Northwest Illinois Prairie Enthusiasts - NIPE

12/21/2025

Happy Solstice, prairie friends!

10/08/2025

The harvest moon in JoDaviess County, Illinois.

09/18/2025

09/03/2025

Diseases like canine distemper and competition with coyotes have likely contributed to a noticeable decline in the Illinois gray fox population. After reviewing all available data—hunter and trapper harvest data, Archery Deer Hunters Survey trends and SIU-C research project findings—the Illin...

08/31/2025

We are hiring!

We are hiring a full-time Operations Coordinator for our dedicated team based in Viroqua, Wisconsin. We seek a team member who is goal-oriented, eager to serve, supportive of the mission of The Prairie Enthusiasts, and dedicated to growing with us. The ideal candidate is passionate about The Prairie Enthusiasts’ mission, highly organized, and values collaboration.

To learn more, click here: https://theprairieenthusiasts.org/employment-opportunities/

Photo by Helen Holtz

08/20/2025

A little golden rod tutorial this morning.

08/07/2025

I'm declaring it National Liatris Day. Here's some great information about them.

A few years ago, botanist and Prairie Enthusiast Rob Baller captured blazing star (Liatris spp.) in Wisconsin from early August (bottom left) to late August (bottom right) using the "blue sky" technique.

You can hear about blazing star and these images from Rob himself:

Here are the four Liatris species most likely to be seen on our beloved Wisconsin prairie remnants. All are members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). All have tiny pink to magenta flowers bundled into ‘floral cups’, with outer bracts on those cups that form layers like shingles, and positively identify the species. Good eyesight is helpful. All species bloom from the top down. They are discussed here in their order of seasonal blooming.

Dwarf blazing star (Liatris cylindracea)

Late July or early August. Shorter than knee high. Flower bundles loosely alternating up the stems, each bundle waving on a brief stalk more or less as long as the flower cup itself. Floral bracts are rounded like fingernails, with sharp points on each, adhering to the cup and never lifting away. Dry limey prairie.

Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) aka ‘gayfeather’

Late July or early August. Knee to waist high. Flowers bundles spaced tightly on the stalk, the whole appearing like a rosy, feathery cattail. Floral bracts triangular, pointed, peeling away. Wet prairie, sometimes mixed into wetlands denoting where the ground is solid enough to stand on.

Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)

Mid to late August, early September. Knee to waist high. No stalks connecting flower bundles to the main stem (sessile). Floral bracts distinctly rounded and cupping, creating a 3-D texture. Dry mesic to dry prairie, often in sand.

Showy blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis)

In my experience the least common of these. Mid to late August. Waist high. Very similar to L. aspera, except lower flower bundles are born on stalks about as long as the flowers. Mesic to dry prairie. Champion butterfly attractor.

07/24/2025

Soggy bottoms in the prairie today. Let's learn about one if my favorite plants, rattlesnake master.

Rattlesnake master, a member of the carrot family with yucca-like leaves and thistle-like flower heads!

This plant’s leaves are bluish-green, long, narrow, and covered with a waxy coating. They have parallel veins and filiform teeth on the edges, which makes them pretty noticeable… almost as if they don’t belong in Midwestern prairies and meadows. In fact, they might remind you of the desert.

Rattlesnake master flowers have a subtle honey-like scent and look like thistle. The flower stalks are usually less than four feet in height and have spherical heads with a dense aggregation of tiny greenish-white flowers. The leaves surrounding the flower heads are tiny, sharp, and pointed.

The plant’s name comes from the erroneous belief of white settlers that this plant can cure rattlesnake bite. The plant’s sap and roots have been used by Indigenous Nations to treat a variety of illnesses, such as fevers, spasms, urinary issues, and breathing problems but not rattlesnake bites. The fibrous leaves can also be weaved to make ropes, sandals, and baskets.

What signs of summer do you see? Visit us for a hike or take a walk around your neighborhood looking for cyclical events influenced by seasonal changes.

Photo: Aldo Leopold Nature Center

07/23/2025

Since it's too hot to play prairie today, let's learn about one of the neatest plants out there, lead plant.

07/22/2025

Good advice! These gentlemen are awesome!

07/22/2025

A cool Monday morning for a day on the prairie. A couple of great blue herons honored me with a fly over.
Going to have some brutal heat this week - stay hydrated prairie folks! You're already 'cool.' 🙂

07/15/2025

A day on the prairie. Monitoring a private easement. So glad I didn't face plant into this! Extraordinarily large ant colony; busy ants everywhere. Measures about 2 feet across.