Thoughts on Nature

Natural skirmish -- a poem

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:49:54 -0400

Woodcocks peent, peent, peent sounding like road runners

Human ears wait for the whirring feathers, then eyes squint and gaze into the sky as the shorebird circles higher and higher

Chirpity chirpy chirpy

The woodcock returns to the spot where he started

This evening, however, woodcocks are not sure about boundaries

After a few peents,

Two woodcocks fly into the sky in tandem

Wings noisy, gutteral syrinx noises

It is a fight to the top of the sky

They return, still in fight mode.

Then, all is quiet.

Who won?

It is too dark to see.

—Sheryl DeVore, Author

Long-eared owls heading back north

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:12:32 -0400

We’ve been lucky to see long-eared owls in northern Illinois this winter—now they’re heading north for breeding in the boreal forests and other areas. Very rarely, a pair will remain here to nest.

Chorus frogs signal spring

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:20:27 -0400

Here’s a story I wrote for TribLocal about chorus frogs. Are there any frogs singing in your neck of the woods?

Robins have been here all winter, but they're back now in our suburban backyards

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:25:30 -0400

Should Illinoisans pay state park entrance fees?

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:06:14 -0500

Read the story here

Let me know what you think. The photo below shows devastation at Illinois Beach State Park from last summer’s storm. Park is still not open to public.

rhamphotheca: fairy-wren: costa’s hummingbird (photo by...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:37:40 -0500

rhamphotheca:

fairy-wren: costa’s hummingbird (photo by angella parker)

Oh my gosh — how gorgeous!

llbwwb: Mori Point in May - AGrinberg @ flickr

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:40:44 -0500

llbwwb:

Mori Point in May - AGrinberg @ flickr

What's a four leaf clover?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:22:23 -0500

Find out more about this edible weed here.

Sandhill cranes return

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:01:00 -0500

As the snow, what little we had this year, melts, sandhill cranes are returning to their nesting grounds. This photo was posted on triblocal.com.

Cooper's Hawk not a bad guy

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:35:00 -0500

In regards to a recent story on the Chicago Tribune about Cooper’s hawks terrorizing ducks at a zoo, here’s some extra information: Cooper’s hawk was once endangered in the State of Illinois. When DDT was banned, its numbers began to rise and now it can be seen in neighborhoods where there are bird feeders and songbirds at the feeders. The Cooper’s hawk is much more apt to take a small songbird than a full grown duck. It is a natural part of the avifauna of Illinois.

Woodcock Walk

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:38:50 -0500

Coming in April — Walk with me and my husband to see the annual spring dance of woodcocks. Crazy aerial courtships displays! It’s April 6. sign up through the Chicago Botanic Garden. https://register.chicagobotanic.org/tickets/show.asp

Restoring oak woodlands

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:51:40 -0500

What did our oak woodlands look like before settlers came in? Learn that and more at this up and coming workshop:

http://triblocal.com/deerfield/community/stories/2012/02/restoring-the-future-saving-the-oak-woodlands/

The truth about four-leaf clovers....maybe

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:16:31 -0500

Look for a story soon on triblocal.com about four-leaf clovers and their origin. Below is a three-leaf clover. Coming soon….

The mighty oak needs our help

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:12:42 -0500

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wherever a mature oak grows, its fruits – the acorns – often can be found scattered on the forest floor. Because rarely does an oak tree produce more than a few acorns before age 20 and since it can take as many as 100 years for a tree to reach peak acorn production, acorns symbolize perseverance and patience. Able to live 150, 200 or even 500 years, oaks tie Americans to their heritage like no other tree species.

Wildflower Magazine published this and other stories about stately trees in a recent issue. I’m the author of the article about the mighty oak.

Take a look: Perfect trees

Rarest of the rare: New Illinois state nature preserve

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:39:27 -0500

It won’t overwhelm you like the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls. It’s not as big as Yellowstone Park. In fact, it’s probably not as large as a nearby forest preserve.

But to some, the 93-acre Dokum Mskoda Sedge Meadow Nature Preserve in Lake County is even more beautiful than a tropical rain forest, and to protect its rareness and subtle beauty, it was recently designated an Illinois State Nature Preserve.

Read my story on Chicago Tribune

The photo below was provided courtesy of the Liberty Prairie Conservancy

The truth about Groundhog Day

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:25:45 -0500

The real groundhogs in cold climates like that of Chicago are sleeping soundly in their hibernation dens. They don’t come out on Feb. 2 to see their shadow. Just thought you’d want to know.

Owls in love

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:12:20 -0500

It’s not only the time of year for humans to express their love. Great horned owls are doing the same, hooting at each other with their deep voices. By now, some female great horned owls are already sitting on eggs, which will hatch in a few months.

For more about these fascinating night-time creatures, see my article in TribLocal.

How I got the snake in a wine chiller story

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:15:40 -0500

TribNation, which tells readers how we journalists get our stories, asked me to write about the snakes in the wine chiller feature.

You can read it here:

Let me know: Do you love snakes or hate them?

Hey, how about a photo of a bucket of snakes for all those afraid of reptiles? Here ya go:

Snakes in a wine chiller

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:51:00 -0500

Here’s my latest nature story in the Chicago Tribune.

By Sheryl DeVore, Chicago Tribune

January 29, 2012

Dozens of snakes slumbering the winter away underneath abandoned railroad tracks faced a wake-up call that could have proved fatal.

A construction crew was preparing to repair the tracks near the decommissioned Zion Nuclear Power Station — work that would have disrupted their hibernation and exposed them to the frigid cold of a winter’s morning.

But thanks to two biologists and a schoolteacher with a warm spot for reptiles, nearly 200 garter, brown and western fox snakes have a new temporary home — a 6-foot-tall wine chiller in Lake Forest. The snakes now occupy the dark cool spaces usually reserved for fine chardonnays and cabernets.

For more, click here.

Do you like crows? Read this story from enature blog

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:03:00 -0500

Some of the largest numbers of crows can be found in winter roosting in Danville, Illinois. Each year they get counted around Christmastime, and typically the numbers are 100,000 to 200,000 or more. This roost number actually dropped when West Nile virus first came — giving folks a new appreciation for these loud, dark birds that are actually among the smartest of avian species.

For more, click here.