Alex Palmer's Natural History Notes and Thoughts

Are you a night owl?  If you're an Illinois wildlife species, than chances are, yes!  However, many animals besides owls are active at night.  In fact, the majority of wildlife species in Illinois are hunting, gathering mates, establishing territories, and moving about during the nighttime hours! A daytime walk on a trail through a forest preserve might yield some common wildlife sightings such as gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) or sparrows.  Most animals that people see around Illinois are active during the day, or   diurnal.   Humans are a great example of a diurnal animal.   Other animals though are most active active at different times of the day (figure 1).  Late in the afternoon or early in the day, many folks encounter white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ).  Deer are a great example of a wildlife species that is crepuscular , or active at dawn or dusk. Figure 1:  In Illinois, most wildlife species are more active at certain times of the day.  For thos

Many people I know love Autumn.  They love the crisp and cool air, the color of the leaves, the fragrance of pumpkin spice, and the awe of a Jack-o-Lantern. I loath Autumn.  Everything that summer worked so hard to produce - the lush green foliage of Hickory Trees ( Carya spp. ), the showy blossoms of Hibiscus, the cheerfull calls of songbirds, the rhythmic trill of katydids, the gentle swoops of colorful butterflies, the splash of water from the neighbor's kids' Supersoaker fight, the low boom from the bass of Reggae music, the clinks and clangs of martini glasses on a balmy night, the beaches and marinas filled with happy voices, the proud croak of a bull frog, Popsicle drippings on the sidewalk, the sweet smell of Saucer Magnolia ( Magnolia sp.) flowers, fearsome thunderstorms, the swash of a canoe paddle, the blaze of prairie flowers - all begin a slow and gruesome death as the first waves of cold frosty air and biting windchills descend upon it all. The rub of cricket

This blog post consists of notes from a lecture on herpetology in Cook County, Illinois as part of a Master Naturalist Training Series.  The speaker was Jake Huffman, a naturalist with Sand Ridge Nature Center in the Forest Preserves of Cook County.  The lecture took place at Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland on Friday, September 11, 2015.   Introduction/Overview The class Amphibia consists of frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders.   There are also other groups of animals that fall within class Amphibia, but they are not found in Cook County.  The word "Amphibia" is derived from Greek to mean "dual lives." Recommended field guides (titles) for identifying local amphibian include: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region The Illinois Natural History Survey Common Toads and Frogs of the Chicago Region (published by the Field Museum) Some amphibians in Cook County are somewhat unusual.  Newts are a special subgroup of salamanders that have

When people asked what sparked my initial interest in pursing a career in the environmental field, I always refer back to hikes with my father in local parks and nature preserves in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.  Some of my favorite moments with him where when we stumbled upon a grove of Black Raspberries ( Rhubus occidentalis ) (figure 1) or a large mulberry tree ( Morus alba ) and  then gorging ourselves on the sweet and abundant fruits.  It was always such a novelty to have the ability to eat fruits and other edible berries from the wild in their natural form with their uncensored shapes and flavors.  I was able to understand early on in my childhood that produce originated from a tree or a bush before being neatly packaged in a well-lit and air conditioned supermarket.   Eating fruits from a wild growing tree also helped to foster my relationship with nature. Figure 1:  Black raspberries, a common wild berry in the Eastern United States.   As such, when I served as an inter

This blog post consists of my lecture notes from Wetlands: Definitions, Classification, and Conservation, presented by Kim Blaszak, a resource technician with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.  The lecture took place on July 29, 2015 at Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland, Illinois.   What once was:  Chicago's Vast Wetlands Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833.  The word 'chicago' refers to wild onions ( Alium spp .).  Chicago was originally a small town surrounded by wetlands (figure 1).   Figure 1:  Map of the city of Chicago, circa 1833.   Early inhabitants despised the wetlands due to the high volume of mosquitoes and frequent flooding.  This distaste for Chicago's swampy conditions led to several pieces of legislation that sought to resolve Chicago's wetland "problem."  The Flood Control Act of 1944 was one of the first major pieces of legislation that negatively impacted wetlands.  The development of Federal Crop Insur

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things. And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked.  Question:   Can people own falcons as pets, and if so, what is the legal process for that? Falcons and other raptors   such as hawks and eagles are protected under the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) which forbids the taking of and possession of falcons from the wild unless it is done so in compliance with MBTA regulations (Verhey, 2008).  Up until 2008, the federal government, via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, regulated the permitting process for falconry.   Falconry is the ownership of wild falcons as pets by an individual in an attempt to train them (17 ILL ADM Code, 2014).  In 2008 the federal government passed on the permitting duties to state and tribal  governments , and falconry is l

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things.  And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked.  Question:   What regulations are in place for keeping venomous snakes as pets? This is a difficult question to answer because there are no clearly listed laws forbidding the possession of venomous snakes.  Different states, counties, and municipalities have their own laws and regulations regarding the ownership of hazardous animals as pets.  For example, the city of Aurora, Illinois includes bylaws that forbid the possession of any reptiles that could cause injury to a person (2015).  Also, the possession of endangered species, as specified in the federal Endangered Species Act , forbids the possession or sale of any endangered animal without an interstate commerce permit or some other authorized permit (U.S. F

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things.  And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked.  Question:   What would the early pioneers in Illinois have needed to make their own metal tools? Figure 1:  Replica of a typical covered wagon used by early Illinois pioneers. Photo credits:  Jacob Huffman/Forest Preserves of Cook County.   The earliest European Pioneers to settle in Northern Illinois were most often Frenchman who were interested in the beaver pelt trade as well as immigrants from the eastern United States.   American Beavers ( Castor canadensis ) were popular game animals, whose fur and castor oil (from the beaver's scent glands) were in high demand for stylish hats and for waterproofing clothing, respectively.  Also, the idea of nearly unlimited land in the "Great West" insp

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things.  And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked.  Question:  Why do snakes swallow their food whole instead of chewing? Snakes lack  incisor teeth , which are teeth that are modified for chewing and which are usually found on the jaws of mammals, including humans.  The teeth on most species of snakes in the northern United States are meant for gripping their prey as well as for self defense.  The long, tube-like shape of snakes allows for plenty of room to consume a rodent or other small animal.  A snake's lower jaw is actually divided into two plates that can move separately allow the snake to draw its prey into its mouth.  For larger prey items, snakes can actually pop their jaw, allowing their mouths to open wider.   Figure 1:  Myself holding a Bull

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things.  And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked. Question:  Why do some trees and plants have different colored leaves? The majority of plants have leaves that are green during the summer months.  This is because the green pigment of  chlorophyll, a plant fluid that aids in photosynthesis (food production), has a strong green pigment that often overpowers other colors within the plant. Sometimes certain species or cultivates of plants produce leaves of varying colors during the growing season. Usually this is due to the fact that certain pigments in some species of plants can overpower the green pigment from chlorophyll.   For example, Japanese Red Maples ( Acer palmatum ) consistently have  dark red leaves, making this hardy tree a popular ornamental plant

"Dude, why did you want to move to Chicago?  Why don't you want to be like out in Glacier National Park or the Grand Canyon?" my roommate asks as I am telling him about work.  I am an interpretive naturalist in a Chicago-area forest preserve system that spans one of the most populated regions in the country.  'Urban' is an understatement for this giant metropolis.  Large concrete highways tower over a tight grid of houses, apartments, and high rises. Horns blare off and on along the Dan Ryan Expressway, as a train rushes to gather downtown-bound passengers anxiously waiting at the station.   The Chicago area is the last place you would think a naturalist would want to live and work in, let alone that there is a large forest preserve system nearby! While the Forest Preserves of Cook County are no match to the almighty Grand Canyon or the roar of waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, I still enjoy the peaceful respite from the rush of traffic and c