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Palos Play Dates May 28: 11 Weeks In

5/27/2020

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Last Weekend's Storms
Trails in our area took a severe beating from last weekend's rain. Try as they might, and FPCC puts a lot of work into mitigation of storm damage, sudden downpours in a hilly area like  Palos move so much water so fast that damage is inevitable, 

The vast majority of the plants survive. The vast majority of the trees survive, though the double whammy of saturated ground and high winds will knock some of them over. Erosion of soil is a huge problem; on bare areas there are no roots to retain it. Prudent restoration work can help. 

​As we near the end of May, it looks like our state is moving into a new phase. Without knowing what might happen in the restoration field, it is encouraging that we're making progress. I mentioned last week that Conservation Corps crews are at work now in the preserves. Eventually the volunteer program will get back on its feet again and I/we look forward to that day.

​So let's keep on being safe, throttle that impulse to sprint when a slow jog is more suitable. As someone with a few marathons under my belt, I can tell you how important it is to have something left for the finish.
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Palos Play Dates May 21, 2020: Graduation Edition

5/21/2020

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May 21, 2020

By midweek we had surpassed record rain totals for the month of May for the third year in a row. Go Chicago, we're on a roll!

Much of that water ended up in our basement, courtesy of a failed egress window and an abysmal storm drain, last Sunday evening. We're doing all right;  never lost power, were able to spend the night at home, and by 3:00 a.m. the bulk of the water was cleared by the three pumps we had running.

It HAS forced us to spend several days cleaning our basement, so I haven't been able to visit the preserves as I normally would. Here are pictures taken either in 2018 or 2019, within a week of today's date. When the cleanup is finished I will go look for this year's version. In the meantime, you get three pictures featuring wild ginger, with its bashful, understated flowers that shelter in place.
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Palos Play Dates May 14, 2020

5/14/2020

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Small Steps
Forest Preserves of Cook County is phasing in restoration activities for its adult, trained crews. Through April 30 their activities were deemed non-essential and they were grounded. Now they will be allowed to return.

Friends of the Forest Preserves crews resumed work with garlic mustard removal, I'm told. They will transition to other tasks, like herbiciding of invasive weeds. This is great news for the land; there was no way to make garlic mustard, reed canary, or others stay at home and they certainly benefited from the absence of both professional crews and volunteers.

Still no word on when volunteer group activities will be allowed, and I don't expect that to happen real soon. One need only look at daily news reports to know we're not over the hump yet.

Meanwhile nature continues to amaze. Our native plants also are flouting the stay-at-home orders, growing and thriving throughout the county. This despite a series of cold nights, rainy days, and overall conditions that don't appear conducive to plant growth.

Chance to Win Something?
That's right. We have a lightly-loved copy of Ansel Adams' "Our National Parks" which will be awarded to the first person who answers the question found within today's slideshow below.
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Palos Play Dates May 7, 2020: Mothers Day Edition

5/7/2020

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Spring Ephemerals
As the trees continue to leaf out and the canopy fills in, the spring ephemerals will fade. They're still putting on a vivid display, though, eagerly taking in the sun on my walk this morning.

In my weekly email I included a link to a talk on spring ephemerals by Chris Benda; I'm leaving the same link here, for anyone who got here other than via the email.

In the 17th edition of the IEC Lunch and Learn Series, IEC is joined by plant ecologist and IEC board member Chris Benda (aka the Illinois Botanizer) to discuss wildflowers and prairie habitats in Illinois. Click here 

Diana Krug posted this on FB yesterday, and thought I'd share here for those who did not see it. Chris Benda has a wealth of knowledge about plants.
​

The "Don't We Already Have Enough to Think About?" Department
Maybe you've heard about the so-called murder hornet, Vespa mandarinia, an invasive species that has the potential to decimate honeybee populations if left unchecked. It's been the subject of numerous, breathless news reports. Well, there's at least a modicum of good news on this front. I've read that beekeepers can protect their hives by swatting the hornets with tennis rackets when they arrive to attack the honeybees.

Julie watched an hour-long presentation on Vespa mandarinia and heard no mention of the tennis racket control method so I can't vouch for the veracity of my source. It sure sounds interesting though.

Happy Mothers Day to all our moms, to all who nurture selflessly.

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    Author

    I'm Jan Pietrzak with the Palos Restoration Project. This blog and website were created for your information and enjoyment.

    I hope you'll be encouraged and inspired to volunteer at any of the numerous forest preserves in our area.

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