Observations by heartlandbiology

The name for this derived from the word for thirst of water which explains why this is found near the pond we were walking at. As we noticed this was a very large plant we looked at but also saw some that would be fully developed in two years.

The Canada Goose was first scheduled as schedule 1. Recently has been removed from schedule 1 to schedule 5 by wildlife officials. These specific geese are now commonly found throughout Illinois and have become somewhat of a burden.

https://www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/our-role/legislation/wildlife-act/change-to-protection-status-of-canada-geese/

This huge wildflower stands well over 2 meters (6 feet) tall in late summer when it's blooming. Like other members of the Silphium genus it has a very gummy sap. If you break a stalk and come back the next day you'll find a chunk of the dried sap; its texture resembles chewing gum. It's pretty tasty and takes a long time to dissolve. I don't know if the leaves really do orient North/South but that's why it is called Compass Plant.

While walking around the nearby pond I spotted quite a bit of Dandelions. They were growing in a small field of grass near a the bank of the pond. There is a heavily used interstate nearby.

The Dandelion evolved overseas in Eurasia. While it is not commonly used for food nowadays, it has been in the past. It was thought to have medicinal properties as well.

Jake Biggerstaff

The Mourning Dove is a beautiful bird. They are one of the most abundant and widespread birds in all of North America. Their beauty and abundance come with a cost, as they are also one of the top game birds for hunters. Funny enough, I found this one in my front yard. She nests in a flower pot on my front porch and comes back every single year. I think it's interesting how she knows exactly where to go every time she comes back from the South. She is very calm and relaxed. She doesn't mind us coming up to look at her, and she doesn't fly away when we walk in and out of our front door. She hatches her eggs every year and is a good mother to her young. It's always fun to see her chicks grow and fly off into the real world. It is definitely a fun thing to witness and I look forward to it every year.

-Austen Bozarth

While picking up trash on our nature hike, my teacher and I noticed a dead rabbit decomposing near a shed with solar panels on it. The rabbit appeared to have no noticeable signs indicating it was killed by a predator. It looked as if it had just fallen over dead due to old age. Though these rabbits are common where I currently stay, I had never seen any rabbits on campus until now.
Kody Miller

We saw a large amount of Teasel over the course of our hike on May 7th. Thus, we had many options for photographs of this organism. This example of Teasel was especially enormous, and it was actually much taller than Emma and I! This specific example of Teasel was growing just a few yards from Birky Pond on campus. Everything around the area was also growing and blooming, which was proof that spring really has arrived.

Caitlin Alexander and Emma Brandt

Emma and I found this red-winged blackbird near Birky Pond on campus this past Wednesday. It seemed rather content just sitting on the tall grasses bordering the pond, and it was not the only one we saw that morning! We first noticed the bird at about 9:30 in the morning. We were surprised at the amount of birds we saw during the hike, and neither of us remembered seeing Red-Winged Blackbirds on campus before!

Caitlin Alexander and Emma Brandt

Surrounding the lake were many Teasels. Their scientific name is, Dipsacus. They can grow to be 3-8 feet tall!! They surround the lake close to the water and were very tall. They looked like the would be pointy/sharp if you touched them. They looked very lightweight and swayed in the wind.
Allison Breen

I found the organism while picking up trash in the greenspace near the Workforce Development Center. When I saw the dandelion, it looks like it could have been preparing to bloom into white fluffy threads. I found it interesting that the dandelion was bright yellow. Every time I have seen a dandelion it looked whithered.
Monika Wolford

I found the organism while picking up trash in the campus greenspace with classmates. The thistle looked as if it could have been preparing for the purple flower that should eventually grow. I found it interesting that the plant was only growing on soil that had no other plants around it.
Monika Wolford

While I was walking along the North West part of HCC's campus I spotted an abundance of dandelions. While some might find dandelions to be just another weed, I actually like to see them out in people's yards or on school campuses. Long live the dandelion!

Lindsay Summers