September Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the September 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!

August Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the August 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!

FNA July / August Newsletter

Read about Discovery Day, our 2012 Robert F. Betz intern, and the recent release of Baltimore Checkerspots at Fermilab in the latest edition of the Fermilab Natural Areas newsletter!

July Desktop Calendar

Enjoy scenes of Fermilab's natural areas on your computer desktop! Here are instructions for downloading & installing the July 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!

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!

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.

 

Thank you to our 3rd Thursday Volunteers!

Many thanks to our Third Thursday Volunteers who helped clean-up the Fermilab site throughout the summer!  We appreciate your efforts - and your enthusiasm.  See you next summer!

Fermilab employee Gordon Koizumi captured this image during the August clean-up.  Thanks Gordon!

Photo of the Day: Monkey Flower

Gordon Koizumi, with some help from Julie Allen, found this monkey flower in one of Fermilab's ponds:

Photo of the Day: Cardinal Flower

Thanks to Gordon Koizumi, Fermilab employee & FNA supporter for this photo of cardinal flower:

Photo of the Day: St. John's Wort

Gordon Koizumi captured this photo of St. John's Wort in bloom:

July / August Newsletter

Catch up on the latest news from FNA, including updates from our interns and a full report from the picnic in June!

Photo:  Tom Peterson & butterfly walk participants, July 7, 2011

Photo of the Day: Starry Campion

Thanks to Fermilab employee & FNA member Gordon Koizumi for this photo of starry campion (July 22):

Photo of the Day: Red Milkweed Beetle

From the prairie, Gordon Koizumi's photo of a red milkweed beetle:

Picnic Fun

On Sunday, June 26, more than 50 FNA members gathered under the oaks in the center of the Betz Prairie to enjoy extraordinary sunshine, beautiful breezes, a tasty lunch and each other's company.

In addition to historical musings by Bob Lootens, attendees enjoyed a prairie walk & talk by FNA Board Member Mitch Adamus, a guided bird walk with Peter Kasper and Dave Spleha and a butterfly walk with Tom Peterson.  In the village, Martin Valenzuela offered a presentation about processing prairie seed.

Many thanks to Bob Lootens, Marlene Rosecrans & Evalyn Campbell for their planning efforts!

More photos from the event are available online:

FNA Picnic, June 26, 2011

Photo of the Day: Cow Parsnip

Fermilab employee Gordon Koizumi snapped this photo of an unidentified insect on cow parsnip back on May 31st.

Photo of the Day: Red Crayfish

After the rain last Thursday, Fermilab employee Gordon Koizumi found this red crayfish!

Get Outside this Sunday: Fermilab Family Outdoor Fair

Bring your family to Fermilab this Sunday, June 12, from 1 til 4 p.m.to explore the outdoor world at the Lederman Science Center through hands-on exploration with nature. Sweep for insects. Visit a real bison herd, net for pond critters. Compare yourself to a bison.Go on a nature scavenger hunt. See how raptors see and much more! Open to all ages, rain or shine, this event is free. No registration needed.

For more information, call (630)840-5588 or email edreg@fnal.gov

FNA May/June Newsletter Published

The online version of the May/June 2011 Fermilab Natural Areas newsletter is available and includes a recap of Earth Week activities and spring burns as well as details about our upcoming FNA five-year celebration picnic planned for Sunday, June 26!

Main Ring Prairie

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