June Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the June 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:

1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).

2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”

3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.

Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!

Reserve your spot for FNA Discovery Day!

On July 14th, FNA will be leading four special guided tours of Fermilab's natural areas at our first Discovery Day event. Visitors will have an opportunity to visit sites that are normally not accessible to the public! Festivities will begin at the Kuhn Barn in the Fermilab Village where visitors can chat with FNA ecological regional partners such as The Conservation Foundation before beginning a bus & walking tour of some of our off-the-beaten-track natural areas. Tours will require walking outside on uneven terrain so please wear closed-toed shoes. We also recommend long pants, sunscreen and your favorite insect repellant! At each stop, two expert volunteer guides will be provide information on current restoration efforts as well as site history, flora and fauna. This will be the perfect opportunity to ask everything you always wanted to know about our natural spaces, and learn about becoming a site volunteer.

The tours will visit four of Fermilab’s premier ecological locations: award winning Nepese Marsh where our site steward will cover its history and point out some current residents; no tour of our natural areas would be complete without a stop at our Main Ring Savanna; the tour at Indian Creek Woods will give you an opportunity to explore our wetland mitigation site and see how (with a little help!) nature is thriving where there was once a major construction project; the final stop will delight any plant or butterfly lovers as we introduce you to the diversity of Big Woods North. Lunch and other merchandise will be available for purchase at the Kuhn Barn. Email us at fermilabnaturalareas+discoveryday@gmail.com to reserve your spot at Discovery Day – just let us know how many attendees will be attending with you!

FNA May/June Newsletter

Catch up on the latest news from Fermilab Natural Areas. We've included a recap of our unusual burn season, a preview of this summer's signature event, Discovery Day, and an overview of the FNA Stewardship Program.

May Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the May 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:

1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).

2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”

3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.

Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!

April Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the April 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:

1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).

2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”

3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.

Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!

Early Spring

Fermilab employee & FNA member Gordon Koizumi captured these photos of our early spring!

bloodroot & spider, 21 March 2012

Fermilab woods, 21 March 2012

great blue heron, 20 March 2012

hepatica, 21 March 2012

tree flowers, 21 March 2012

Warm Weather and Butterfly Populations

from Fermilab Today, 19 March 2012:

Spring doesn't officially begin until Tuesday, but we've been enjoying spring-like weather for weeks. Could there be any possible downside to this? Maybe.


Human beings are not particularly sensitive to subtle changes in our environments because we are highly buffered from their effects. If the temperature changes, we can just turn the heat or air conditioning up or down and go about our business. But some species of animals are very susceptible to small changes in their surroundings.

A recent Science360 article reports that this early spring is hurting the Mormon Fritillary butterfly in the Rocky Mountains. Warmer weather has led to earlier than normal snowmelt in the mountains, which decreases the number of nectar sources for the butterflies, resulting in females laying fewer eggs. If the snow cover disappears early again, the overwintering larvae will be exposed to potentially deadly frosts.

These cascades of cause and effect are central to understanding the science of ecology. The complex interactions between climate, weather, butterfly and flower populations have evolved over time to rely on precise timing of events, and when that timing is disturbed, unexpected consequences can multiply.

In the insect world, butterflies are very sensitive to environmental factors, and although we don't have Mormon Fritillaries locally, we do have many species of butterflies. At Fermilab, about 54 species have been observed. Becoming familiar with them and learning to pay attention to them can make us more aware of the subtle design in the environment around us. You can also use your butterfly identifying skills to help naturalists track the health and migration species populations.

If you are interested in learning about local butterflies and helping track their health, consider attending the butterfly monitoring workshops led by Fermilab's Tom Peterson. The free workshops are sponsored by Fermilab Natural Areas and the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network. The beginner's class is from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 5, and the intermediate class is from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 2.

—Rod Walton, Fermilab ecologist (and FNA President)

CANCELLED: Monday workday 3/12; Rescheduled for Tues, 3/13

Due to inclement weather this afternoon, Monday's workday will be cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13, 2012.

From 1-3 PM, we'll spend time cutting invasive brush, working as part of a larger brush removal effort in one of Fermilab's premier savanna restoration sites. This is a very neat area and could use our help. Please join us.

Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Upcoming Work Days

Fermilab Natural Areas will NOT be hosting a seed spreading event Friday, March 9th. The Roads & Grounds crew is ready for spring burn season and they are hoping to get started. As different prairie plots and woodlands receive prescribed fire treatments, we may spread seed the following Friday. We will send a message in advance. Until then, join us next Monday for brush cutting and enjoy the emerging spring! Yesterday we heard our first chorus frogs and saw an active snake!

Join us Monday, March 12th, from 1-3 PM for an afternoon cutting invasive brush. We will be working as part of a larger brush removal effort in one of Fermilab's premier savanna restoration sites. This is a very neat area and could use our help. Please join us.

Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Thanks last week to Lori, Bob, Sue, MaryJo, Jacques, Bob, Evalyn, Marlene, Denis, and Larry! Ten volunteers helped clear honeysuckle and buckthorn from the new stewards woodland. What work we accomplished and fun we had in two hours! Thank you!

Photo:  seed spreading event, Februrary 3, 2012

March/April Newsletter published!

Read the latest FNA newsletter for information about last month's annual meeting, plans for next month's Arbor Day tree planting and lots of bird news.  Also, we've included ideas about how you can get more involved with Fermilab Natural Areas, including butterfly monitoring training, rain barrel assembly or becoming a volunteer steward.  

Butterfly Monitoring Classes at Fermilab

Tom Peterson, Fermilab engineer and resident butterfly expert, will be leading two butterfly monitoring classes at Fermilab this spring.   

• Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Fermilab. A beginners' butterfly monitoring and identification class.
• Saturday, June 2, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Fermilab. An intermediate-level butterfly monitoring and identification class.

Although these classes are intended for people who may be interested in becoming, or already are, members of the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, visitors are also welcome! The beginner class spends about 45 minutes covering when, where, how, and why we monitor butterflies in the Chicago region. The rest of the class is devoted to viewing photographs of the 20 or so most common local butterflies, discussing their habits, and how to identify them.

 

The intermediate level class follows a similar pattern. However, more time is spent reviewing butterfly identifications with emphasis on some of the more difficult butterflies to identify.

 

Both classes will be in Wilson Hall, the main high-rise building at Fermilab, conference room 1 North, which is on the west side of the main atrium. People may drive in from either Kirk Road via the Pine Street entrance or from Rt. 59 via Batavia Road. Parking is available around Wilson Hall. Walk in the main entrance to Wilson Hall; the room is about half way through the atrium, on the right.  Registration is helpful, though not required.

 

March Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the March 2012 calendar pictured below onto your computer:

1. Click the image above to open in a new browser window (or tab).

2. Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set Picture as", (or similar words; the exact wording will depend on your internet browser) and save to your desktop. On your desktop, right click “Properties” and select the “Desktop” tab. Click “Browse” and navigate to the saved image on your desktop. Select it & click “Open.” On the “Display Properties” dialogue box, click “OK.”

3. If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; or on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.

Many thanks to our photo contributors for their efforts!

Invasives Workday, Monday 2/27

Please join us Monday, February 27th, from 1-3 PM for an afternoon cutting invasive brush. We will be working in a neat area on the north side of Morgan's Woods. Wood ducks, rare orchids, and the county's last bobcat are all part of this small, but rich woodland and its history!


Training, tools, ecology tips, and safety gear will be provided. Meet us on the west side of Fermilab in the parking lot of the Lederman Science Center. Dress for the weather. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Last week we worked in Big Woods South and had 4 great volunteers cut honeysuckle! Thank you to Marlene, Rob, Bob, and Denis.

Main Ring Savanna Restoration

from Fermilab Today, February 13, 2012:

The highly endangered oak savanna was once one of the most common vegetation types in the Midwest. But during the surge of settlement in the 1840s the savanna gave way to the plow, and now less than one percent of Illinois' original savanna remains.


Thanks to a grant from The DuPage Community Foundation, one of those remnants, located in the center of the Main Ring, will be restored.

In December, the foundation awarded $7,500 to Fermilab Natural Areas to begin restoration of this 35-acre oak savanna.

The multi-phase restoration effort planned to start this winter will include removing invasive species of trees and shrubs, burning of selective areas, enriching of flora and a monitoring of the ecosystem. Typical savannas are very open woodlands, with less than 50 percent canopy cover, and diverse forb communities growing in the understory. Years of neglect have allowed the proliferation of many invasive tree species, such as cottonwood, ash and cherry. Also present are non-native plant species such as European buckthorn, multi-flora rose and honeysuckle.

Fermilab's record as an environmental steward is excellent, and includes the restoration of thousands of acres of prairies, woodlands and wetlands. This restoration would not be possible without the supplemental funding from organizations such as the DuPage Community Foundation. Since the initial grant was received, the Wiest Foundation, located in Naperville, Illinois, has donated an additional $2,000, and Davey Tree Service in West Chicago has agreed to donate a work crew to get the project started.

For more information on the project, email Fermilab Natural Areas or call 630-840-4845.

—Rod Walton, Fermilab ecologist