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
Aurora mayor Richard Irvin, center, presents five Aurora residents Friday, April 29 with their own trees in downtown Aurora in honor of Arbor Day and National Poetry Month.
Sierra Club Valley of the Fox has an open invitation to its May program at 7 p.m. Monday, May 9 through Zoom. The program will cover Carbon Capture and Storage in Illinois. There will be time for questions after the presentation. Zoom link is us02web.zoom.us/j/2933277588 Bill Koehl is a retired
Fox Valley Park District workers roll an oak tree into place for a planting Thursday, April 21, by Aurora Noon Lions Club members to celebrate Earth Day 2022
Jim Phillips was taking a walk near his home one day in the mid-1960s when he came across some ducks that had been killed by industrial waste from a factory. A junior high biology teacher by day, the discovery and the fact that what few environmental laws existed were virtually
Last of two parts Lornet Turnbull’s following article in YES Magazine, “Building Community by Buying Nothing,” is on hyperlocal gift economies: It’s similar to a radical new economic, except of course it’s an old economy that has been around forever. “Following knee surgery five years ago, Myra Anderson was having
Photos provide evidence Saturday, April 23 of the Trail cleanup by volunteers on the Great Western Trails and the Illinois Prairie Path.
A habitat restoration work day will be held at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve from 9 to noon Saturday, April 23. Planting shrubs and trees and pulling garlic mustard will be on the agenda. Tools will be provided, but feel free to bring a favorite shovel. We will meet at the
Not having any official trail cleanups of the Great Western Trails (GWT) and the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) for two years because of COVID will make this year’s annual all-volunteer cleanup most important. The event will start at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 23 at Prince Crossing Road and the GWT/IPP
