http://www.prairieworksinc.com Sustainable Landscaping and Ecological Restoration in Northwest Illinois Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:13:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_1028" align="alignleft" width="213" caption="Henry David Thoreau"][/caption] The list of historical figures that have passed through Galena, Illinois is rather impressive. Former Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln & Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, Herman Melville, and Tom Thumb, just to name a few. One person that is not often mentioned, ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2010/02/15/thoreau-in-galena/ This is the second in a series of blog posts called “What’s in a Name,” by my colleague Richard Pearce. After thoroughly researching, he explains to us how plants received their common and latin names. Let’s not quibble over words. It will be the same to me whatever name is applied. — Carl Linnaeus,  ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2010/01/12/whats-in-a-name-gooseberry/ [caption id="attachment_980" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption="Mistletoe (Viscum album)"][/caption] Nat King Cole told us "Everybody knows that turkey and some Mistletoe - Help to make the season bright."  But, did you know that Misteltoe is a dioecious hemi-parasitic plant that can be detrimental to Spruce trees... Here is some intersting information about one ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/12/20/mistletoe/ [caption id="attachment_959" align="alignleft" width="249" caption=" Bobcat Scratching Post"] [/caption] During the last few weeks we have been working in woodlands clearing invasive brush. This has given me the opportunity to observe them closer than I normally would during the summer months. We have noticed a substantial amount of Bobcat scratching this Fall. Kind ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/11/24/bobcat-scratch-post/ The Fall issue of Woodlands and Prairies Magazine has featured a Prairie Works project.  The story highlighted the 'Moone' project at Apple Canyon Lake. It was a good one to feature. This project represents a great relationship between the client and contractor/consultant,  the local land trust and a property owners association. ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/10/23/prairie-works-project-featured-in-magazine/ [caption id="attachment_934" align="alignleft" width="226" caption="Prairie Seeds"][/caption] Today was our first day of Indian Summer and after our latest bout with below normal temperatures, it was greeted with much fan-fare. Indian Summer has been a term used rather loosely.  True Indian Summer is a period of abnormally warm weather following a killing freeze in Autumn. A ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/10/19/indian-summer/ This time of year I get lots of questions about a particular vine growing upwards onto trees with a vibrant red color. This vine is Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and it shows itself with great pride during the early fall. Virginia Creeper is very common. It is found in every ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/09/28/virginia-creeper/ The Northwest Illinois Green Fair will be held on September 26 in Elizabeth, IL. Again, this years fair will offer opportunities for people of all age groups and interest levels to participate. Including: Presentations on renewable energy, green building and sustainable living, over 40 exhibitors representing a wide range of ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/09/17/green-fair-2009/ Invasive & Weedy Species Management 101 Workshops Scheduled Galena, IL: Prairie Works Inc., the source for ecological and landscape services in northwest Illinois, is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a series of workshops on invasive and weedy species management in cooperation with the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation (JDCF).  ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/07/30/prairie-works-to-host-invasive-plant-seminars/ An exciting new program is available to the citizens of Northwest Illinois. I highly recommend readers of this website to participate. Cory Ritterbusch will be teaching the October 5th session titled, Ecosystem Management. Here is the official press release: The University of Illinois Jo-Carroll Extension Unit is pleased to announce the ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/07/20/master-naturalist-program/ An exciting discovery was made on May, 5. Maybe... A rare plant that has previously not been recorded growing in Illinois was found in Jo Daviess County. Discoveries like this do not happen often, if ever. Like a good mystery novel there are unanswered questions and twists in this story. ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/06/28/rare-plant-mystery/ For the past two weeks we have been following reports of a Black Bear roaming around Northeastern Iowa. It was first reported near Castalia, IA and has since been seen west of Dubuque, IA,  near Maquoketa IA, and Bellevue, IA. This Bear had apparently crossed this Mississippi River into Illinois ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/06/19/black-bear-in-jo-daviess-county/ [caption id="attachment_809" align="aligncenter" width="583" caption="Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)"][/caption] Starting now and lasting into July one of the great prairie plants will be in bloom. Leadplant (Amorpha canescens), technically a shrub, has more content in Midwestern botanical folklore than most. Amorpha comes from the Greek amorphos which means "without shape or deformed," describing the small single petaled ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/06/16/leadplant/   Over the past week a purple flower has gone to bloom and is gracing the countryside, in increasing amounts. This flower is called Dames Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)  and is native to Eurasia but has is found in almost every state in the United States. Here is the Driftlesss Area, it enjoys ... http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2009/05/29/dames-rocket/