By Ryan Pankau Nothing beats the light and airy look of tall, distinctive, grasses in a landscape arrangement. The fluffy seedheads and slender, attractive, stems practically dance in the wind on breezy days, and add texture as well as a structural element to any landscape bed. For many years, there
By Jerry Nowicki Ten months after Illinois lawmakers passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act which set a goal of putting one million electric vehicles on State roads by the end of the decade, State agencies are engaged in a flurry of regulatory planning aimed at meeting those goals. The
By Nancy Kreith Taking time to select plants for difficult growing conditions helps long-term success Difficult growing conditions leave gardeners stumped when selecting plants. These planting areas may include alkaline soils, dry shade, over a septic tank, a large local deer population, and more. Always consider the existing site conditions
Rusty Rodeo will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at two locations: Glenwood Park Forest Preserve in Batavia and Primrose Farm in St. Charles. Help us round up as many Rusty Crayfish as we can find, in an effort to reduce their numbers. Rusty Crayfish are
By Vince Smith,Big Rock, Ill. Although occasionally offering my own personal thoughts and perspectives to this publication and its readers, I generally try to avoid attacking other contributors who of course have their own views which sometimes differ markedly from my own. Even recently, with great effort I resisted the
By Brittnay Haag Imagine eating only one type of food your entire life. Your survival depends entirely on being able to find this food. It is the challenge monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, face every day as landscapes change nationwide and fewer native plants are available. But home gardeners can help.
Last of two parts The first part is at thevoice.us/transition-wild-mustard-flower-seeds-to-safe-jet-fuel The Honeywell Incorporated has produced an article about mustard seeds that are being processed for jet fuel. This innovative ingredient has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions According to Honeywell, “Longer-term, efficiencies in operations will drive the future, from
Residents at Covenant Living at the Holmstad, a senior living community in Batavia, are excited to be host to a tour their gardens from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 16. It is in conjunction with the Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners as part of their annual garden tour event
First of two parts Nature has so many beneficial plants for us to examine and use. For those who want to have a perfectly-green lawn, dandelions can be considered a nuisance. Many years ago my mother and I made dandelion wine in a crock pot but it was not a
Aurora Downtown welcomes everyone to create pub and margarita crawls in downtown Aurora this Summer. The downtown organization of business and property owners recently launched two self-guided online crawls to encourage participants to pick a date, grab some friends, and enjoy the crawls at their leisure. Unlike a standard event,
Saturday, June 18, Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit, fourth from left, was host to her annual Shred and Recycle Event in the Waterford Parking Lot on Montgomery Road in Aurora.
By Kay Shipman More monarch butterflies spent the Winter in Mexican mountain forests compared to the previous year, Mexico’s Commission for Protected Areas reported recently. Known as the eastern monarch population, the monarchs that overwinter in Mexico migrate north through Texas and the Southern Plains, up through the Northern Plains,
Bees, butterflies, and other animals that pollinate plants and crops in Illinois are vanishing from ecosystems at an alarming rate. Phillips Park Zoo is helping to solve the problem by launching several new initiatives to protect precious pollinators, including expanding pollinator habitats, installing research gardens, and as host to the
There are inspirational ways to grow vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and native plants at the Kane County Master Gardener Idea Garden in St. Charles. Trained University of Illinois Extension volunteers will be host to three Summer open houses to share growing ideas and expertise. Visitors are welcome to tour the
Governor JB Pritzker Monday, June 6, joined legislators, students, and teachers at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle to designate Dolostone as the official rock of the State of Illinois. House Bill 4261 began as an initiative by a group of elementary school students from Pleasantdale Middle School in Burr Ridge
Last of two parts Winona LaDuke writes about Alex White Plume a leader of the Ogala Lakota tribe in the Spring 2021 edition of Yes! magazine. “More than 20 years ago, Alex White Plume, a leader of the Oglala Lakota, planted his first hemp crop on Wounded Knee Creek, on
The year 2020 marked Lake Michigan’s highest water level in 120 years, experts said, and climate variance makes future water levels challenging to predict. Coastal impacts are well-documented, but the effect of Lake level rise on the inland waterways is poorly understood. A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study examined how
Bensenville will be host to a recycling event from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at the Public Works facility parking lot, 717 E. Jefferson Street, Bensenville. The event is open to all DuPage County residents, no businesses, and includes recycling opportunities for electronics, textiles or clothing, and
Kane County’s Recycling Program is hosting a free confidential document shredding event between 8 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturday, May 14th, 2022, at the Kane County Branch Court office at 540 S. Randall Rd. in St. Charles. Paint and Aerosol fees: There is a per-item fee to recycle latex
First of two parts Teri Dunn contributed the following article in the Birds&Blooms magazine: “Mournings doves are beloved in backyards across the United States. Here are interesting facts you should know about the beautiful mourning dove: “I already knew that mourning doves sometimes will hang around our cold, snow-filled Northeast
