Season's End: A Sunny & Blue-Sky Harvest

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday for the final volunteer prairie harvest of the 2010 season.   As part of our lunch festivities, Pier Oddone, Fermilab Director, presented recognition awards to long-time volunteers Ruthanne Baird and Keith Olson.

FNA news in Fermilab Today

Fermilab Today published an article about FNA and the prairie restoration effort at Fermilab. 

Prairie Harvest, October 30

The last prairie harvest of the season will be held on Saturday, October 30, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  More information is available online.  We're planning to collect the following species:  Rattlesnake Master, Foxglove Beard Tongue, Tall Coreopsis, New England Aster, Heath Aster, Round-Headed Bush Clover, Culver's Root, Cord Grass, Sneezeweed, Early Goldenrod, Stiff Gentian, Cream Gentian.

Saturday's forecast currently calls for partly sunny and breezy, with a high around 57.  Come out and join us!

A Blustery Harvest

Strong winds tested, but did not deter, the volunteers who came out for the first prairie harvest of the 2010 season.  On Saturday, October 2, school groups, Cub scouts and other steadfast volunteers collected species such as cord grass, cream gentians, culver's root, grey goldenrod, nodding wild onion, obediant plant, prairie sunflower, rattlesnake master, round-headed bush clover, sneezeweed, spotted joe-pye weed, swamp betony, sweet black-eyed susan, and wild quinine.  Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Habitat Restoration Cancelled

The habitat restoration scheduled for October 16 has been cancelled.  If you have any questions, please contact Fermilab Natural Areas at fermilabnaturalareas@gmail.com.

Volunteer Prairie Seed Harvest

Saturday October 2nd and
Saturday October 30th, 2010
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

September/October Newsletter Published

The FNA September/October newsletter is published and available online.  If you are interested being added to our mailing list, please send email to FNA.





Main Ring Prairie

Fermilab employee Joseph Pygott made a trip into the Main Ring recently and shared some of his photos with FNA:

Butterfly Walk this Week

The bugs are bad, but it is always fun to be among butterflies!  Tom Peterson will lead a Butterfly Walk at noon this Thursday, August 26, at Fermilab's Interpretive Trail.  Participants are encouraged to wear mosquito repellent and/or long pants and sleeves.

All are welcome. Tom indicates that many butterflies are still out, including some typically more southern ones such as Fiery Skipper, pictured above.

Find more information about butterflies on Tom's web page.

photo credit:  Tom Peterson

Turtles in the Land of Accelerators

Blandings Turtle, photo credit:  www.petinfospot.com 

In addition to serving as the summer invasive weed crew, Mike Beck & Kevin Sheehan also performed a turtle survey to verify whether the Blanding’s turtle was still a resident of the Fermilab site and to assess the diversity and health of the turtle populations on site.


Regionally, Blanding’s Turtles, a state threatened species, are suffering due to loss of habitat and other disturbances. More information: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=111615

Three types of traps were set at 7 different locations around the Fermilab site, each for one week.

Kevin & Mike, setting a trap

In total, 48 turtles were caught, including 21 snapping turtles, 25 painted turtles and 2 red-eared sliders. Of the snapping turtles, there were 7 females and 13 males, with an average size of 12.11 inches. Four of the painted turtles were too young to identify whether male or female. Of the rest, there were six females and 15 males. The average size of all of the painted turtles was 5.28 inches. Both of the red-eared turtle captures were females, with an average size of 7.88 inches. While not trapped, a spiny softshell turtle was also identified on site.
 
 

Kevin & a young painted turtle

 
Overall results of the survey indicate that the Fermilab turtle populations are healthy, with few injuries or parasites, particularly since male and females were caught, as well as a variety of age groups.
 
 

Mike and a snapping turtle

The lack of Blanding’s may be attributable to changing ecosystems: including drainage of the marsh where it was previously identified, young ponds and frequent construction on the Fermilab site. In addition, while Blanding’s Turtles can live long lives (up to 80 years), sexual maturity doesn’t occur until around 16 years, leaving plenty of time for predators, including cars, to challenge the turtles’ longevity.

Trap full of young painted turtles

Mike and Kevin suggest improved habitats may help attract non-pioneer species, including the Blanding’s, Map and Stinkpot turtles.

Thanks for your work -- and the interesting results!

Habitat Restoration

This Saturday, August 21, Habitat Workday volunteers will gather to remove invasives and perform other tasks to help maintain Fermilab's natural areas.  Volunteers meet at the Lederman Science Center, (see map) at 9:00 a.m. Doughnuts and coffee will be served. The group will then work on different areas around the site that need attention until noon.

Last month, Barb Kristen and John Cooper worked to remove buckthorn and autumn olives from various areas in the Village.

Visiting the Great Western Prairie

from Ryan Campbell:  

The Fermilab ecological restoration seasonal workers and summer employees recently visited another prairie remnant within the Chicagoland area. We met with the site steward, Keith Olson (who also happens to be a Fermilab Prairie Harvest volunteer since the late 1970's) of the Elmhurst Great Western Prairie. Keith explained the formation, preservation, history, and community involvement of the small, 8 block strip of remnant next to an abandoned railroad line. We saw many excellent native prairie plants like Sullivant's milkweed, compass plant, blue-eyed grass, flowering spurge, lead plant, and prairie blazing star. The city of Elmhurst is supportive of this attractive, downtown prairie which makes quite the artistic accent to the Illinois Prairie Path. It was a great chance to visit a dedicated Fermi volunteer and see another example of what prairie is and how it is managed.

Calling on a Neighbor

from Mike Beck & the summer crew:  

On July 9 2010, the new weed control workers consisting of Kevin Sheehan and Mike Beck along with the prairie crew, Julie Allen & Jessica Meyers, took an off-site excursion to Schulenberg Prairie within the Morton Arboretum.

Upon arrival we were in awe at the unique and vast prairie that is so different then Fermilab’s. As we transversed the Schulenberg Prairie, we particularly noticed the diversity of the prairie. Plants that are rare to Fermilab’s prairie are common in the Schulenberg Prairie, including Cream Wild Indigo (Baptisia leucophaea) and Prairie Dropseed (Sorobolus heterolepis). Also, it was interesting to see how different species dominate different prairies.  For example, Fermilab has large amounts of Compass Plant and Prairie Dock, whereas the Schulenberg Prairie is dominated by Prairie Clover.

Overall, the trip to the Schulenberg Prairie at the Morton Arboretum was very beneficial to understanding and appreciation of the diversity of prairies found throughout Illinois, all the while showing us the impact that a restoration can have to the landscape.

Chase the Moon - Volunteer Opportunity

For those of you who are not riding in The Conservation Foundation's Chase the Moon bike ride during the early morning of August 1st, please consider providing volunteer support for riders on the Fermilab site.

A number of volunteers are needed to help direct riders around the Fermilab site.  Please contact fermilabnaturalareas@gmail.com if you are interested.

photo courtesy:  The Dream Sky, Flickr

Summer Blooms

At noon tomorrow, July 21, Ryan Campbell will lead a walk into the summer prairie. Meet at the Margaret Pearson Interpretive Trail parking lot.  There will be ample opportunities for discussion on prairies and plants and everything else as we make the short hike. Join us!

Photo credit:  Fermilab Visual Media Services,

Monarda Fistulosa, Wild Bergamot

Butterfly Walk Report

At least a dozen people turned out for the afternoon butterfly walk on July 1. Tom Peterson showed the group the Gray Comma, a Pearl Crescent, a Cabbage White, a Clouded Sulphur, a Dusky Wing Skipper, and a Banded Hairstreak. The late afternoon sun was hot and the green of the prairie glowed as the group was distracted by plants, kids catching bugs, stories and conversations, as well as butterflies.

Please join us for the upcoming butterfly walks on August 12 and August 26!

Field Trip: Indian Boundary Prairies

from our summer restoration folk:

On Friday, June 25th, five of us, Ryan Campbell, Julie Allen, Jessica Meyers, Kevin Sheehan and Mike Beck, went to visit remnant prairies in Markham, Illinois.  Referred to as the Indian Boundary Prairies or Gensberg-Markham, the lands are owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy, Northeastern Illinois University and the Natural Land Institute. Two of the stewards shared some history as well as their current management efforts. This was an excellent opportunity for us to see what a restored remnant prairie looks like, and to compare and contrast it to our prairies at Fermilab.

With their permission, we collected Wild Onion, Prairie Panic Grass, and some different carex species. We were all surprised by the extremely high level of plant diversity, which caused average plant height to be much shorter than we see at Fermilab. The most exciting point of the day was when we came across a federally endangered White Fringed Orchid (pictured above), just finishing its bloom. The manager and naturalist of the site Ron Panzer was not surprised: “We got tons of them,” he said.  In addition, the site is known for its insect diversity, such as the Aphrodite butterfly. The prairie is open to the public and well worth the visit.  More information is available online.

photo courtesy:  Julie Allen

Tonight: Summer Sunset

At sunset tonight turn your gaze west, over the prairie at Fermilab. Ryan Campbell will be hosting a walking tour of our grassland restorations for those wanting an experience once familiar to this land and now recreated. Expect to see such beautiful prairie forbs as Culver's Root, Pale Purple Coneflower, Wild Bergamot, and Rattlesnake Master. Listen to the sounds of the of birds and insects, talk with others about prairie, and smell the cool breeze on this magnificent and rare tallgrass prairie landscape.

photo courtesy:  www.illinoiswildflowers.info

July/August Newsletter Published

The latest edition of the Fermilab Natural Areas newsletter is online! With the next two months packed full of events and activities to get involved with -- butterfly walks, sunset on the prairie walks, habitat restoration volunteer days and more, now is the time to get outside!  Venture into the prairie, hike the trails and see what is blooming.

Please note:  for those of you who receive the newsletter via email, the butterfly walk on at noon August 26 was omitted.  The August 12 walk begins at 4:30 p.m.

If you'd like to be added to the FNA email list, please contact us at fermilabnaturalareas@gmail.com.

photo courtesy:  Fermilab Roads & Grounds

On Two Wheels

While it may be difficult to fully appreciate Fermilab's natural areas in the wee hours of the morning, participants in The Conservation Foundation's Chase the Moon bicycle ride will have a wonderful opportunity to try!  After a pre-party starting at 10 p.m. on July 31 at Marmion Academy, riders will begin riding at 12:01 a.m. August 1 and head toward Fermilab.  The 25-mile route will offer early-out options for more recreational riders.  Following a ride through Fermilab, bicyclists will return to Marmion for breakfast.

All proceeds benefit The Conservation Foundation, a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving open space and cleaning up rivers and streams in northeastern Illinois.

For registration and additional information, go to http://www.chasethemoon.com/.

Photo courtesy:  Ryan Campbell

Butterfly Walks

Tom Peterson, Fermilab's butterfly expert, is planning to host a number of butterfly walks this summer, including one on Thursday, June 24, beginning at noon.  All walks will begin at the trailhead to the Interpretive trail at outbound Pine Street at Fermilab.  Check the "Upcoming Events" section of the blog for future dates & times.  Remember to be prepared for heat, mud, and/or mosquitoes. Walks will last about 45 minutes.

photo courtesy:  Tom Peterson, Red Admiral

Summer Plans for the Betz intern

FNA's 2010 Robert F. Betz intern Jessica Meyers started working in late May and many tasks await, including a large variety of scientific and "on the ground" ecological restoration work. Several small studies will be implemented with Fermilab's consulting ecologist, Ryan Campbell, including determining best control of non-native brome grass in the bison savanna restoration, baseline tree density and herbaceous species composition in the Site 29 woodland, and collecting seed for the seed rate study.

Jessica's own research ideas are also be considered. Collection of native plant seed, learning to identify invasive, non-native plants, working with Fermilab's bird and butterfly monitors, and helping volunteers with aquatic surveys and other projects are part of the experience. We'll post blog updates from our 2010 Robert F. Betz intern in early summer.

Photo courtesy:  Fermilab Visual Media Services, August 2009,
Baltimore Checkerspot release at Fermilab

The Plan for Fighting Invasives

from Ryan Campbell, Consulting Restoration Ecologist, Fermilab:

This summer at Fermilab, we are anxious to start a new summer weed management program. Two interns are helping to control invasive species in the natural areas of Fermilab. In the past, we have been able to control some invasive plants (Teasel, Purple Loosestrife, Giant Reed Grass) but have never had the resources for others (White and Yellow Sweet Clover, Spotted Knapweed, Crown Vetch, Reed Canary Grass). The internships were specifically funded to target the control of these nasty exotics which outcompete native plants and lower plant and ecosystem diversity.

FNA has a grant application in process to help fund this work.

photo courtesy:  http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info

New plants found at Fermilab

In this day and age, it is likely that any new plant found in a given area would be unwanted. Usually, new plants means aggressive, exotic (not native to northern Illinois or even North America) and it should be controlled by whatever means necessary before spreading all over. However, in the first week of work, Fermilab's consulting restoration ecologist, Ryan Campbell, found two desirable, rare, native species.

The first, Woodland Bluegrass (Poa sylvestris) has never been documented in the years of woodland surveys. Two reasons are possible. Either Dr. Betz and others overlooked this inconspicuous Poa, or it was established more recently through seed trades with local forest preserve ecologists. Either way, we are glad to have it with us in the woodlands of Fermilab.

The second plant is an exciting one! It is known for its blue fruits. These fruits are actually the ripe seed coat itself that burst through the plant ovary during development. It is blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). We know that seeds of this species were traded to us from a local forest preserve some years ago.

The plants found (one mature and one young) are a testament to the successes of the restoration work here at Fermilab. Again, blue cohosh, we welcome you to your new home at Fermilab, in a woodland that continues to be restored and managed with the right ecological principles in mind.

Photo courtesy:  Ryan Campbell