Our favorite take-aways from this spring's Pollinator Summit
At the recent Pollinator Summit, our ecologists picked up a few new ideas about how to restore land with pollinators in mind, and learned more about how pollinators restore the land themselves. Read on for our take-aways on soil scouting, goat grazing, our tiniest SuperVolunteers, and the 5,000 invertebrates under your feet at every step. >>
Why insects matter and what you can do about their decline
In the past few years, news of the decline of insect populations has raised alarm bells. Experts say the world is losing around 1 to 2 percent of its insects each year. By now, most people know pollinators are vital to making about a third of our food supply. But what about all the other insects — does this overall population decrease matter? >>
Invasives got your goat? Here's one way we're bucking buckthorn at Hampton Woods
Entertaining and adorable as they are, goats have found a serious and fitting profession in the ecological management world: consuming as much buckthorn and other invasive woody plants as possible. See how successful our crew was at Hampton Woods and learn more about this increasingly popular restoration method. >>
From buckthorn to endangered bumblebees, a habitat success story
We're thrilled that an FMR restoration site, a local woodland once choked with European buckthorn, now supports the rusty patched bumblebee, a federally endangered species. >>
A field ecology internship in the time of COVID-19
Our summer intern Michaela Hackbarth reflects on the gray catbird's call, how field work requires great people skills, and the expansive feeling at FMR habitat restoration sites. >>
Counting critters at Pine Bend Bluffs, our longest-running restoration
Over the last 20 years at Pine Bend Bluffs, we've converted a buckthorn forest to oak savanna and a Siberian elm canopy to prairie. Now we're monitoring the site to see how wildlife is responding. Since we restore lands largely to benefit animals (and plants), documenting critters is a valuable measure of success. And survey says: We've been pretty successful. >>
Spotting rare, native ladybugs
Lady beetles (also called ladybugs) are one of the most common insects we encounter in summer. They may be the first insects toddlers can identify, easily recognizable because of their bright red color and contrasting black spots. But almost all of the ladybugs you're likely to see aren't native. What happened to our 50 native species? >>
Who ate the sardines? A wildlife camera mystery
Ever wonder what goes on in the woods at night? One of our wildlife cameras recently gave us some clues. But we will need some more detective work to determine exactly who ate our sardine bait. >>
Winter insects and spiders
Warm winter days are a great time to see tiny creatures wandering the top of the snowpack. >>
Vermillion Falls Park: take a walk with walking fern
Where can you walk through a dry waterfall, find karst topography, encounter a walking fern, meet ancient bur oak trees and see the oldest operating flour mill in the state? Vermillion Falls Park in Hastings! Oh, and there's a large rushing waterfall here as well. >>