bouteloua's Journal

(in progress, not a comprehensive list of spp or traits)

More reliable characteristics

Less reliable characteristics

Sources:
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/dkey/aralia/
https://www.nybg.org/files/scientists/rnaczi/Mistaken_Identity_Final.pdf

Join other iNatters and nature folk at District Brew Yards on Tuesday, April 29th (6PM to 8PM). Enjoy some local brews while identifying observations that occurred over the City Nature Challenge weekend.

District Brew Yards (West Loop)
417 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL (view map)

Bring your own laptop or device to work on. Or just come and hang out with other people who think IDing plants and bugs is a perfectly normal way to spend a Tuesday evening. For anyone unfamiliar with iNaturalist, there will be people available to show you how to use it.

RSVP at https://ISCandCNC.eventbrite.com

This event is organized by Illinois Science Council. You can let 'em know you're coming at https://ISCandCNC.eventbrite.com.

Join other iNatters at District Brew Yards on Tuesday, April 30th (6PM to 8PM).

Folks will get a quick tutorial on how to use the iNaturalist app and website, and then hang out enjoying the local brew while identifying observations that occurred over the past weekend.

District Brew Yards
417 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL (view map)

Bring your own laptop or device to work on!

Organized by Illinois Science Council. You can let 'em know you're coming at https://ISCandCNC.eventbrite.com.

See full event details on the CNC Chicago Wilderness webpage.

All event times are local time.

Join the project to stay in the loop: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-chicagoland-region/join

Illinois Science Council is hosting an Identification Social after this year's City Nature Challenge. We'll gather at Metropolitan Brewery, get a quick tutorial on how to use iNaturalist, and then hang out enjoying the local brew while marking observations that occurred over the past weekend.

Bring your own laptop or device to work on!

Metropolitan is family and dog friendly, with gluten-free and NA options.

Tuesday, May 2nd
6PM-8PM (Central)
Metropolitan Brewing
3057 North Rockwell Street, Chicago, IL (view map)

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/id-the-birds-bees-with-isc-city-nature-challenge-tickets-537806773537

Help organize locally for the City Nature Challenge 2023: Chicago Region. The observation dates for next year's challenge are April 28th through May 1st, 2023. Save the dates!

Our first regional organizers planning meeting will be:
Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 10AM Central
via Zoom

To join that meeting and/or be added to our regional organizers email list, add your contact info to this form and we will send you the meeting link.

Other links:

• Regional CNC website: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/citynaturechallenge
• CNC 2022 Chicago Metro project summary
• Other Chicago Metro journal posts from 2022

Thinking of planning an event?
If you or your organization is thinking about holding a related event before, during, or soon after the City Nature Challenge in the Chicago Metro area, we will be collecting all events and displaying them on our regional hub. Example events include:

• bioblitz
• guided nature hikes
• iNaturalist workshops/trainings (e.g. for beginners, how to add IDs, educator-focused, or advanced iNat usage)
• virtual identification party or nature storytelling
• sharing how your organization or research uses iNat data
• learning about urban flora and fauna through iNat or Seek
• urban nature trivia Zoom

(in progress)

(Morus microphylla not yet included here)
(are there other spp in Mexico?)
what else?

Sources:

• http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=121220
• http://bluegrasswoodland.com/uploads/Muddled_Mulberries_in_Kentucky.pdf
• Weakley, Alan S. 2022. Flora of the Southeastern United States, University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Wilhelm & Rericha. 2017. Flora of the Chicago Region. Indiana Academy of Science.

As of 19 June 2022 there are about 2,750 obs (2,100 Needs ID, 200 RG) of Morus nigra in North America on iNat, most of which are misidentified Morus alba. You can help out with ID here!

If you live in the Chicago area and don't have a copy of Flora of the Chicago Region, or know someone who would greatly benefit from receiving a copy of this hefty book, please nominate yourself or that person to receive a copy here: http://illinoisplants.org/flora-giveaway/

More info at the link above but here are the nomination guidelines:

1. Nominating yourself is encouraged! You can also nominate someone else.
2. Nominee’s primary residence must be within the Chicago Region – see map above and county list: Illinois (Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will), Indiana (Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, St. Joseph, Starke), Michigan (Berrien), Wisconsin (Kenosha, Racine, Walworth).
3. Nominee should not already have a copy of the Flora of the Chicago Region and should demonstrate how they need/will benefit from receiving a complimentary copy.
4. Nominations are due May 31st, 2022 (at midnight Central time).

thanks for helping spread the word!

Native plant conservation and research is severely underfunded. One report showed despite comprising 57% of federally Threatened and Endangered species, they got less than 4% of the federal funding.

If you love plants, call and email your representatives. Ask them to support increased funding for native plant conservation. Then consider donating to these organizations.

This is a time-sensitive fundraiser to protect an extremely rare ecosystem: Save Bell Bowl Prairie. An airport access road is planned to be built right through it, but there is a legal effort to alter the plan and protect its many rare plants:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/kt3ne-save-bell-bowl-prairie

Annotation and illustration by Liz Anna Kozik, learn more at https://www.savebellbowlprairie.org/

Look for a native plant society near you. The research and monitoring programs through the Illinois Native Plant Society have been expanding in recent years. Since INPS is completely volunteer-led, donations to the grant programs goes right to scientists here in Illinois to study our native plants and ecosystems with no overhead:
https://illinoisplants.org/about-membership/

Find a "Friends of [local nature park system]" near you. Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves is a pretty new organization with teams of volunteers working to protect and restore the highest quality native ecosystems throughout the state:
https://friendsofillinoisnaturepreserves.org/

And, of course, iNaturalist! Our observations help land managers and researchers learn more about ALL life. I've seen iNat data used in quite a few papers and reports. For example, the consultants tasked with assessing the threat of construction activities to the Bell Bowl Prairie's threatened/endangered species included iNaturalist in their list of resources to assess. What we share here has a real impact. But server space isn't free and community support is needed:
https://donorbox.org/inaturalist-community-fundraising/fundraiser/cassi-saari

Who am I missing? Please share your favorite native plant conservation or research organizations that are doing good work, and how best to support them.

Associated tweet: https://twitter.com/BOUCUR/status/1476229145734623238

Prairie dandelion, Nothocalais cuspidata at Bell Bowl Prairie, observed by @edwardcope

See what's going on, and how you can help, whether you're in Illinois or somewhere else:

http://www.cassisaari.com/remnant-prairie-under-threat-bell-bowl-prairie/