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New uses for old docks?  Tiny, microscopic biofilm on the roots of wetland plant communities?  Susan McIntyre, a plant ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, joins us to talk about how dock frames were used to construct floating wetlands in a lake ecosystem.  We talk about water quality issues that floating wetlands can address, plant choices for floating wetlands, and the interesting wildlife they attract.  We also point out that roots rule during this episode!  Learn More  Building a Living Laboratory on a LakeWild MileShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Is your yard compliant?  Don't be fooled by the title - we have a fun time chatting about municipal codes and our native plant gardens during this episode with Brodie Dunn, Illinois Extension Wildlife & Pollinator Outreach Associate.  Find out where to find the rules that may cover your native garden, learn best practices to apply within your own yard, and we even chat about some good and bad plant choices.  Join us! Learn more Listening to Illinois Wildlife Everyday Environment episodeVoice of the Wild podcastIllinois Wildside blogIllinois pollinator plant selector toolShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Many of us invite birds to our landscapes - sometimes there is joy and sometimes there is frustration when birds begin to nest near our homes in the spring. Join us during this episode as we talk to Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Kim Rohling, about what to do in the fall to prepare our homes and landscapes for spring nesting birds. Learn more Merlin bird ID appeBird bird recordkeeping appIllinois Extension Pollinator Plant Selector ToolNational Wildlife Federation Native Plant FinderCornell BirdLab Right Bird, Right HouseFall Migration Mini-Sit Birdwatching Event - Cache River Wetlands Natural Area, Cypress ILShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Before central heating and cooling became a standard feature of many homes, there was a greater emphasis on designing homes and their yards to provide natural climate control. This was accomplished by taking advantage of the heating effects of solar radiation during the winter along with the cooling effects of shade and natural air flows during the summer. As we see more extreme cold and heat events in Illinois and as energy bills continue to rise, it’s a good time to revisit how your landscaping is contributing to your home’s climate control and energy efficiency. Chat with Energy Specialist Andrea Wagner, and Natural Resources Educator Jay Solomon to learn about how we can use landscaping to our advantage to save a few bucks as extreme weather becomes more commonplace. Resources:  Energy Website from Illinois ExtensionSelecting Trees to Plant in IllinoisUnder the Canopy Tree guides can be found at your local Illinois Extension office. Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

EO Wilson famously called insects the "little things that run the world." Dr. Ken Johnson, Illinois Extension horticulture educator, joins us this week to solve our insect challenges.  Insects perform numerous services within our ecosystems, but how do we respond when insects start to "bug" us? Mosquitos on your patio, wasps by your door, and ticks in your yard - all these topics are discussed around the table this week on Everyday Environment. Resources Managing mosquitoes at homeVoice of the Wild - Yellow billed cuckooWILSON, E.O. (1987), The Little Things That Run the world* (The Importance and Conservation of Invertebrates). Conservation Biology, 1: 344-346. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1987.tb00055.xFabian, S.T., Sondhi, Y., Allen, P.E. et al. Why flying insects gather at artificial light. Nat Commun 15, 689 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44785-3. Check out Ken on the Good Growing podcast and blog!Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Today we chat with Chris Enroth, horticulture educator for Illinois Extension, about how we can approach our lawn care with fewer inputs. We chat about why we even have lawns, top tips for a healthy lawn with fewer inputs, demystifying seed mixes, and how to shrink your lawn to support pollinators and other wildlife. We get in the weeds this episode and have a fun discussion with lots of examples from our own yards. Check out Chris on the Good Growing podcast and blog! Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

When we talk nature-based solutions, trees can be the answer to many problems! Trees planted in our landscapes can deal with a lot of problems though. This week we chat with Horticulture Educator Sarah Vogel about the complexities of the question "what's wrong with my tree?" and what we can do to help set our trees up for success in the long term. Learn moreFor more tips on tree care, use resources like Illinois Extension’s Tree Maintenance Schedule, or USDA Forest Service’s Tree Owner’s Manual.  Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

We're kicking off our nature-based solution season with guest Amy Powers, who is a garden coach and social media influencer in the Chicago region. We had a blast chatting with Amy about how we can work with nature rather than against in our home gardens. We talk about native plants, fall garden care, and the importance of paying attention to how we communicate when talking with others about incorporating nature-based solutions. Check out Amy's videos at Powers Plants on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @Powers_Plants Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Join the Everyday Environment team for our fifth season chatting with experts, researchers, and professionals in the environmental field. Erin, Amy, and Abigail go over the theme for season five and the very exciting guests they have in store. Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

For our final episode of our invasive species season we have something a little different: we're sharing the recording of an invasive species livestream we hosted on Facebook with Chris Evans, answering your invasive species questions! Get the answers to your questions about managing different species, communicating about invasives, regulations, and more. Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

After decades of draining the land for agriculture, restoring water to The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve helped recreate high quality wetland, lake, and marsh habitats that were once common along the Illinois River. Maintaining these high-quality habitats requires monitoring and effectively managing invasive species. This episode's discussion will focus primarily on our efforts to better understand and manage the common carp population at Emiquon to reduce negative impacts on water quality and vegetative habitats. Resources mentioned:  Emiquon PreserveRamsar sitesEmiquon Preserve Monitoring at Forbes Biological StationShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Abigail and Amy chat with Aishwarya Veerabahu, a mycologist and PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enlightens us with the issues surrounding the golden oyster mushroom, a representative of the fungi kingdom , one kingdom we haven't discussed.   We explore the rapid spread of the golden oyster mushroom across eastern North America, what happens when an invasive fungus moves into native woodland ecosystems, and why mushrooms growing on dead trees can tell us a lot about forest health. Plus, we somehow end up debating the difference between a rock pigeon and a mourning dove, so, bird experts we need your help to clear up the discussion about rock pigeons vs rock doves vs mourning doves in our Everyday Observations. Resources Research publication: Invasive golden oyster mushrooms are disrupting native fungal communities as they spread throughout North America University of Wisconsin Pringle Lab Golden Oyster Mushroom project Golden oyster culinary background and how best to cook it from Chef Alan BergoShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Join Steve Butler, Biologist at the Kaskaskia Biological Field Station, as he discusses invasive carp (silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and black carp) and their reproducing populations throughout much of the Mississippi River basin. This set of fish have altered the structure and function of aquatic food webs, thereby impacting native fish assemblages.  Due to concerns about the impacts of invasive carp on aquatic ecosystems and the risks of these species spreading into the Great Lakes via the Illinois River and the Chicago Area Waterway System, considerable efforts have been undertaken to understand the ecology of these invasive fishes and implement management strategies to limit their continued expansion and mitigate their ecological impacts. Resources:  Invasive Carp Regional Coordinator CommitteeManaging Invasive Carp from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceInvasive Carp CanadaNon-indigenous Aquatics Database:  Silver Carp, Bighead Carp, Grass Carp, Black CarpShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

Join us as we chat with Dr. Theresa Culley, a genetic researcher from the University of Cincinnati. We discuss the genetics of invasives and how genetics helps solve the puzzle of how different invasive species have escaped from managed spaces. Discover the stories of buckthorn, wintercreeper, Callery pear and much more. Listen to Erin and Abigail's minds be blown by the diversity of genetic options for "escape." Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives

During this episode of Everyday Environment, hosts Amy and Erin chat with Kelly Estes from the Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. We learn about how the CAPS program works and surveys for invasive pests in our state. Resources IL CAPS programPest TrackerShare your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected]  Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives