Field Notes

A guest Field Note by Matthew Cvetas, Illinois Young Birders Field Trip Coordinator

On April 22, seven members of the Illinois Young Birders and their families joined field trip leaders, Bob Fisher and Vicky Sroczynski, to explore the wetlands and wooded edges of the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes in Putnam County.

An April Field Note

How do you know the spring has arrived? One—the heavy coats and gloves are put away; two—you notice the first, brave flowers beginning to bloom. Many of these flowers are called spring ephemerals due to their short life cycle, lasting between 6-8 weeks. At this time of year at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, the Dore Seep is blooming with bluebells, Dutchman's breeches, trilliums, and ... invasive garlic mustard.

A February Field Note

With snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing, it might seem that restoration efforts are in hibernation – this isn't so. The frozen ground provides a great opportunity to access places, like the middle of a marsh, that are normally hard to get to due to the wet ground.

A December Field Note

In restoration work, the late fall and early winter months are often dedicated to cleaning collected seed and planting it on the ground. Most of the wetland and prairie seed can be collected starting in October, after seed development is completed and the plants have become dormant.