This past weekend in the Chicago region we had our first freeze warning. In my garden, I've long given up on the tender perennials. Basil and zucchini were zapped by frosts last week. But parsley, rainbow chard, and zinnias still hang on, as do some overlooked cherry tomatoes. I plucked infant "Giant Italian" green peppers from the plants, chopped and froze them. Then, I picked bowlfuls of hard green tomatoes which slowly ripen on the kitchen counter. Each one is a memory of a warmer season past.
October is over. Welcome, November.
Now, the leaves flame into color, then drift through the cold air like confetti in brisk winds.
Maple (Acer sp.), The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Now, the late prairie wildflowers transform to seed or are plundered by birds.
Searls Park Prairie, Rockford, IL.
Grasses, nibbled and worn by weather and wind, sprinkle their progeny on the prairie soil.
Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
It's all about the seeds.
Stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum), Searls Park Prairie, Rockford, IL.
And will be, until fire touches the dry grass and wildflowers. Months away.
Prairie planting, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
In the mornings, I brew large carafes of coffee and sip slowly while reading the paper. The news is both encouraging—and disheartening. The pandemic seems to be winding down. Vaccines are widely available. And yet. As of November 1, more than 5 million have died from Covid-19. Who would have imagined this, just two years ago? Later, I pull out my journals and revisit those early days of March 2020, when the pandemic began. Wiping down groceries. Waving at our grandkids from the driveway. Counting how many rolls of toilet paper we had left. It's been a long haul.
Searls Park Prairie at the end of October, Rockford, IL.
Despite the grim news, I feel hopeful going into the winter of 2021. Much more optimistic than I've been since the pandemic's first days.
There was good news over breakfast. On Monday, November 1, Chicago-Rockford International Airport was to bulldoze the Bell Bowl Prairie. At the eleventh hour, thanks to the tireless work of many dedicated people, it received a stay of execution until March 1, 2022. Perhaps not the type of closure we hoped for. But a step in the right direction. You can read more here.
Chicago-Rockford International Airport, home to Bell Bowl Prairie, Rockford, IL.
Hope. Optimism.
It feels good to tap into those emotions again.
The prairie walks I take are a part of that optimism. They've kept my spirits up through the pandemic. Kept me in touch with the wonders that are always all around, no matter how grim the headlines.
Road to Searls Park Prairie, Rockford, IL.
I hope wherever you find yourself, you'll go for a walk today. Pause. Soak up whatever beauty you see.
Then, say a "thank you" for wonders, big and small. And "thank you" for a little good news.
The opening lines for today's post are from the poem "November" by Maggie Dietz is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her first book of poems, Perennial Fall, won the Jane Kenyon Award. Read more about Dietz here. She lives in New Hampshire.
Thank you to everyone who helped write letters, make phone calls, create art, music, and poetry, and give time to the Save Bell Bowl Prairie campaign. The prairie isn't safe yet, but there is hope for its future.
Winter Prairie Wonders: Discover the December Delights of the Tallgrass! Dec. 3 (Friday) 10-11:30 am (CST): Make yourself a cup of hot tea, snuggle under a warm afghan, and join prairie steward and writer Cindy Crosby virtually for this interactive online immersion into the tallgrass prairie in winter. See the aesthetic beauty of the snow-covered grasses and wildflowers in cold weather through colorful images of winter on the prairies. Follow animal tracks to see what creatures are out and about, and see how many you can identify. Learn how birds, pollinators, and mammals use winter prairie plants; the seeds for nourishment and the grasses and spent wildflowers for overwintering, protection, and cover. Then, listen as Cindy shares brief readings about the prairie in winter that will engage your creativity and nourish your soul. This is scheduled as a Zoom event through The Morton Arboretum. Register here.
Posted in November, Prairie Restoration, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged bee balm, bell bowl prairie, belmont prairie, belmont prairie nature preserve, Chicago-Rockford International Airport, downers grove, fall color, hiking, IL, Illinois, Illinois Nature Preserve, lisle, Maggie Dietz, maple, monarda, nature photography, nature writing, Pandemic, prairie, prairie grasses, Prairie programs online, rockford, Save Bell Bowl Prairie, Searls Park Prairie, seeds, stiff goldenrod, tallgrass prairie, tallgrass prairie wildflowers, The Morton Arboretum, The Poetry Foundation, transitions, walking, wild bergamot
Three Reasons to Hike the May Prairie
"…And life revives, and blossoms once again." —Emily Pauline Johnson
How can you describe the prairie in early May? So much is happening! New wildflowers open every minute. A different insect emerges. Bumblebees buzz. Rain falls. Strong winds ripple the new grass blades and foliage. A few dragonflies cruise by, sampling the warmer air and looking for love along the prairie streams and pond edges.
Common green darner (Anax junius), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2020)
The prairie is awake. So much jazz and motion and life! Here are three reasons to go for a hike on the prairies and prairie savannas this month and see what's unfolding.
Wild and Wonderful Wildflowers: The spring prairie wildflowers have arrived. Look around the savanna and the prairie edges, and you'll spot the prairie trillium. The deep wine petals are unmistakable.
Prairie trillium (Trillium recurvatum recurvatum), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, Il.
Maybe you learned this trillium by a different name, such as "wake robin" or "bloody butcher" or even "bloody noses" (as one of my friends tells me he called it as a child). By any name, it's one of the touchstones of spring. The dappled leaves are camouflage against deer, which eat the leaves and flowers. It's a common wildflower which occurs in every Illinois county.
It's tougher to spot the jack in the pulpit; sometimes pale green, sometimes reddish green. Can you find "Jack" under the spathe or hood (the "pulpit?")
Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
The 20th century modernist Georgia O'Keeffe created a series of six paintings based on this unusual plant, although she is better known for her work with flowers, animal skulls, skyscrapers, and the landscape of the American southwest. What a great way to immortalize this curious flower!
Not far away in the open sunshine, a single pussytoes plant reminds me of a bundle of Q-tips. It is striking when seen alone…
Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
…or in a small colony.
Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL (2020).
Such strange little flowers, with their feathery antenna-like "blooms!" Another white wildflower, Comandra umbellata, may not be as strange looking, but its common name "bastard toadflax" always gets the attention of my wildflower students.
Bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL (2020)
Bastard toadflax is the only plant in its genus, and it has a certain nostalgia for me. When I first began volunteering on the prairie more than two decades ago, I saw this tiny flower while I was bent over weeding. Puzzled, I asked Marj, an older volunteer, for the ID. She laughed. "Oh that!" Then she told me the name, and made me laugh. Marj is gone now, but I always think of her mentoring a newbie volunteer whenever the toadflax blooms.
Bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
These tiny wildflowers are just a hint of what's out there. And so much more is on the way!
2. Signs of Bird Life: Mornings in May are all about birdsong. In the dawn light, I wake to robins chattering their joy, looking forward to the hours ahead. The first oriole showed up at my backyard feeder this morning, and the juncos-–those somber yet jaunty northerly birds, cloaked in nun-like colors–have disappeared, doubtless to their breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada.
On the newly greening prairie, killdeer find the perfect nesting spots in the exposed gravel after the burn. Their signature calls are a soundtrack for any hike in May.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), College of DuPage Natural Areas, Russell Kirt Prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL. (2020)
Have you seen them? No? Seeing the killdeer and listening to its heart-tugging, high-pitched cry is reason enough to get outside on the prairie. There is something elemental; something primal, about this particular bird call that always makes me think "spring!"
Other birds leave clues to their presence. Some feathers are breathtakingly soft, subtle.
Unknown feather (perhaps red-tailed hawk? (Buteo jamaicensis)) or something big!), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
This feather is a startling shaft of bright color.
Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) feather, Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.
I leave the feathers where I find them, even as I wonder what stories they hold. Imagine a bird's-eye view of the life of the prairie. Supposedly, northern flickers may live up to nine years; red-tailed hawks may live up to 15 years in the wild. What glorious years those must be, spent so high in the sky!
3. The Fragrance of Spring Prairie: I don't wear perfume, but if you could bottle the smell of the prairie in May, it's a scent I'd gladly wear. The prairie in May smells like the drifts of wild blue phlox edging the savanna…
Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2019)
…a sweet scent, but not cloyingly so. Fresh. Light.
Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.(2017)
The fragrance of phlox mixes with the green chlorophyll scent of countless numbers of growing prairie plants and their cradle of damp earth. Inhale. That smell! It's life itself. Can you feel your heart expand? Do you feel your spirits suddenly lift?
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Cindy's backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
So much joy. You want to shout!
This is spring.
You are on the prairie.
Sunset, Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
Isn't it a wonder to be alive?
The opening quote is from a poem, "Fire-Flowers" by Emily Pauline Johnson (1861-1913), who also published under her Mohawk name Tekahionwake. Born on the Six Nations Reserve, Canada West, she was an artist, performer, and poet who authored three collections of poetry, including Flint and Feather (1912). Grateful thanks to Dan Haase who introduced me to this poet.
Join Cindy for a program or class this spring!
Spring Wildflowers of Prairies and Woodlands Online: Thursday, May 6, 6:30-8 p.m. Join Cindy for a virtual hike through the wildflowers of late spring! Hear how wildflowers inspire literature and folklore. Discover how people throughout history have used wildflowers as medicine, groceries, and love charms. Offered by The Morton Arboretum. Register here.
The Tallgrass Prairie: Illinois Original Garden Online: June 2, 7-8:30 p.m. Illinois' nickname is "The Prairie State." Listen to stories of the history of the tallgrass prairie and its amazing plants and creatures –-from blooms to butterflies to bison. Discover plants that work well in the home garden as you enjoy learning about Illinois' "landscape of home." Presented by Sag Moraine Native Plant Community. More information here.
Literary Gardens Online: June 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join master gardener and natural history writer Cindy Crosby for a fun look at gardens in literature and poetry. From Agatha Christie's mystery series, to Brother Cadfael's medieval herb garden, to Michael Pollan's garden in "Second Nature," to the "secret garden" beloved of children's literature, there are so many gardens that helped shape the books we love to read. Discover how gardens and garden imagery figure in the works of Mary Oliver, Henry Mitchell, Barbara Kingsolver, Lewis Carroll–and many more! See your garden with new eyes—and come away with a list of books you can't wait to explore. Registration through the Downers Grove Public Library coming soon here.
Plant A Backyard Prairie: Online, Wednesday, June 9 and Friday, June 11, 11am-12:30pm CST –Bring the prairie to your doorstep! Turn a corner of your home landscape into a pocket-size prairie. If you think prairie plants are too wild for a home garden, think again! You can create a beautiful planted area that welcomes pollinators and wildlife without raising your neighbors' eyebrows. In this online class, you will learn: how to select the right spot for your home prairie; which plants to select and their many benefits, for wildlife, and for you; creative ways to group plants for a pleasing look, and how to care for your prairie. Plus, you'll get loads of inspiration from beautiful photos and stories that will bring your backyard prairie to life before you even put a single plant in the ground. Offered through The Morton Arboretum. Register here.
Thanks to John Heneghan for his help with bird feather ID this week!
Posted in Prairie Steward, Spring on the Prairie, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged backyard prairie, bastard toadflax, belmont prairie nature preserve, bird feathers, college of dupage, college of dupage natural areas', common green darner dragonfly, Downers Grove Library, Emily Pauline Johnson, Fire-Flowers, Flint and Feather, Georgia O'Keeffe, Jack in the pulpit, killdeer, Literary Gardens, may, Nachusa Grasslands, Nature Conservancy Illinos, northern flicker, online prairie classes, poetry, prairie, prairie poetry, Prairie Steward, prairie sunset, prairie trillium, pussytoes, rattlesnake master, redtailed hawk, russell kirt prairie, Sag Moraine Native Plant Community, savanna, Six Nations Reserve, spring, spring wildflowers, sunset, tallgrass prairie, Tekhionwake, The Morton Arboretum, wild blue phlox, woodlands
The Prairie Skies in March
"Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them."–Aldo Leopold
High winds. First green growth. Warm sunny days, alternating with blustery snowstorms. It's migration season.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) and a sun halo over Cindy's backyard prairie this weekend.
This week, Jeff and I walk the Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois, a 10-acre remnant hemmed by homes, soccer fields, highways and railroad tracks.
More than 300 species of plants and animals are found here. We go to see what emerges in the warmer temperatures of mid-March. At a glance, the prairie looks much as it did all winter. No prescribed burn has touched it yet.
But look closely. The first weedy black mustard's emerald leaf florets lie flat against the prairie soil. An insect flies low and slow. Too quick for me to slap an ID on. Blue flag iris spears through the muddy waterway that winds through the dry grass and spent wildflowers. Signs of spring.
Blue flag iris (Iris virginica shrevei), Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL.
I browse online to find more about the prairie and encounter this on the Downers Grove Park District's site: "… in April of 1970, Alfred and Margaret Dupree presented a photograph of a rare prairie wildflower to an expert at the Morton Arboretum, as they were interested if it represented possible remnants of a native prairie. Upon inspection, it was found that the field had numerous native prairie species, and with the help of The Nature Conservancy, the owners were tracked down and the land was purchased. After officially becoming a part of the Park District, it was named an Illinois Nature Preserve in March, 1994." I love it that two people paid attention to this remnant—and took time to investigate. It makes me wonder what we'll see, if we look closely.
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL.
So much to discover under our feet. But today, the real action is over our heads. The clouds sail fast across the horizon.
A breeze ruffles my hair. The melancholy whistle and the clickity-clack, clickity-clack, clickity-clack of a nearby train fills the air. But there's another sound vying with the wind, train, and traffic noise. A high pitched babble. Look! There they are.
Riding on the winds above us are the sandhill cranes. Thousands and thousands of sandhills. Chasing a memory of somewhere north where they have urgent business to conduct. Each wave seems louder than the next. They are high—so high—in the sky.
Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2019)
The sun is merciless; so bright, we often lose them in its glare. The cranes wheel and pirouette; now flashes of silver overhead, now vanished.
All the obligatory words rise to my lips: Prehistoric. Ballet. Choreography. Dance. None seemed sufficient for this performance in the theater of the sky. The cranes assemble into a "V", then slip into a sloppy "S". Now they kettle, swirling and twirling. I'm reminded of my old "Mr. Doodleface" drawing board from childhood, where I dragged a magnet across black shavings to put hair and a beard on a picture of a man. The cranes seem like black shavings pulled through the sky in intricate patterns. Circles and lines and angles and scrawls. Changing from moment to moment. But always, that heart-breaking cry.
At home, I page through my field guides and bird books, then check online for more about cranes. I read that they are about four feet tall, the size of a first grader, with a wingspan of more than six feet.
Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), Fermilab Natural Areas, Batavia, IL (2019)
The newer scientific name since 2010 for sandhill cranes is Antigone canadensis. My birding guides, all a dozen years or more old, still have the previous genus name, Grus. The common name "sandhill" refers to this bird's stopover in the Nebraska Sandhills, a staging area for the birds.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis), Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area, Medaryville, IN (2016)
Sandhill cranes can be found in North America, all the way to the extremes of northeastern Siberia. Three subspecies live in Cuba, Mississippi, and Florida year-round, according to Cornell University. These cranes are omnivores, changing their diet based on what's available. Small amphibians, reptiles, and mammals may be on the menu one day; grains and plants the next.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis), Horicon Marsh, WI (2019)
The sandhills mate for life, or until one of the pair dies. Then, the remaining crane seeks a new partner.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis), Fermilab Natural Areas, Batavia, IL (2019)
Although gray, the sandhill crane has a rusty-colored wash on its feathers, caused by the bird rubbing itself with iron-rich mud. The birds have a distinctive scarlet patch on their foreheads.
Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), Green Lake, WI (2019)
The form of the crane is one of the first origami shapes many of us learned to make. According to a Japanese legend, if you make a thousand origami cranes the gods will grant you a wish. As I watch them fly over Belmont Prairie, it's easy to think of what to wish for in the coming year.
As we leave, I find a single bird feather, caught in the tallgrass.
Unknown feather, Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL.
A crane's? Probably not. But a reminder of the connection of birds to this prairie remnant.
Later that afternoon, we hang my hammock on the back porch and I swing there with a book, pausing each time to look as the cranes pass overhead.
Crane watching, Glen Ellyn, IL.
A sun halo appears.
Partial sun halo, Cindy's backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL.
Magical! How does anyone ever say they are bored when there are clouds, and cranes…and marvels all around us?
Sun halo, Cindy's backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL.
The thousands and thousands of sandhills migrating this weekend were barely ahead of Monday's winter storm.
Snowstorm, Cindy's backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
Snow powdered the prairie with fat flakes and turned our world to white.
Crocus (Crocus sp.) Cindy's backyard prairie planting, Glen Ellyn, IL.
I wonder if the cranes knew the storm was coming? Prescient sandhills. Smart birds.
Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) is best known for A Sand County Almanac, from which the quote that kicks off this post was taken. His book was published shortly after his death and has sold more than two million copies. If you visit New Mexico, you can drive through the miles of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness in the Gila National Forest, named for him in 1980. Driving it, you're aware of the solace of vast and empty spaces, and the importance of conservation. Find out more about Leopold here.
Join Cindy for an online class! See http://www.cindycrosby.com for a full list of upcoming talks and programs.
A Brief History of Trees in America Wednesday, April 28, 7-8 p.m. Sponsored by Friends of the Green Bay Trail and the Glencoe Public Library. From oaks to sugar maples to the American chestnut: trees changed the course of American history. Discover the roles of a few of our favorite trees in building our nation as you remember and celebrate the trees influential in your personal history and your garden. Registration here.
Virtual Wildflower Walks Online: Section A: Friday, April 9, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST Woodland Wildflowers, Section B: Thursday, May 6, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. CST Woodland and Prairie Wildflowers. Wander through the ever-changing array of blooms in our woodlands and prairies in this virtual walk. Learn how to identify spring wildflowers, and hear about their folklore. In April, the woodlands begin to blossom with ephemerals, and weeks later, the prairie joins in the fun! Each session will cover what's blooming in our local woodlands and prairies as the spring unfolds. Enjoy this fleeting spring pleasure, with new flowers revealing themselves each week. Register here.
Plant A Backyard Prairie: Online, Wednesday, June 9 and Friday, June 11, 11am-12:30pm. CST –Bring the prairie to your doorstep! Turn a corner of your home landscape into a pocket-size prairie. If you think prairie plants are too wild for a home garden, think again! You can create a beautiful planted area that welcomes pollinators and wildlife without raising your neighbors' eyebrows. In this online class, you will learn: how to select the right spot for your home prairie; which plants to select and their many benefits, for wildlife, and for you; creative ways to group plants for a pleasing look, and how to care for your prairie. Plus, you'll get loads of inspiration from beautiful photos and stories that will bring your backyard prairie to life before you even put a single plant in the ground. Register here.
Posted in migration, Prairie Restoration, sandhill cranes, Uncategorized
Tagged batavia, belmont prairie, belmont prairie nature preserve, bird migration, blue flag iris, clouds, downers grove, downers grove park district, Fermilab Natural Areas, Green Lake, hammock, Horicon Marsh, Illinois, Illinois Nature Preserve, indiana, Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, lisle, Medaryville, migration, nature photography, nature writing, online prairie ecology, pasture thistle, prairie blog, prairie remnant, prairie skies, Prairie Steward, Prairie Stewardship, Prairie Writing, rattlesnake master, sandhill cranes, schulenberg prairie, snow, sun halo, tallgrass prairie, The Morton Arboretum, weather, wisconsin
5 Reasons to Hike the February Prairie
"If you stand still long enough to observe carefully the things around you, you will find beauty, and you will know wonder." — N. Scott Momaday
Zero degrees. My backyard birdfeeders are mobbed.
White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), Cindy's backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
The squirrels take their share. I don't begrudge them a single sunflower seed this week.
Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), Cindy's backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
It's tempting to stay inside. Watch the snow globe world from behind the window. It's warmer that way. But February won't be here for long.
Let's pull on our coats. Wrap our scarves a little tighter. Snuggle into those Bernie Sanders-type mittens.
Ice and snow on unknown shrubs, West Side, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Need a extra push, during these polar vortex days? Consider these five reasons to get outside for a prairie hike this week.
Bundle up in February and marvel at the way snow highlights each tree, shrub and wildflower.
East Side prairie planting, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Enjoy how the snow drifts into blue shadows on the prairie, punctured by blackberry canes. A contrast of soft and sharp; staccato and legato; light and dark.
Snow drifts into wild blackberry canes (Rubus allegheniensis) Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Notice: Rather than being muzzled and smothered by snow, the prairie embraces it, then shapes it to its February tallgrass specifications.
Hidden Lake Forest Preserve prairie plantings, Forest Preserve of DuPage County, Downers Grove, IL. (2018)
Snow in February creates something wonder-worthy.
2. The restrained palette of February demands our attention. Ash and violet. Black and blue. A little red-gold. A bit of dark evergreen.
Prairie plants along the shore of Crabapple Lake, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
You'd think it would be monotonous. And yet. Each scene has its own particular loveliness.
Wetland with prairie plants, East Side, Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
We begin to question our previous need for bright colors…
Bee balm (Monarda fistulosa), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2018)
…as we embrace the simplicity of the season.
Road to Thelma Carpenter Prairie, Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL. (2016)
As we hike, there's a yearning for something we can't define. More daylight? Warmth? Or maybe, normalcy? Our personal routines and rhythms of the past 12 months have been completely reset. There's a sense of resignation. It's been a long winter. February reminds us we still have a ways to go. Keeping faith with our prairie hikes is one practice that grounds us and doesn't have to change. It's reassuring.
Possibly burdock (Artium minus), Lyman Woods, Downers Grove, IL.
3. In February, we admire the elusiveness of water. It's a changeling. One minute, liquid. The next—who knows?
Ice on Willoway Brook, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (2017)
Winter plays with water like a jigsaw puzzle.
Ice forms in Belmont Prairie's stream, Downers Grove, IL (2020)
February's streams look glacial.
Bridge over the DuPage River prairie plantings in February, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Snuggle into your parka and be glad you're hiking, not swimming.
4. If you are a minimalist, February is your season.
Everything is pared to essentials.
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) leaves, Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Many of the seeds are gone; stripped by mice, extracted by birds.
Gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL. (2018)
Everywhere around you are the remains of a prairie year that will soon end in flames.
Prescribed burn sign, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
What you see before you is the last whisper of what is, and was, and what will be remembered.
Hidden Lake in February. (2018)
Look closely. Don't forget.
5. In February, turn your eyes to the skies. What will you see? The marvel of a single red-tailed hawk, cruising over the tallgrass in the distance?
Prairie planting with red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis0, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
A sundog—that crazy play of sunlight with cirrus that happens best in the winter? Or a sun halo, blinding, dazzling?
Sun halo, Cindy's backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL. (2020)
Maybe it will be a full Snow Moon at the end of this month, setting sail across the sub-zero sky. Or a daylight crescent moon, scything the chill.
Crescent moon, Belmont Prairie, Downers Grove, IL. (2020)
What will you see? You won't know unless you go. Sure, it's bitter cold. But soon, February will only be a memory. What memories are you making now?
Coyote (Canis latrans) on the trail through the Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
The prairie is waiting.
N. Scott Momaday (1934-) is the author of Earth Keeper (2020), House Made of Dawn (1968, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Literature in 1969) and my favorite, The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969), a blend of folklore and memoir. Momaday is a member of the Kiowa tribe, a group of indigenous people of the Great Plains. Writer Terry Tempest Williams calls Earth Keeper "a prayer for continuity in these days of uncertainty."
Join Cindy in 2021 for an online class! See http://www.cindycrosby.com for a complete list of virtual offerings. Need a speaker? Email me through my website. All classes and programs with Cindy this winter and spring are offered online only. Join me from your computer anywhere in the world.
Begins Monday, February 8 (SOLD OUT) OR just added —February 15 (Two options): Tallgrass Prairie Ecology Online (Section A or B)--Digitally explore the intricacies of the tallgrass prairie landscape and learn how to restore these signature American ecosystems as you work through online curriculum. Look at the history of this unique type of grassland from the descent of glaciers over the Midwest millions of years ago, to the introduction of John Deere's famous plow, to where we are today. We will examine different types of prairie, explore the plant and animal communities of the prairie and discuss strategies specific to restoring prairies in this engaging online course. Come away with a better understanding of the tallgrass prairies, and key insights into how to restore their beauty. All curriculum is online, with an hour-long in-person group Zoom during the course. You have 60 days to complete the curriculum! Join me–Registration information here.
February 24, 7-8:30 p.m. CST: The Prairie in Art and Literature Online. The tallgrass prairie is usually thought of for its diverse community of plants, animals, and insects. Yet, it is also an inspiration for a creative community! In this interactive online talk, natural history author and prairie steward Cindy Crosby will explore historical and contemporary writers and artists, musicians, and other creatives working in the prairie genre: from Neil Young to Willa Cather to graphic comic artists, quilters, and jewelers expressing the prairie through their work. See the prairie in a new light! Come away inspired to appreciate and express your love of the tallgrass as you enjoy learning about this prairie "community." Offered by The Morton Arboretum: Register here.
Posted in prairie restoration, snow, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized
Tagged bee balm, belmont prairie, belmont prairie nature preserve, big bluestem, blackberry, coyote, Crabapple Lake, crescent moon, downers grove, DuPage River, February, forest preserve district of dupage county, fox squirrel, franklin grove, full moon, gray-headed coneflower, hidden lake forest preserve, hiking, ice, icestorm, Illinois, lisle, Nachusa Grasslands, nature, nature photography, nature writing, nature writing by women, nuthatch, prairie planting, prairie trail, prescribed burn, prescribed fire, red-tailed hawk, schulenberg prairie, Schulenberg Prairie Savanna, snow, Snowdrift, snowstorm, sun halo, sundog, tallgrass prairie, Tallgrass Prairie Ecology online, tallgrass prairie restoration, The Morton Arboretum, Thelma Carpenter Prairie, wetland, wild bergamot, willoway brook, woodpecker
January Prairie Dreamin'
"The bumblebee consults his blossoms and the gardener his catalogs, which blossom extravagantly at this season, luring him with their four-color fantasies of bloom and abundance." — Michael Pollan
This week is brought to you by the color gray.
Backyard pond, Glen Ellyn, IL.
January gray.
Prairie Cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL.
As I hike the prairie this week, I find myself humming "California Dreamin'"; —All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray… .
Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.
Gray is trendy. Pantone made "Ultimate Gray" one of its two "Colors of the Year" for 2021.
Even on a blue-sky prairie hike, the gray clouds aren't far away.
Pretty or not, all this gray is dampening my spirits. The seed suppliers know how those of us who love the natural world feel in January. And they are ready to supply the antidote.
2021 seed catalogs
Every day—or so it seems—a new seed catalog lands in my mailbox. Within its pages, anything seems achievable. After thumbing through Pinetree or Park or Prairie Moon Nursery, when I look at the backyard, I don't see reality anymore…
Kohlrabi and Kale, backyard garden, Glen Ellyn, IL.
… I see possibilities. This year, my raised vegetable beds, now buried under snow and ice, will overflow with beautiful produce. Spinach that doesn't bolt. Kale without holes shot-gunned into it from the ravages of the cabbage white butterflies. Squirrels will leave my tomatoes alone. No forlorn scarlet globes pulled off the vine and tossed aside after a single bite. I linger over the catalog pages, circle plant names, make lists, and dream.
As for my prairie patch! I have so many plans.
Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa), backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL.
This will be the year I find a place in my yard where prairie smoke thrives.
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum), Prairie Walk Pond and Dragonfly Landing, Lisle, IL.
Big bluestem, which has mysteriously disappeared over the years from my yard, will be seeded again and silhouette itself against the sky.
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Hinsdale Prairie, Hinsdale, IL.
The unpredictable cardinal flowers will show up in numbers unimaginable.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Nomia Meadows, Franklin Grove, IL.
I see the spent pods of my butterfly weed…
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL.
…and remember the half dozen expensive plants that were tried—and died—in various places in the yard until I found its happy place.
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) and Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.
Now it thrives. The monarch caterpillars show up by the dozens to munch on its leaves, just as I had hoped.
Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) caterpillar, backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.
As I walk the prairie trails, admiring the tallgrass in its winter garb, I plan the renovation of my backyard garden and prairie patch this spring. I dream big. I dream impractical.
And why not? Any dream seems possible during the first weeks of January.
The opening quote is by Michael Pollan (1955) from his first book, Second Nature: A Gardener's Education. Pollan is perhaps best known for The Omnivore's Dilemma and Botany of Desire but his debut is still my favorite. I read it every year.
Join Cindy in 2021 for an online class! See http://www.cindycrosby.com for a complete list of virtual offerings. All classes and programs with Cindy this winter and spring are offered online only. Join me from your computer anywhere in the world.
Begins This Week! January 14-February 4 (Four Thursdays) 6:30-8:30 pm CST Nature Writing II Online. Deepen your connection to nature and your writing skills in this intermediate online workshop from The Morton Arboretum. This interactive class is the next step for those who've completed the Nature Writing Workshop (N095), or for those with some foundational writing experience looking to further their expertise within a supportive community of fellow nature writers. Over the course of four live, online sessions, your instructor will present readings, lessons, writing assignments, and sharing opportunities. You'll have the chance to hear a variety of voices, styles, and techniques as you continue to develop your own unique style. Work on assignments between classes and share your work with classmates for constructive critiques that will strengthen your skill as a writer. Ask your questions, take risks, and explore in this fun and supportive, small-group environment. Register here.
February 24, 7-8:30 CST: The Prairie in Art and Literature Online. The tallgrass prairie is usually thought of for its diverse community of plants, animals, and insects. Yet, it is also an inspiration for a creative community! In this interactive online talk, natural history author and prairie steward Cindy Crosby will explore historical and contemporary writers and artists, musicians, and other creatives working in the prairie genre: from Neil Young to Willa Cather to graphic comic artists , quilters, and jewelers expressing the prairie through their work. See the prairie in a new light! Come away inspired to appreciate and express your love of the tallgrass as you enjoy learning about this prairie "community." Offered by The Morton Arboretum: Register here.
Posted in backyard prairie, belmont prairie, Seed Catalogs, Uncategorized
Tagged backyard pond, backyard prairie, bee balm, belmont prairie, belmont prairie nature preserve, big bluestem, butterflyweed, california dreamin', cardinal flower, downers grove, downers grove park district, glen ellyn, gray, hiking, Hinsdale, Hinsdale prairie, Illinois, January, lisle, lisle park district, mamas and the papas, master gardener, monarda, pantone ultimate gray, pearl crescent butterfly, pond, prairie cordgrass, prairie pond, prairie restoration, prairie smoke, prairie walk pond and dragonfly landing, raised bed gardening, schulenberg prairie, Seed Catalogs, tall coreopsis, The Morton Arboretum
Wishing You A Very Prairie Holiday
"The day greys, its light withdrawing from the winter sky till just the prairie's edge is luminous. Light, then dark, then light again. A year is done."—W.O. Mitchell
The Winter Solstice is past, and the daylight hours begin to lengthen. A new year is in sight.
It's quiet on the prairie. Peaceful.
The temperature flirts with warmth, but the wind is cold. I keep my scarf wrapped tight around my neck and my hands in my pockets. A sharp bite in the air hints at snow flurries. Maybe.
Hanukkah is ended, and Christmas is only a few days away. The prairie is decked out in festive array for the holidays. The silver of wild white indigo leaves.
The gold wash of grasses and spent wildflowers across a prairie remnant.
Broken Baptisia seedpods hang like cracked bells on brittle stems.
The seeds—which make the pods into delightful rattles—are long-gone; either noshed on by weevils or dropped to the receptive prairie soil.
Ribbons of grass play with the ice.
Pearled wild quinine seedheads ornament the tallgrass.
Wild grape vines wrap tall goldenrod stems.
As I hike past the stiff tutus of the pale purple coneflower seedheads, the soundtrack of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet begins to play in my mind.
It's a beautiful season on the prairie. A world full of wonders, waiting to be discovered.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all! May your week be filled with peace and joy.
The opening quote is from Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell. His novel has sold more than one million copies in Canada since its publication in 1947. The title is taken from a Christina Rossetti poem. Thanks to the many blog readers who wrote me, both publicly and privately, to recommend this book. A Canadian classic.
All photos taken at either the Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (BP) in Downers Grove, IL or the Schulenberg Prairie (SP) at The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, this week unless otherwise noted (top to bottom): sunrise at Hidden Lake Forest Preserve of DuPage County, Downers Grove, IL; bench on the Schulenberg Prairie; Schulenberg Prairie in winter (SP); cream wild indigo leaves (Baptisia bracteata) savanna edge, (SP); December on the Belmont Prairie; Belmont prairie mixed grasses and forbs (BP); white wild indigo pods (Baptisia alba) (SP); big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and ice (SP); wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) (BP); wild river grape vine (Vitis riparia) and tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) (SP); pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) BP.
Join Cindy in 2021 for an online class! See http://www.cindycrosby.com for a complete list of virtual offerings. All courses with Cindy this winter are offered online only.
January 14-February 4 (Four Thursdays) 6:30-8:30 pm CST Nature Writing II Online. Deepen your connection to nature and your writing skills in this intermediate online workshop from The Morton Arboretum. This interactive class is the next step for those who've completed the Nature Writing Workshop (N095), or for those with some foundational writing experience looking to further their expertise within a supportive community of fellow nature writers. Over the course of four live, online sessions, your instructor will present readings, lessons, writing assignments, and sharing opportunities. You'll have the chance to hear a variety of voices, styles, and techniques as you continue to develop your own unique style. Work on assignments between classes and share your work with classmates for constructive critiques that will strengthen your skill as a writer. Ask your questions, take risks, and explore in this fun and supportive, small-group environment.
February 24, 7-8:30 CST: The Prairie in Art and Literature Online. The tallgrass prairie is usually thought of for its diverse community of plants, animals, and insects. Yet, it is also an inspiration for a creative community! In this interactive online talk, natural history author and prairie steward Cindy Crosby will explore historical and contemporary writers and artists, musicians, and other creatives working in the prairie genre: from Neil Young to Willa Cather to graphic comic artists and jewelers expressing the prairie through their work. See the prairie in a new light! Come away inspired to appreciate and express your love of the tallgrass as you enjoy learning about this prairie "community." Offered by The Morton Arboretum: " Register here.
Posted in hiking, Prairie Restoration, Tallgrass, Uncategorized
Tagged belmont prairie nature preserve, big bluestem, cream wild indigo, downers grove, downers grove park district, ice, Illinois, lisle, Morton Arboretum, nature interpretation, nature photography, nature writing, pale purple coneflower, prairie, prairie restoration, savanna, schulenberg prairie, tall goldenrod, tallgrass prairie, white wild indigo, wild grapevine
A Prairie Fall Equinox
"It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!"—Winnie the Pooh
Happy autumnal equinox! It's the first day of astronomical fall. Daylight hours shorten. The air looks a little pixeled, a little grainy. Soon, we'll eat dinner in the dark, sleep, and rise in the mornings to more darkness. Some of us will embrace this change, in love with the season. Others will count the days until December 21, the winter solstice, to see the daylight hours lengthen again.
Wait, you might ask. Cindy—didn't you say it was the first day of fall back on September 1? Yes indeed, I did—the first day of meteorological fall! There are two ways of calculating when the seasons begin. Meteorological fall begins on the first of September each year. Astronomical fall begins on the fall equinox. Read more about the way scientists calculate the seasons here.
The knowledge that these warm days full of light are fleeting sends Jeff and me to hike Belmont Prairie in Downers Grove, Illinois. The parking lot is full, but the prairie is mostly empty. We love this prairie remnant for its solitude; its timeless grace in the midst of suburbia.
The prairie is dusty. Crisp. Once again, we need a good, steady rain, with none in the forecast for the next ten days. Overhead it's cloudless; a blank blue slate. I was scrolling through paint samples online this week, and came across the exact color of the sky: "Fond Farewell." Exactly.
Although the prairie is awash in golds, it won't be long until the flowers fade and the brightness dims. I remind myself to take joy in the moment.
Big bluestem, blighted by drought, still flashes its gorgeous colors. I love its jointed stems. No wonder it is Illinois' state grass!
The brushed silver joints are not the only silver on the prairie. Along the trail are the skeletal remains of plants, perhaps in the Brassica family. What species are they? I'm not sure. Whatever these were, they are now ghosts of their former selves.
Gold dominates.
The flowers of showy goldenrod are busy with pollinators, such as this paper wasp (below). The wasps don't have the smart publicity agents and good press of monarchs and bees, so are often overlooked as a positive presence in the garden.
Then again, if you've ever been chased by wasps as I have after disturbing a nest —and been painfully stung—you'll give them a respectful distance.
Tall coreopsis is almost finished for the season, but a few sunshiny blooms remain.
Sawtooth sunflowers, goldenrod, and tall boneset wash together in a celebration of autumn, now at crescendo.
So much yellow! Sumac splashes scarlet across the tallgrass, adding a dash of red. As a prairie steward on other tallgrass sites, I find this native sumac a nuisance. It stealthily infiltrates the prairie and displaces some of the other species I want to thrive. However, toward the end of September, I feel more generous of spirit. Who can resist those leaves, backlit by the low slant of sun, that echo a stained glass window?
The withering summer prairie blooms are now upstaged by the stars of autumn: asters in white and multiple hues of pink, lavender and violet. New England aster provides the best bang for the buck. That purple! It's a challenge to remember its updated scientific name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae. Try saying that three times quickly! A real tongue twister. I miss the simpler name, Aster novae-angliae. So easy to remember. But everything changes as science discovers more about the world. It's up to us to choose to listen, learn, and adapt rather than just doing what is easy.
The periwinkle hues of the smooth blue aster are unlike any other color on the prairie. I stop to caress its trademark smooth, cool leaves.
Every time I look closely at the asters, I see pollinators. And more pollinators. From little flying insects I can't identify to the ubiquitous cabbage white butterflies and bumblebees, heavy with pollen. And, yes—those ever-present wasps.
Delicate pale pink biennial gaura, with its own tiny pollinators, is easily overlooked, out-glitzed by the prairie's golds and purples, but worth discovering. Flies, like this one below stopping by the gaura, are also pollinators, but like the wasps they get little respect for the important work they do.
Soon, the glory of the prairie will be in scaffolding and bone: the structure of the plants, the diversity of shape. You can see the prairie begin its shift from bloom to seed, although blooms still predominate.
Breathe in. September is the fragrance of gray-headed coneflower seeds, crushed between your fingers.
September is the pungent thymol of wild bergamot, released by rubbing a leaf or a dry seedhead.
Inhale the prairie air; a mixture of old grass, wood smoke, with a crisp cold top note, even on a warm day. Chew on a mountain mint leaf, tough from the long season, and you'll get a zing of pleasure. Listen to the geese, honking their way across the sky, or the insects humming in the grass.
Then, find a milkweed pod cracked open, with its pappus —- silks—just waiting to be released. Go ahead. Pull out a few of these parachute seeds. Feel their softness. Imagine what one seed may do next season! I try to think like a milkweed seed. Take flight. Explore. Plant yourself in new places. Nourish monarch butterflies. Offer nectar to bumblebees. Lend beauty wherever you find yourself.
Close your eyes. Make a wish.
Now, release it to the wind.
The opening quote is from Pooh's Grand Adventure by A.A. Milne. Before he penned the popular children's book series about a bear named Winnie the Pooh, Milne was known as a playwright and wrote several mystery novels and poems.
All photos are from Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve in Downers Grove, IL, this week unless otherwise noted (top to bottom): bee or common drone fly (tough to tell apart) on panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum), author's backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL; Belmont Prairie sign; wildflowers and grasses in September; big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii); something from the Brassica family maybe? Genus and species unknown; Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis); and other goldenrods; dark paper wasp (Polistes fuscates) on showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa); tall coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris); wildflowers of Belmont Prairie in September; staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina); new england aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae); smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve); dark paper wasp (Polistes fuscates) on panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum), author's backyard prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL; biennial gaura (Gaura biennis); blazing star (Liatris sp.); gray-headed coneflower seedheads (Ratibida pinnata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (2019); bee balm (Monarda fistulosa), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL (2018); common mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum), Afton Prairie, DeKalb, IL (2017); butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).
Join Cindy for a class—or ask her to speak virtually for your organization this autumn!
"Nature Writing Online" begins Monday, October 5, through The Morton Arboretum. Want to commit to improving and fine-tuning your writing for six weeks? This is a great opportunity to jump start your blog, your book, or your journal writing while working online from home, supplemented with three evenings of live evening Zoom classes on alternate weeks. Class size is limited; register here.
Just released in June! Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural, and Personal History.
Order now from your favorite indie bookstore such as the Morton Arboretum Store and The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn, or online at bookshop.org, direct from Northwestern University Press (use coupon code NUP2020 for 25% off), or other book venues. Thank you for supporting small presses, bookstores, and writers during these unusual times.
Want more prairie? Follow Cindy on Facebook, Twitter (@phrelanzer) and Instagram (@phrelanzer). Or enjoy some virtual trips to the prairie through reading Tallgrass Conversations: In Search of the Prairie Spirit and The Tallgrass Prairie: An Introduction.
Posted in native plants, tallgrass prairie, Uncategorized, wildflowers
Tagged A.A. Milne, afton prairie, aster, autumn equinox, bee, bee balm, belmont prairie nature preserve, biennial gaura, big bluestem, blazing star, Brassica, butterfly milkweed, Chasing Dragonflies, common drone fly, common mountain mint, Cultural history, dark paper wasp, dekalb, downers grove, equinox, gaura, gray-headed coneflower, Illinois, liatris, lisle, Memoir, milkweed, mountain mint, native plants, Natural History, Nature Writing online, new england aster, Northwestenr University Press, online classes, panicled aster, Personal History, Pooh's Grand Adventure, schulenberg prairie, seeds, smooth blue aster, tall coreopsis, tallgrass prairie, The Morton Arboretum, wild bergamot, Winnie the Pooh


In writing my latest novel, The Point of the Spear, I clearly needed to bone up, so to speak, on my North American archaeology. I knew I wasn't writing a scholarly paper, and didn't need to be absolutely correct. But I did want to avoid gross, embarrassing mistakes.
The novel's premise is that an excavating crew comes upon some buried human remains that turn out to predate, by a lot, the earliest previously known human presence in eastern North America. This discovery ignites a huge, and eventually violent, controversy.
IOW, our study of the past is shaped by all of today's assumptions, resentments, biases and anger. Not a bad start.


The Association Jeanne Jugan (AJJ) is now accepting donations of saleable (gently-used or new) items for our annual Fall Bazaar. Last year, our "little family" of Little Sisters, Residents, AJJ members, employees and volunteers helped raised more than $10,000. With your help, we hope we can beat that goal.
Donations of baked goods accepted November 17 at 9 a.m.


found some old photos and letters my mum had rescued from our old house before it was demolished. here are a few that I love.
the postcard was written by daddy (my grandfather) to bua (my auntie) in 1958 when he was travelling, the letter was written by my great grand parents to mummy (my grandmother) after she married daddy and moved to India from Pakistan.
the last few photos are of mummy's best friend, shanta aunty. i remember her fondly, she had the coolest spectacles.
I'm still scanning but was keen to share so there's more to come.
Love it, Kangan! The crying photo is SO beautiful - goes to show that a blank grinning face is not always the best portrait by far!
I agree Miriam! I love these old photos. I'm so happy I found them. Somehow it doesn't matter that I don't know who some of the people in these photos are.


Establishing or improving paid leave policies is a trend among major companies these days. Just this week, a New York restaurant chain, Union Square Group, announced a new parental leave policy for all of its employees. And earlier this month, Deloitte announced a comprehensive family leave plan that recognizes the range of family care needs. Whether companies make these policy changes because it's the right thing to do or because they recognize paid leave as a way to compete and recruit and retain top talent, these advances are good news.
But new data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week illustrate how far we still have to go. Despite the flurry of policy changes among high-profile companies, advances at the state and local levels and heightened demand for paid family and medical leave among voters, elected officials and candidates, for the vast majority of people, more has stayed the same than has changed in the past two years.
According to the new data, just 13 percent of private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employers — a one percentage point increase since 2014 — and private sector workers' access to paid medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance is stuck at 40 percent. It's great that more workers have paid family leave, and that progress must continue. But it is unacceptable that 99 million private sector workers are still struggling without this basic protection.
16 percent of full-time workers, compared to 5 percent of part-time workers. Sixteen percent of full-time workers have paid family leave — an increase of one percentage point since 2015 — compared to an unchanged 5 percent of part-time workers.
23 percent of highest-paid workers, compared to 6 percent of lowest-paid workers. Six percent of the lowest-paid workers (those paid $11.64 or less per hour) have access to paid family leave, compared to 23 percent of the highest-paid workers — an increase of one percentage point each since 2015.
23 percent of workers at large businesses, compared to 9 percent of workers at smaller businesses. Nine percent of workers employed at businesses with fewer than 50 employees have access to paid family leave, compared to 23 percent of workers employed at businesses with 500 or more employees — an increase of one percentage point each since 2015.
22 percent of professional workers, compared to 7 percent of service workers. Twenty-two percent of those considered professional workers have paid family leave, compared to 19 percent in 2015. Access among service workers improved by one percentage point to just 7 percent.
More than 33 percent of those in the information and credit intermediation industries, compared to 6 percent of those in leisure and hospitality. The information and credit intermediation industries saw the biggest paid family leave gains since 2015 — from 30 percent to 33 percent and 31 percent to 34 percent, respectively. Access in the leisure and hospitality industry improved by one percentage point to just 6 percent.
18 percent of workers in the mid-Atlantic, compared to 9 percent of those in the East South Central. The mid-Atlantic region has the highest paid family leave access rate in the country, increasing from 15 percent in 2015 to 18 percent now. Access increased in the Mountain West from 10 to 14 percent and in the East South Central region from 6 to 9 percent. Access in the South Atlantic actually declined, from 14 to 12 percent.
It's clear we're a nation of haves and have-nots with regard to paid leave right now — and it's not getting better quickly enough to meet the needs of our nation's working people or the children and older adults who rely on them.
That's why we need a comprehensive, universal and affordable paid leave program like the one the federal Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act would create. Private sector initiatives alone will not be enough to reach all the workers who need paid leave, and neither will state or local action alone. A national paid family and medical leave program would ensure all workers have time off and some income when serious illness strikes or a new child arrives, and it would benefit businesses and boost our economy.
The new BLS data show that there is a significant nationwide need for paid family and medical leave, and polling shows that voters nationwide want action. By overwhelming margins, likely 2016 voters agree that Congress should pass a national law like the FAMILY Act. It's time — past time — for policymakers to listen and act.


text:
Q: Google Sheets - Auto Increment numbers based on a cell value I am currently trying to make number increment based on a cell value
For example, if the cell value is 5, then a number increment should appear shows in row by row as
1
2
3
4
5

Anyone has ideas on how to do this?

A: You need SEQUENCE() function. Try-
=SEQUENCE(B1)

Reference:

*

*SEQUENCE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What determines muscle growth? As I tell you in the new book Potential, muscle hypertrophy (increase in the volume of muscle tissues) is dependent on many growth factors.... If you compete in martial arts or any of the combat sports, then getting stronger while still being able to make your weight class is important. Learn how to get strong without getting big.
Strong finger muscles also can help for people with arthritis or other debilitating conditions that affect their hands. People who have had hand surgery or finger-joint replacement also need to incorporate exercises into their rehabilitation routines, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Typists and guitar players benefit from strong fingers, too.... More and more men seem to be increasingly concerned with the idea of having strong and well defined muscles. But a healthy muscle doesn't involve only going to the gym, but also a proper nutrition and an attentive care of what you eat.
If you compete in martial arts or any of the combat sports, then getting stronger while still being able to make your weight class is important. Learn how to get strong without getting big. trove how to get stronger If you want to know how to get strong while keeping your 6-pack - well, let's just say it's hard enough for the average Joe to get a six pack. If staying lean is a primary goal, I suggest sticking with more of a bodybuilding style training and diet approach.
So it can get quite confusing when it comes to setting goals and/or placing emphasis when it comes to the issue of strong abdominals. It's common to find abdominal training programs building themselves around dynamic muscle actions (concentric and eccentric muscle actions).


I left Bloomington (read that enlisted in the Air Force) in 1973 and "came back" in 1998 (read that retired from the Air Force).
In between, I married, raised two GREAT kids, became single...bought a 250/270cc Micro in Idaho and raced there a while. Moving back to Indiana I tried to race at Bakersfield Raceway in Linton Indiana with the it....then they (250cc) were GONE!. To keep pace with the changes I looked around for a 600 machine to race.
I will NOT become the next great "whoever"...BUT would NOT mind becoming the OLDEST ROOKIE in USAC!


text:
Сом Солдатова () — вид крупных бесчешуйчатых лучепёрых рыб семейства сомовых (Siluridae). Назван в честь русского ихтиолога Владимира Константиновича Солдатова, который в 1907—1913 гг. работал в составе научной экспедиции в пойме реки Амур, изучая биологию проходных лососевых и осетровых рыб.

Описание
Пресноводная рыба, достигает в длину 4 м и веса 40 кг. Основу рациона составляют рыбы: карась, сазан, конёк, амурская щука и другие, иногда заглатывает водоплавающих птиц. На охоту выходит преимущественно ночью. Осенью уходит на более глубокие участки водоёмов, где ведёт малоподвижный образ жизни. Зимой не питается. Живёт более 30 лет.

Размеры и окраска тела схожи с таковыми у европейского сома. Спина и бока сома — коричнево-серые, с тёмными расплывчатыми разводами. Брюшко в большинстве случаев светлое.

Встречается в бассейне реки Амур, в реке Уссури и озере Ханка.

Созревает на четвёртом году жизни, нерестится в прибрежных зарослях с середины июня по июль. Икра откладывается на растительность, где сом Солдатова строит нечто вроде гнезда.

Ввиду сокращающейся численности сома с 1981 года запрещен промысел этих рыб в российской части Амура.
Сом Солдатова занесён в Красную книгу России. В 2014 году Московский монетный двор выпустил в серии «Красная книга» памятную монету номиналом 2 рубля с изображением сома Солдатова общим тиражом 5000 экземпляров.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Позвоночные животные России: сом Солдатова.

Сомовые
Рыбы Азии
Животные, описанные в 1948 году
Пресноводные рыбы
Солдатов
Культивируемые рыбы

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Nanaimo RCMP are asking if members of the public can help identify a suspect who broke into suites while seniors slept at about 4 a.m. on June 8. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Masked man breaks into suites at B.C. seniors' home
Nanaimo RCMP are asking if members of the public can help identify the suspect
Nanaimo News Staff
A masked man broke entered a seniors' care facility on Vancouver Island in the middle of the night last week.
Nanaimo RCMP are asking if members of the public can help identify a suspect who broke into suites while seniors slept at about 4 a.m. on June 8.
"The exact location of the care facility and the name of the facility is not being released for privacy and safety reasons," noted an RCMP press release, adding that the building is located in central Nanaimo.
A resident of the care home reported that someone had rummaged through her belongings during the night. Police say it's unknown exactly what was taken, but a small amount of inexpensive jewelry might have been stolen.
"From video surveillance obtained a masked suspect could be seen attempting to enter the building through the front doors. Entry was not gained as the interior doors were locked," the release noted. "From there the suspect broke into several vehicles in the parking lot, and then gained access to the suites by climbing through unlocked ground level windows."
The suspect was wearing a dark-coloured hoodie and a balaclava during the incident. His left hand was in a cast and his pinky and ring fingers were wrapped in a bandage.
According to the release, the care facility is reviewing its security.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or submitting a tip online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.
VIDEO: Island shopping cart stunt goes viral
Arrests made in 2010 'mistaken identity' shooting deaths

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and made the best of the sun! It was fantastic to see so many faces enjoying our Summer Fete, which is the biggest family event of the year.
The amount raised this year is in excess of £6000. This is a staggering amount, that will go towards ensuring the children continue to get as many opportunities as they possibly can in the coming school year!
The continued support for the school drives its close community spirit. As always, the Summer Fete concludes our events calendar for this school year, but we are already looking at a host of potential new events for the next school year, as well as reviving some much loved classics.
The SPA are always looking for new members and would like you to invite all parents to attend our AGM in September. If anyone has an interest in joining this is a perfect opportunity to come along and find out what we get up to. If you don't want to wait that long then feel free to grab any of us for a chat.