SUMMER 2014 Vol. 31, No. 2 V% v Society The Harbinger Newsletter of the Illinois Native Plant Society “ ...dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and study of native plants and vegetation in Illinois. ” Beautiful scenes of rare sand savannas await you in the Kankakee Sands region, like these at Carl N. Becker Savanna Nature Preserve. This issue features information about the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Illinois Native Plant Society. ~ Christopher David Benda, Editor In this issue: •President’s message •Chapter reports •INPS Annual Meeting •Flora of Kankakee Sands •INPS apparel order form •INPS in the news •The Nature Conservancy •Invasive Species Corner •Featured Blog Welcome New Illinois Native Plant Society Members! Brian and Jennifer Fishburn - Central Tracy Demarco - Northeast Emma Visee — Northeast Barbara Grab ner- Kerns - Central Michelle Goode ve - Northeast Laney Widener - Northeast Lisa Metzger - Central Carrie Grochowski - Northeast Justin Penoyer — Quad Cities Warren Shufeldt - Central Amy Hamilton - Northeast Paula and John Havlik — Southern Katie Mae Smith - Forest Glen Erick Huck - Northeast David Sollenberger - Southern Kenya Harris — Irene Cull Grace Koehler - Northeast Kelvin and Verla Boyle - Northeast Laurel Ross - Northeast GO GREEN! If you are receiving a black and white newsletter by postal mail, please help us lower our costs by signing up for an electronic copy in color. Please send your email address to illinoisplants@gmail.com to be added to our email distribution list. Please “like” us on facebook at www. facebook. com/ illinoisplants . “| Governing Board President: Janine Catchpole President-Elect: Chris Benda Past President: Connie Cunningham Secretary: Rachel Goad Treasurer. Vicki Crosley Erigenia Editor: Andy West Harbinger Editor: Chris Benda Membership: Connie Cunningham Webmaster: Cassi Sarri At-Large Board Bohdan Dziadyk Tracy Evans R .J. Fehl Ron Kiser Paul Marcum Jason Zylka We are currently accepting submissions for the next issue of Erigenia, the journal of the Illinois Native Plant Society. We are also asking for more reviewers. If you are interested, please email editor Andy West at erigenia.editor@gmail.com . Message from the President Once the long winter finally broke, everyone was scrambling to get things done outside. And the Northeast Chapter has been diligently adding extra work to their busy lives, organizing a fine annual meeting for INPS members. The meeting will be held August 1 -3, 2014 at Camp Shaw Waw Nas See. See details within this issue of The Harbinger. The trip features an in-depth look at the forces shaping the Kankakee Sands system and resulting flora and fauna. Camp Shaw Waw Nas See is located on an area of rock outcropping where Rock Creek cuts down to the eroded bedrock of the Kankakee River, forming a sheer walled canyon with a beautiful stream, oak woods, swimming pool and scattered cabin clusters. This old 4H camp is struggling to control bush honeysuckle while paying the bills, like so many other camps in the Midwest. INPS has used such facilities in past years. Camp Ondessonk, in southern Illinois, and Camp Wokanda in Peoria hosted previous INPS Annual Meetings. It is good to support these local places as they work to hold on to their unique pieces of Illinois natural heritage. Field trips are going to the dunes of the Upper Kankakee Sands near the Indiana border and the dunes, glacial lakebed and outwash of the Lower Kankakee Sands near Braidwood. The Upper Sands support some of the finest sand savanna in the Midwest. From dry sand savanna to pin oak savanna, there are high quality sites to amaze you. Some nice examples of prairie and wetlands can also be seen. Tracts of land are large (by Northern Illinois standards) and there are no cropland inholdings. The lower Kankakee Sands supports some of the finest shrub prairie in Illinois, along with extensive wetlands, sand prairie, seeps, and nice, sand woodlands. Numerous ferns and floristic surprises await you, but more of the land has been plowed than in the Upper Sands, and much of the recently acquired land still has agricultural fields. For INPS members that saw a few of these sites when the Northeast Chapter previously hosted, you will see the changes from active restoration management. The field trip to the Mazon fossil beds allows us to go back in time to botanize. Many of the fossils found in this world famous deposit include plant specimens. And remember to come ready to support the silent auction. There will be a fine hardback copy of Willard N. Clute’s Swamp and Dune, a flora of the Braidwood area, published in 1931 and many other nice items. We look forward to seeing everyone in August. -INPS President Janine Catchpole The INPS board would like to extend a huge thank you to Tracy Evans and Ron Kiser for their service on the INPS board. The society is grateful for their contributions, we could not exist with our dedicated volunteers! The INPS Executive Committee is preparing a list of candidates for the upcoming election of officers and board members. A mailing will go out with a ballot in late June. If you would like to nominate someone for 2 president-elect or other office, or are interested in serving as an officer or board member, send an email to Janine Catchpole: iQ-catchpole@comcast.net INPS CHAPTER NEWS NORTHEAST CHAPTER - Chicago FOREST GLEN CHAPTER - Danville Diana Krug (President) Connie Cunningham (President) 312 - 504-6473 217 - 516-1792 northeast.inps@gmail.com connieicunningham@gmail.com QUAD CITIES CHAPTER - Rock Island CENTRAL CHAPTER - Springfield Bo Dziadyk (President) Annette Chinuge (President) 309 - 794-3436 217 - 483-5893 qc inps.home.mchsi.com annette@avrosvstems.com IRENE CULL CHAPTER - Peoria SOUTHERN CHAPTER - Carbondale Mary Hartley (President) Chris Benda (President) 309 - 995-3356 217 - 417-4145 havwool@winco.net southernillinoisplants@gmail.com For more information about events, please contact your chapter representative above. Northeast Chapter (Chicago) The Northeast Chapter has hosted two field trips this spring and has one more in the works. On April 26 steward Kathy Garness gave us a wonderful tour of Grainger Woods, a high quality flatwoods community that had many beautiful early spring species in bloom. We visited Thatcher Woods on May 17 and were led by steward Victor Guarino through an open woodland with a diverse understory of spring flora. Next we will visit three sites owned by Dundee Township, including Dixie Briggs Fromm, on June 28. Learn more at our website ( http://www.ill-inps.org/index.php/northeast-chapter/ne-field-trips ) or on Facebook, and please RSVP to trip leader Andy Olnas (Andy.01nas@gmail.com) if you're interested in joining us! Quad Cities Chapter (Rock Island) No current news to report. Irene Cull Chapter (Peoria) No current news to report. Forest Glen Chapter (Danville) No current news to report. Central Chapter (Springfield) The Central Chapter held their annual plant sale on April 26 th at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Special thanks to our many volunteers who made this event a big success. We enjoyed beautiful weather and even more beautiful plants during our "Spring Along the Sangamon" field trip on May 10th. Kevin Veara's woodlands were even more gorgeous than last year, and we observed quite a variety of native woodland species including purple larkspur, hyacinth, phlox, spiderwort, and mayapple. Floyd Catchpole will speak at Adams Wildlife Sanctuary in June about Braidwood Dunes and Savanna in Will County, Illinois and the next field trip will be Saturday, July 12th at 9am. INPS member Tracy Evans will be presenting a program at our July INPS meeting about forest and prairie restoration and post-fire regeneration on her 226 acres in Buckhart. The Saturday following the meeting, we will gather at Tracy' farm in Buckhart (approx. 4 miles outside Rochester) to view the regeneration process firsthand. Please see the Central Chapter’s section of our website for more information about their events at http://www.ill-inps.org/index.php/central-chapter . Southern Chapter (Carbondale) The Southern Chapter held a photography workshop that was well attended and received much praise from the participants. Thanks to board member Chris Evans for leading the workshop. For the April program, Dr. Nancy Garwood, board member and Southern Illinois University professor, presented a program titled "Change you can believe in: Recent taxonomic revisions reveal exciting new insights about our native plants." Nancy used the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family), to illustrate how taxonomists determine when changes are necessary and how recent revisions substantially change our understanding of the evolutionary history of these species. She also took the lead in organizing the planting of a Native Plant & Pollinators Research Garden (read more on page 9). In May, Dr. Dan Nickrent, Southern Illinois University professor, presented on the parasitic plants of Illinois and explained the different strategies employed by the complex species in this group. Special thanks to all our speakers! The southern chapter has much more programming scheduled for 2014, and you can follow them by getting on there mailing list by emailing southernillinoisplants@gmail.com . Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/southernillinoisplants . 3 Also please visit our website for more information at www.ill-inps.orR ! 2014 Illinois Native Plant Society Annual Meeting in Kankakee. Illinois! The Illinois Native Plant Society Annual Meeting for 2014 will be hosted by the Northeast Chapter at Camp Shaw Waw Nas See in Manteno, Illinois from August lst-3rd. The theme of the meeting will be the flora of the Kankakee River Valley in Illinois. The Northeast Chapter has scheduled an exciting array of speakers and field trips for this event. Field trips will focus on the rare sand flora of this region while the speakers will explore the natural and cultural history of the region. A number of exciting trips are scheduled to some of the highest quality sand savanna, shrub prairie, and sandy wetland habitats in all of Illinois. Trips to Illinois Nature Preserves such as Braidwood Dunes and Savanna, Pembroke Savanna (pictured above), Wilmington Shrub Prairie, and Momence Wetlands are scheduled. A highlight of the meeting will be the chance to take a canoe trip down the scenic Kankakee River with the opportunity to see one of Illinois' only endemic species, the Kankakee mallow [Iliamna remota). On Friday night Olivier Caron, Quaternary Geologist with the Illinois State Geologic Survey, will speak about the geologic history of the Kankakee River region and the source of the sandy deposits that give rise to the rare flora of the region. On Saturday evening, our featured speaker will be Marianne Hahn who will introduce the film Everglades of the North, The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh. The film explores the history of the Kankakee Marsh and how it has changed over the past 10,000 years. All-inclusive registration for the conference includes field trips, presentations, food, and lodging for the duration of the three day event. Also included with your registration is a copy of the poster on page 8. The poster was created by Chris Benda in honor of the 2014 INPS Annual Meeting in the Kankakee Sands region. Registration for INPS members is affordably priced at $85. For more information on this event please visit the INPS website at www.ill-inps.org/index.php /events /annual-meeting. Now available in 2 nd Printing Woodland Carex of the Upper Midwest Need help learning the sedge genus Carexl Linda Curtis has made it easier with macro-lens photography and understandable description in a binder form book. $30 for book includes shipping. Send to Curtistothethird, P.O. Box 731, Lake Villa, Illinois 60046. For sets of 10 at discount, email lcurtisbotanisKa) ameritech.net . 4 IIAWOIS Utm PhAMT socisn ■ ANNUAL MEETING - AUGUST 13, 2014 * CAMP SHAW WAW NAS SEE - SASTENOJL DetScatedto the preservation, conservation, and study bf the native plants and vegetation of Illinois REGISTRATION ENDS JOLT 18,3014. Please fill-in this Registration Form £ respond with payment. Namefs;.: email: Phone: Address: City: State: Zip: _ Registration includes presentations, speakers, interpretive guided hikes, meals & complimentary lodging. Note: 2 optional trips require an additional tee, listed below. REGISTRATION OPTIONS: © Online Registration A payme nt through our website: WWW.ILL-IlfPS.0nG/IlfDEX.PHP/I7IlTS/ANSUAL-MEITINfl 32.50 transaction change will be included. © By mail, till out thie Torm, include check made out to: ILLINOIS NATIVE PLAIT SOCIETY. Mitt I1PSC/0 JASON ZTLK A, 509 WEST MARION STJJNIT1, JOLIET IL 60430 1633 Include total an cun & inc&cale 2014 rwiua Meeting Registration on check. CmfinTstion wll be amailad. @ Single day registraion is available. For detais, emai: NORTMEAST.INFS^ GMAIL.COM REGISTRATION TYPE: © STUDENT Includes lodging, meals, field trips © INPS MEMBER Includes lodging, meats, field trips © WON -MEMBER Inclwd&s lodging, meals, field trips A 1 year INPS Membership Trip tees tor optional trips: © CANOE ft EOUIPMCNT RENTAL | perpamcn © MAZ0N CREEK FOSSIL EXPEDITION | fossil giinrteed INPS ctmT&rafice items available: ® T-SEIRT Please circle aze|st B M L XL XXL Art Created by INPS Member Kathleen Gsmees. ACC DXNDDATIOIf PREFERENCE: □ $70 □ $36 □ $100 □ $33 □ $20 □ $16 Total: Complimentary cn-afle lodging, am=rffie: S. shared ahower faeatea. All lodgers must provide their own Pending A towels. □ Shared bunkhouses furnished with bunkfoeds 1 0 campers per burfchojoe. □ Air conditioned txinkhouses Orty 2 available, reserved for those with greatest need. Camp Sites Campers must provide their own tents & camping equipment. [ ] No on-site lodging needed. ( Motets avaiatne. in nearby Manteno a Kankakee. ] Meals include: Hub d'ceu.TBB Friday night, SaUrday breakfast, Sunday bos Imdh, Saturday banquet sftnorat S&lutiay Suicby branch. Please indicate any dietary restrictions, or other special needs and we will dc our best to accomodate them. I DESIGN I GROW I BUILD I RESTORE I MAJOR SPONSORSHIP PROVIDED BY: THE PIZZO GROUP Forest Preserve District OF WILL COUNTY Bringing People and Nature Together EaSIBI A Southern Illinois University CARBONDAIE DONATIONS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY SI0 PRESS 5 -jjjOlS BATHE PLAIT SBC 1ST NORTHEAST ANNUAL MEETING • AUGUST 1-9, 3014 * CAMP SHAW WAW NAS SEE * MANTENO, IL Dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and study or' tne native pants and vegetation of Illinois SCLENT AUCTIUB: Etonations will be greatly appreciated, contact Pat Aimatraiag PiTiSlTOHC^SBCULOBiLIET Wsl do cur Pact Id soconmodata Yst choice for trips, on a first receivacl registration basis. Trip may be cancelled due to conditions or lack of interact SATURDAY FIELD TRIP OPTIONS: Rank choice preference 1 = first; 4 = last choice. sweet fern savabba/PEIBROKE sataisia Kim Roman/Marianrie Hahn a Stephanie Frischie/Rob Uttiken capacity 50 TEAS WORKS BOP Eric Ulaszek | capacity 25 CABBE TRIP | Chris Elenda 333 per person additions! charge, capacity 25 FREE if you bring your own. boat. Please indicate if you will bring you own boat: j BRAIDWOBD t EXIT’S SIDIBG /WILHIICTOI SB RGB PRAIRIE Floyd Catchpote rapacity 25 SUNDAY FIELD TRIP OFTIOIS: Rank choice preference 1 = 6 = lad ) SARD RIDGE PRESERVE Jason Zylka | capacity 25 ’ IAZOB CREEK FOSSIL TRIP Gina Wysocki [ capacity 20 320 per person additional charge BIOBLITZ AT CAIP SHAW Capacity 25 | | will coubtt sahds Royd Gatchpole | capacity 25 IU1EBCE WETL AHDS Fran Flarty &. Bill Gass | capacity 25 AGEIDA: FRIDAY. AUGUST j 4:00 pm Registration 3 Check-in 5:00 pm Mbcer (brir>g your own beverage) 0:30 pm Welcome £. Introduction 7:00 pm GEEST SPEAKER : OLIVIER CARDB, Quaternary Geologist, PHD, llinofe -State Geological Cu\e y 3-9:00 pm Governing Board Meeting SATURDAY AUGUST 2 7:00 am Breakfast 3:00 am FIELD TRIPS UBTIL a : aOFI Participants carpool 3 caravan to sites 5:00 pm Happy Hour (bring your own beverage) 5:30 pm Meeting 3 Sections 0:30 pm □inner 3 Silent Auction 7:00 pm IARIAHBEHAHE, Resident of the Friends of the Kanakee, introducing: EVERGLADES U F THE B ORTH, TEE STURT OFTBE GRAETD EANAKEE HARSH 3:00 pm Campfire into the evening SUIDAT, AUGUST 3 7:00 am Breakfast 3:00 am FIELD TRIPS OBTIL SOON Particpants carpool a caravan to sites Noon Travel Home Fit ruvitb ptena? ™i: ILL-ENPS.B RG • tBDES.PBF/ETEITSyANBBAL-BEITIBG u irrui ter BO RTHEAST.DIFStt-GEAIL. CO I BE CHAPTER BOARD: DfihCs Kra^ fljL-f mj! Goad JHHMiZyteL ftrtdyCAnas 6 Illinois Native Plant Society - Southern Chapter Apparel Order form titinaH Pfnt.ivr. Plant Society 100% Cotton Short Sleeve T-Shirt $17.00 each S-XL XXL $10.00 S D M □ LQ XL □ XXL □ 100% Cotton T-Shirt with pocket $22.00 each S-XL XXL $24.00 sD mD l □ XL □ xxlQ 50/50 Cotton/Toly Blend 0-Fanel Biowashed 50/50 Cotton/Foly Blend Short Sleeve Pole Shirt Unstructured Cap Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt $22 .00 each S-XL XXL $24 00 $20 00 each □ $40 00 each S-XL XXL $42.00 sDmDlQxlQ XXL □ S DMDL DXLD XXL D Indicate your size below your choice Name: Phone: E-mail Color: Shirts: Tan Sweatshirt: Navy Blue Quantity Unit cost Total cost T-Shirt T-Shirt with pocket Folo Shirt Hooded Sweatshirt Cap $ 20.00 Total payment Clieck must be included with, order. Make check payable to INFS -Southern Chapter Mail to : F.O. Box 271, Carbondale IL 62902 This order form is for clothing with the INPS logo on them and is different than the t-shirts available as part of the annual meeting (listed on the previous page). Orders must be received by July 18 th and can be picked up at the annual meeting or arrange with your chapter representative to get them at a later date. 7 Flora of the Kankakee Sands arest Preserve District OP WlilCOUNTT Kocleriu Miit/atufuj fun* (iria i bumifna rHtkly Mo tutr da punctata Hoi The Illinois Native Plant Society is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and study of the native plants and vegetation of Illinois. Please visit for more information. Poster created for the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Illinois Native Plant Society with funding provided by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. All photos © Christopher David Benda, except where indicated. Nomenclature follows the Vascular Flora of Illinois (Mohlenbrock 2014). [ W ^ ^ i m ■ . . V' 2 8 Illinois Native Plant Society in the News... Students complete MMS garden project Initial installation of the Murphysboro Middle School Native Plant & Pollinators Research Garden is now complete. Murphysboro Mayor Will Stevenson, Dr. Nancy Garwood, Adjunct Professor in Plant Biology at SIUC and Native Plant Society Member, came to help Murphysboro Middle School Student plant the last two plants (blue wild indigo) and post the IDNR Schoolyard Habitat Site sign. A $600 grant from Illinois Department of Natural Resources Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program, funded by the Jadel Youth Fund, US Environmental Protection Agency and the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, was awarded to MMS for this project. Local Businesses also helped out with donations and discounts including Murphysboro Lawn & Garden, mulch delivered by Alan Lawless a former MMS student; Murphysboro Rural King, who provided gardening tools and stakes Murphysboro WalMart, who provided a gift card used to by a garden hose to water the garden during the summer. Bost Trucking provided sand and creek rock Dr. Nancy Garwood, was the real driving force behind this project/' said Julie Wittenborn-Sikorski. "She, along with others from the Native Plant Society and SIUC, helped identify the site at the school, select the native plants and map out how to space them in the garden plot." Read more: http: / / www.murphysboroamerican.com/ article / 20140602/ News / 140609923#ixzz33 vnruPai Annual sale helps promote, preserve native plants The recently concluded plant sale of the Central Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society was its most successful yet, bringing in about $15,000 before expenses. And much of the money will be used to fund projects that will promote native plants and their well-being. The Central Chapter was founded in the late 1970s and has between 85 and 100 members, not all of whom live in central Illinois. “They can select the chapter they want to belong to when they join the state organization,” Edie Sternberg said. She and her husband, Guy, who own Starhill Forest Arboretum of Illinois College at Petersburg, were among the first members of the Central Chapter. “Many of our members have careers that involve plants, or plants are just their passion,” Edie Sternberg said. The plant sale, usually held on the first Saturday in April, the day after Arbor Day, started 25 years ago. Read more: http://www.si-r.com/article/20i40^26/News/i40^2Q^i7#ixzz^qvnVhvGX GRASSLAND RESTORATION NETWORK WORKSHOP September 9-11. 2014 at Nachusa Grasslands, Illinois The target audience for the GRN workshop are people actively doing/directing high diversity prairie restoration at a significant scale; or doing the science. The workshop has a lot of field time with some inside talks. We talk a lot about techniques, equipment, monitoring and measuring success, the science behind the restoration, and other wonkish topics. Nachusa Grasslands has over 110 prairie plantings and many nice remnant prairies for you to see. Nachusa Grasslands is two hours west of Chicago in Illinois, http://www.nachusagrasslands.org/ The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission have funds dedicated to support the work of the Volunteer Stewardship Network (VSN). Groups who need funds for their sites should fill out the attached application and submit it (along with a map of their natural areas*) by Monday, June 30, 2014. Proposals will not be accepted after this date. *Please note: If you applied for funding in the past and your natural areas have not changed, you do NOT need to include a map with your application. As a reference, you will find attached a list of tools (and current prices) that have been purchased for groups in the past. When completing your application, please keep in mind that this is a small grant fund with awards typically ranging from $100 to $1,000. The purpose of the fund is to help build the capacity of volunteer groups across the state and will be awarded on a competitive basis. These funds are limited, and therefore, need to be prioritized. Requests will be evaluated based on these criteria: Site priority as indicated by the Conservancy’s eco-regional planning process or Nature Prese Activity level of the VSN group Need - could the request be satisfied by the landowner or other funding source? Urgency — is something in imminent danger of being lost? Benefit to the natural resource Whether it leverages other resources How well it fits in with the spirit of the VSN TheJsJature Conservancy Protecting nature. Preserving life" As you identify your needs, please keep in mind the funds awarded in July 2014 MUST be spent and receipts received by June 1, 2015. You will be notified if your funding request has been approved. If approved, you will receive a letter indicating the amount of funds available to your group. It is important to note that the money is not a grant, e.g. you will not receive the money in advance. Either you will be reimbursed in a timely way for expenses approved through this process, or you will order tools and supplies directly through The Nature Conservancy and/or the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission. -| q If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Karen Tharp via email at ktharp @,tnc . org or cell 618-614-4647. Invasive Species Corner Please look at the following resources for the latest in Invasive Species news. Join the Search! BUY IT WHERE | ^ - Illinois Species 1 v Awareness* Month • The Illinois Invasive Species Awareness Month Committee would like to recognize recipients in five categories for outstanding invasive species work in Illinois: Professional of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Professional Organization of the Year, Business of the Year, and Educator of the Year. Recipients of the 2014 ISAM awards were officially recognized at an awards ceremony in Springfield at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) office. Continue reading at http://illinoisisam.bloqspot.com/2014/06/awards-qiven-out-for-outstandinq.html • Recordings of the presentations from the 2014 Illinois Invasive Species Symposium are now available online at: http://www.invasive.org/illinois/SymposiumRecordinqs.html • The Illinois Wildlife Action Plan's Invasive Species Campaign sponsored the 2014 Illinois Invasive Species Symposium. This event was a one-day, all-taxa symposium that featured a great lineup of speakers presenting on invasive plants, diseases, insects, and animals. The symposium also included a ceremony for this year's Invasive Species Awareness Month Awards. The meeting was held at the IDNR Off ice Building in Springfield on May 29th. Over 90 people attended the meeting in person with an additional 20+ attending via live webcast. • The Illinois Stop the Spread Campaign is an effort to identify and promote native species to use as an alternative to planting Callery Pear. The Campaign is establishing a demonstration plot and recently held a volunteer workday to plant alternative species. Learn more about the effort at: http://illinoisisam.bloqspot.com/2014/05/illinois-stop-spread-plantinq-success.html • The NIIPP has added Asian bittersweet, Callery pear, Japanese barberry, Norway maple, wild chervil, and burning bush to the available facts sheets (along with a general fact sheet). Please have a look at http://www.niipp.net/homeowner-fact-sheets . The Spanish versions will be up soon. Many thanks to Eric Ulaszek, Trish Beckjord, Deb Maurer, Ben Haberthur, and Ryan Campbell for their comments on these sheets! • Here's a great article from Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation on the Northwest Illinois Invasive Species Strike Team. "In February of 2013 the Northwest Illinois Strike Team (NWST) began controlling and monitoring of invasive plant species in State designated nature preserves, natural areas, and lands adjacent to natural areas in six northwest Illinois counties..." You can find the full article and a link to the detailed annual report at: http://illinoisisam.bloqspot.com/2014/03/forest-health-proqrams-of-us-forest.html Scientists May Have Finally Pinpointed What's Killing All The Honeybees Where have all the honeybees gone? A new study seems to strengthen the evidence linking pesticides used on crops to colony collapse disorder in honeybees. Colony collapse disorder, or CCD, is a phenomenon in which honeybees inexplicably disappear from their hives. The bodies of the dead bees are typically never found. Researchers led by Chensheng Lu of Harvard University have pinpointed the collapse of honeybee colonies on a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids — insecticides that also act as nerve poisons and mimic the effects of nicotine. Scientists specifically looked at how low doses of two neonicotinoids — imidacloprid and clothianidin — affected healthy bee hives over the course of a winter. The results of the study "reinforce the conclusion that sub-lethal exposure to neonicotinoids is likely the main culprit for the occurrence of CCD,” the authors wrote in their paper, published May 9 in the Bulletin of Insectology, http: / /finance. yahoo. com /news / scientists-mav-finallv-pinpointed-whats-22 1 000439.html Featured Blog: A Midewin Almanac Recovering 20,000 acres of prairie. One volunteer day at at time. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a 20,000-acre book where the rich history of Illinois still may be read. You can read the blog here, http://midewinrestoration.net/ ii ILLINOIS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Forest Glen Preserve 20301 E. 900 North Rood Westville, IL 61883 illinoisplants @ gmail.com www.ill-inps.org Dodecatheon frenchii French's Shooting Star 2014 Summer Harbinger - June 2014 Please become a member and support this local non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and study of the native plants and vegetation of Illinois!!! Join us! Mr. /Mrs./Ms./M iss/Dr.. S treet City I"! New member fl Renewal Q Address Change only State .Zip_ Phone Number. Email .Membership Year. □ □ □ □ □ □ □ Society □cheek here If you nretl to receive newsletters by postal mail* PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO. ILLINOIS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Forest Glen Preserve 20301 E 900 North Road Westville, IL 61883 □ □ □ □ □ □ Membership Categories Student $1 3.00 Individual $20.00 Family (new category) $30.00 Institutional (nonvoting). $20.00 Supporting $30.00 Patron $55.00 Life $300.00 Chapter Affiliation Central (Springfield ) Forest Glen (Westville) Northeast (Chicago) Southern (Carbondale) Quad City (Rock Island) Irene Cull (Peoria) Unsure if your membership dues are up to date? Email inps . membership@qmail . com or call Connie Cunningham at 217-516-1792