Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

INHS Bioinformatician Matt Yoder was interviewed about the InvertNet Spring 2012 Conference held in April at University of Illinois.  Yoder said that the conference merged systematists with computer programers and engineers. 


Watch the Video

InvertNet is funded by the National Science Foundations Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections (ADBC) program to provide unprecedented access to specimen images and data from invertebrate collections.

Environmental Almanac writer Rob Kanter consulted retired INHS Entomologist Mike Jeffords to find out why central Illinois has been inundated with red admiral butterflies.  According to Jeffords, the red admirals we see in spring are migrants that overwintered to the south and the few that survived the winter here.  This year the mild winter allowed greater survival and the subsequent swarms of red admirals.

Jeffords, along with Susan Post (another retired INHS Entomologist) have found that other butterflies are active and numerous earlier than usual this spring.  They reported seeing 22 species of Illinois butterflies before April, which is twice their usual number.


Complete Article

According to Illinois CAPS Coordinator Kelly Estes:

"Recent reports indicate that emerald ash borer adults have begun emerging in several areas of the state. Over the past two weeks we have been notified of adults in central Illinois in the Bloomington-Normal area as well as recent reports from NE Illinois in the Chicago area."


For more information and resources on Emerald Ash Borer Beetles

Illinois CAPS Blog

Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Website

Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator Kelly Estes advises that corn growers should begin inspecting for damage from Black Cutworm Moth larvae.  Based on adult moth captures in March and April, larvae should be nearing the leaf-cutting stage. 

For more information:
The Bulletin

Cutworm Fact Sheet

INHS Fisheries Technicians Kenny Lookingbill (sunglasses at right) and Collin Hinz (left), reported that recent fish surveys at Emiquon turned up massive crappies, the largest weighing in at 3.4 pounds, 17 inches long. 

Emiquon is an approximately 3,000 acre restored natural area along the Illinois River and based on these surveys may become the best crappie fishery.  INHS Illinois River Biologial Field Station and the INHS Forbes Biological Field Station study the waterfowl and fish populations in that area as a means of evaluating the success of the restoration and management.



Fishing Headquarters

INHS Waterfowl Biologists have been monitoring restored wetlands along the Illinois River to determine if restoration efforts have been successful for waterfowl populations.  Chris Young of the State Journal Register went along and documented the diving duck surveys.

State Journal Register Article

Still photos

Link to Video

Hunting for morels is a popular spring pastime for many.  INHS Mycologist Andy Miller was consulted by Rob Kanter for an Environmental Almanac piece and revealed that there are at least 26 separate species of black morels and 16 species of yellow morel.  Not mentioning specific locations, Andy gave tips to would-be hunters on where to look, such as moist areas near dead elm trees or living ash trees. 



Borrowing Rob Kanter's words of warning: Deadly poisonous mushrooms occur along with nonpoisonous ones throughout Illinois. Neither this article nor the accompanying photo is intended to enable beginners to distinguish between them.

Environmental Almanac

INHS Biologist Samantha Carpenter participated in Yankee Ridge Elementary School's Junior Scientist Day, teaching students about Illinois Mammals.  This was the 10th annual Junior Scientist Day, with scientists from University of Illinois, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, INHS and other local groups sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the students.



News Gazette Article

INHS scientists worked with peers at Western Kentucky University to conduct a statewide assessment of stoneflies in Ohio.  Utilizing over 30,000 specimens from 18 museums they determined that there are between 102 and 120 species of stonefly in Ohio.  These environmentally sensitive insects are an indicator of river health and this study will help Ohio prioritize high quality streams for protection. 

Press release

A group of students from Tri-Point Jr. High visited the herpetology collection at INHS and conducted field work with Herpetologist Andy Kuhns.  The students were able to help with surveys for amphibians and reptiles at Ballard Nature Center.  In addition to finding several species of reptiles and amphibians, the students learned about their habitats, biology and conservation.

Tri-Point News

INHS Illinois River Biological Station Director Thad Cook took a writer from Discover Magazine out on the Illinois River to experience the "flying carp."  In addition to the ecological damages done by Silver carp, they also leap from the water when startled by approaching boats, which has led to many injuries. 



Discover Magazine

INHS Fisheries Geneticist Dave Phillipp and his lab have studied Largemouth Bass for decades.  His findings, including that vulnerability to being caught by anglers is inherited and that bass can learn from negative experiences, were featured in a news story picked up by media across the country.

NWPA Outdoors

Kansas City Star

Houston Chronicle


INHS Sportfish Lab Webpage

INHS Botanists and Restoration Ecologists led several prescribed burns this spring.  Periodic burning helps to control unwanted species, return nutrients to the soil and is even necessary for some seeds to germinate. 

One prairie that was burned this spring is the prairie garden at South Side Elementary School, which was planted by INHS scientists 20 years ago as the first educational prairie in Champaign-Urbana.  Also on the list of prairies burned this spring was a section of Barnhart Prairie, a Nature Preserve just south of Urbana.

News Gazette

News Gazette Video from Barnhart Burn

INHS Behavioral Entomologist Joe Spencer told WBEZ that the early warm weather means bugs can mature faster, allowing them to emerge much sooner than they are normally expected to, but this does not necessarily mean there will be more of them.


WBEZ story

INHS Botanist Greg Spyreas was interviewed for an article about four-leaf clovers.  He explained that it is a developmental anomaly and couldn't attest to its luckiness.  Having found a four-leaf clover once may or may not explain that his "whole life has been good luck.”

TribLocal

Blake Ruebush, Levi Solomon and Chase Holtman took Bloomberg reporter Ben Paynter out on the river to survey for Asian Carp as part of a story summarizing the Asian Carp battle.  Using a boat protected by "carp-proof" windshield and mesh netting, the ecologists electroshocked the river to survey the abundance and diversity of fishes present.

Read more about the legal battles, the eDNA findings, and marketing Asian Carp to the public.

Bloomberg

Learn more about the Illinois River Biological Station.

A new species of Neotropical Orthopteran has been described by INHS Entomologists Sam Heads and Steve Taylor.  Ripipteryx mopana belongs to a group of small and unusual insects related to grasshoppers that includes the North American pygmy mole crickets.

This new species comes from the Toledo District of southern Belize, an area of tropical rainforest that is largely unexplored by entomologists.  It was named in honor of the Mopan, a Mayan people that live primarily in the area of Belize where the species was discovered.  The entomologists will return to the region this coming spring to study the local insect fauna in more detail.

ZooKeys Article

Press Release

Bald Eagle populations in Illinois are on the rise.  In 1980, Bald Eagles were found breeding only in extreme Southern Illinois, but in surveys during 2008, nesting pairs were found in 67 Illinois counties.  Part of the increase is attributed to the ban of DDT in 1972, but according to INHS Ornithologist Mike Ward, that was just the beginning. 

Environmental regulations have led to cleaner waterways (enabling eagles to more easily catch fish) and eagles have become more comfortable around humans.  Being able to be near people gives them a lot more places to breed in Illinois, Ward said.


Effingham Daily News Article

The biological collections of the Illinois Natural History Survey are among the largest in the nation, with nearly 10 million specimens collected over the past 150 years.  These collections document our natural heritage and can be studied to understand variations within and between species, changes over time, and countless other topics. 

Many of the specimens are fragile and must be stored and handled with extreme care.  As part of a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at INHS are working with several other institutions to digitize collections, taking high resolution images from a variety of angles.  Scientists from around the world will be able to see the images of the specimens and physically handle only the ones that they need for closer examination.

State Journal Register

Chicago Tribune

The Republic

For more information on the invertebrate side of the project, check out the InvertNet website.

White Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection devastating to bat populations, has not yet been detected in Illinois bat populations.  As a preventative measure, Illinois caves on public lands have been closed to the public since 2010.  This winter an interdisciplinary team of INHS researchers will begin surveying caves in Illinois for evidence of White Nose Syndrome, taking tissue, air and soil samples. Their goal is to form a more complete understanding of the cave environment including the fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms present.


Prairie State Outdoors article

With warm temperatures this winter, some people have been concerned about the effect on plants and animals.  A Northern Leopard frog and a Western Chorus frog were among the interesting finds causing a stir this winter .  INHS Herpetologist Michael Dreslik said that this particular sighting was not much to worry about as these frogs are cold tolerant with Western Chorus frogs beginning to breed in mid-February. 

Lake County News-Sun

INHS Avian Ecologist Jeff Hoover participated in the Cypress Creek Christmas Bird Count, leading a group that identified 54 species (97 species were identified overall).  While hiking with his group, he discussed the ecology of the different species, taught techniques useful to identify birds and just observed birds in their habitat.  Some participants treat the Bird Count as a contest, but Hoover stated, "For me, it's kind of a celebration of the ecology of the birds that are there in the winter."  The annual bird counts provide data that scientists can use to look at migration routes and patterns of bird distribution.

The Southern

This winter, Snowy Owls have been sighted in Illinois almost daily.  According to INHS Ornithologist Steve Bailey, "It's probably the biggest Snowy Owl invasion in years."  He explains that this year's high lemming population led to an increase in young snowy owls. 

Bailey asks bird watchers to be responsible and keep their distance.  Flushing an owl causes them to expend a great deal of energy and these birds have already migrated up to 1,000 miles. 

And as for those fabulous photographs of a snowy owl approaching the camera with talons outstretched?  Those are often staged by photographers baiting the owls with captive raised mice.  Bailey reminds bird watchers to "keep the bird's welfare in mind," and not lure the owls towards dangerous roadways with store bought mice that may harbor diseases.

State Journal Register

Want to learn more about owls?  Join Steve Bailey for an evening of discussion and exploration.

Owl Prowl with Steve Bailey

The long-term monitoring project of the endangered Eastern Massasauga population at Carlyle Lake has revealed a new species of fungal infection, which causes severe facial swelling, disfiguration and ultimately death. INHS Affiliate Dr. Matt Allender (University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine) is spearheading research on the fungus along with INHS Herpetologists Michael Dreslik, Sarah Wylie, Chris Phillips and Dan Wylie. By studying this infection they hope to develop methods for treatment and prevention.

Letter in CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases

Link to INHS Herpetology Lab

Information on the Eastern Massasauga

Oscar Cadena-Castaneda, a graduate student at the Universidad Distrital Francisco Jos de Caldas in Bogot, Colombia has named a new species of mole cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) in honor of INHS entomologist Dr. Sam Heads. The new species, Scapteriscus headsi was described in a paper published on 12 December in the journal Zootaxa and can be found here:

Zootaxa website

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