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Natural History Survey

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  • New species of springtail named for resemblance to Lord of the Rings villain

    Dec 30, 2014 8:00 am

    INHS Entomologist Felipe Soto-Adames and colleagues described a new species of Collembola, Trogolaphysa sauron. It is named for the dorsal pattern's resemblance to the helmet of Sauron, a character in Lord of the Rings, as represented in Peter Jackson's 2001 film. Their paper, released this week by the Journal of Insect Science, revises the taxonomy of the subfamily Paronellinae and describes the new species.

  • New study reveals evolutionary patterns of grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids over the past 300 million years

    Apr 8, 2015 8:00 am

    INHS Orthoperterist and Paleontologist Sam Heads was co-author on a recently published study determining the evolutionary relationships of the grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets. The current study is based on genetics rather than morphological characteristics.

  • New videos on InvertNet featuring INHS scientists at work

    May 31, 2012 8:00 am

    New videos about the InvertNet project, featuring Chris Dietrich, Chris Taylor, Andy Miller have been posted at the InvertNet Vimeo website. Learn about the collections and the field work that provides specimens to them at invertnet.org.

  • Man holding two large fungi

    North American checklist identifies the fungus among us

    Nov 28, 2018 9:15 am

    A new checklist of North American fungi published this month in the journal Mycologia “provides the basis for understanding our national mycoflora,” according to mycologist Andrew Miller, who led the effort to compile the data.

  • a deer

    Occurrence of hemorrhagic disease in Illinois: Four decades of spatial and temporal changes

    Aug 1, 2022 9:15 am

    For Outdoor Illinois Journal, scientists in the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory review the evolving understanding of two vector-borne viral disease affecting both domestic and wild ruminants in Illinois—bluetongue  and epizootic hemorrhagic disease.

  • Of lice and men (and chimps): Study tracks pace of molecular evolution

    Jan 8, 2014 2:30 pm

  • On the hunt for first flower of spring

    Mar 5, 2010 11:45 am

    Environmental Almanac, written by Rob Kanter, describes searching for skunk cabbage. Kanter, along with INHS Wetland Plant Ecologist Rick Larimore, headed out to the Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area in Vermilion County to see this "first flower" of spring. Kanter and Larimore were successful in their quest to find skunk cabbage. Skunk cabbage is able to bloom so early in the year because it generates enough heat to grow in the frozen ground. It gets it's name from the rotting flesh smell it exudes to attract ground pollinating insects. 

  • Osprey being brought back to Illinois

    Jul 12, 2013 8:00 am

    INHS Ornithologist Tara Beveroth is assisting the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as they work to restore osprey populations in Illinois. Five nestling osprey were brought from Langley Airforce Base in Virginia to the Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur, where they were given health assessments, fed, measured, and banded. This it the first of a series of osprey translocations over the next ten years.

  • Over time, an invasive plant loses its toxic edge

    Sep 1, 2009 4:15 pm

    Dr. Richard Lankau and plant ecologist Greg Spyreas, both of the Illinois Natural History Survey, just published an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) about the potency of garlic mustard over time. Garlic mustard is an invasive species that injects a toxin into the soil. Research conducted by INHS researchers indicates that over time the toxin becomes less potent.

  • Owls eat roadkill, research finds

    Nov 18, 2019 9:30 am

    Owls have never been known as scavengers that eat decaying flesh, but the behavior is more widespread than once believed, according to University of Illinois researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) who photographed owls scavenging in the night.

  • Pat Charlebois honored as Professional of the Year by Illinois Invasive Species Awareness Month Committee

    Jun 9, 2014 8:00 am

    INHS Lake Michigan Biological Station's Aquatic Invasive Species oordinator, Pat Charlebois, was honored as Professional of the Year by the Illinois Invasive Species Awareness Month Committee.

  • Periodical cicadas possibly to emerge in southern Illinois this year

    May 15, 2015 8:00 am

    INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich was interviewed about the emergence of 13 and 17 year cicadas this spring in southern Illinois. It is uncertain how abundant they will be, as “the cicadas require forest habitats, so they are not found out in open areas or areas that have been paved, or where the trees have been removed, so they’re really going to be restricted to areas where there is natural forest.”

  • "Periodic table for flies" mapped

    Mar 17, 2011 10:00 pm

    The Fly Tree of Life project has mapped the 260-million-year evolution of the order Diptera. The 152,000 named species of flies are ecologically important as disease vectors, pollinators, and decomposers and this groundbreaking project will facilitate future research into the convergent evolution of traits such as blood feeding and wing-loss. Read the study's abstract here.

  • PhD entomology student receives 2018 Luckmann Award

    Apr 18, 2018 1:45 pm

  • Planting native plants may reduce risk of west nile virus

    Jul 1, 2015 8:00 am

    A recent study by INHS graduate student Allison Gardner, INHS Medical Entomologist Ephantus Juma Muturi and their colleagues found that leaf detritus in standing water can influence reproduction in mosquitoes. Leaves from invasive honeysuckle and autumn olive, yielded higher emergence of adult Culex pipiens mosquitoes (the vector for West Nile Virus). Leaves of native blackberry resulted in high numbers of eggs, but low adult emergence.

  • Positive tests for West Nile

    Jul 12, 2013 8:00 am

    Mosquito samples from Morton Grove tested positive for West Nile Virus at the INHS Medical Entomology Lab.

  • Tagging a turkey with a GPS monitor

    Prescribed fires affect wild turkey habitat selection

    Oct 5, 2021 1:30 pm

    Prescribed fires used to improve the health of forests influence where wild turkeys choose to nest and roam, according to recent research at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS). It turns out that turkeys prefer a variety of forest conditions, from non-burned plots to forests burned each year.

  • Preserving nature through art

    Mar 19, 2010 2:00 pm

    Smile Politely has an excellent article discussing the visiting art exhibit, "Nature Sketches by Gladys and Ruth Dudley", currently on display at the Forbes Natural History Building. In the article, INHS biological control specialist Sue Post discusses what makes the sketches in the collection so fascinating. The exhibit will be on display through the spring. No special arrangements or fees are needed to view the sketches, which on on display in the first-floor North West hallway.

  • Preventing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in deer

    Feb 8, 2008 8:00 am

    Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, epidemiologist with INHS, recently spoke with Eilee Heikenen-Weiss for the Eight Forty-Eight program on Chicago Public Radio. The show discusses Chronic Wasting Disease in deer and DNR efforts to sample populations and prevent the spread of the disease. View the transcript or listen the audio* for the January 17, 2008 episode. * Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of animal dissection

  • PRI experts help assess climate change impact on Illinois

    Apr 21, 2021 2:15 pm

    Illinois is undergoing a rapid change in weather patterns that has started to transform the state, according to a new scientific assessment by The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. Scientific experts from across PRI contributed to the report, including Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford; Water Survey scientists Daniel Abram, Walt Kelly, Momcilo Markus, Sally McConkey, and Ashish Sharma; and Natural History Survey scientists Sergiusz Czesny, Jim Ellis, Chris Stone, and John Taft.

    Read more about the report and its findings from the Nature Conservancy.

  • a hand clad in a purple latex glove holds a small snake against a grassy backdrop

    PRI offers applied science internships for summer 2022

    Jan 28, 2022 8:00 am

    PRI is offering hands-on summer internships that will enable undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois to explore careers in applied science. There are opportunities in atmospheric science and climate; biology, ecology, and environmental science; geology; sustainable energy; and water supply and safety. To see all of the internship options and to apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/PRI-interns

  • PRI projects and data boost agricultural producers’ productivity

    Sep 9, 2021 9:15 am

    With some of the best farmland in the country, Illinois has a competitive advantage over other states in the agriculture sector. The Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois is leveraging this advantage, investing in Illinois’ agriculture economy by offering programs, tools, and research projects to support producers and address current farming issues.

  • PRI scientists provide winter soil conditions and an insect pest forecast for Illinois

    Mar 14, 2022 9:30 am

    Near-average winter soil and air temperatures are an indication that crop insect pests may have survived the cold in Illinois, according to scientists Jennie Atkins and Kelly Estes at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois.

  • Program gathers data to combat tickborne disease in Illinois

    Mar 29, 2018 11:30 am
  • An eastern red bat.

    Project succeeds in increasing east-central Illinois bat population

    Oct 27, 2020 8:00 am

    Thirty minutes before sunset, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) scientists and volunteers set up chairs in the prairie grass at Coles County’s Warbler Ridge Nature Preserve, look up at the summer twilight sky, and wait for the bat show to begin. Soon, the bats emerge from their bat houses to feed and fly off into the night. A good showing of bats is exciting news for the scientists: bat-focused habitat conservation efforts have proven to be effective in attracting and nurturing bat populations, but this work can take time to pay off.

  • Public symposium to coincide with Catalogue of Life global team meeting

    Nov 2, 2012 9:00 am

  • Purple martin migration behavior perplexes researchers

    Sep 30, 2019 9:15 am

    Purple martins will soon migrate south for their usual wintertime retreat, but this time the birds will be wearing what look like little backpacks, as scientists plan to track their roosting sites along the way.

  • Rare salamander sparks excitement in INHS herpetologists

    Nov 9, 2012 8:00 am

    INHS Herpetologist Chris Phillips was interviewed for a recent installment of Environmental Almanac. Phillips was contacted by a photographer who captured an image of an elusive, fully aquatic amphibian known as a siren, being eaten by a Great Blue Heron in Vermilion County. Sirens are known from southern Illinois but have never been detected by the extensive INHS herpetological surveys of Vermilion County over the past 20 years. Phillips said, "It goes to show you there are still some surprises out there for a herpetologist in the Midwest."

  • Rare shrimp found in Des Plaines River

    Feb 5, 2013 8:00 am

    INHS Astracologist Christopher Taylor and INHS Ichthyologist Emeritus Larry Page were interviewed about an unusual animal found during aquatic surveys in Lake County in NE Illinois. Lake County Forest Preserve staff turned up a "Palaemonetes kadiakensis," glass shrimp or Mississippi grass shrimp, whose range is typically further south. Taylor said that there are only five species of freshwater shrimp in North America and this particular species has adapted to live further north than the others. Page added that this species is usually found in cleaner streams, so this could be a good sign for the health of Des Plaines River.

  • Recent surveys find few of once-common bat species

    Sep 10, 2019 3:30 pm

    Bat species that used to be common in Illinois are scarce in recent surveys, sending up a red flag.

  • Recorded bird calls entice warblers to nest in conservation areas

    Oct 10, 2017 10:15 am

    Some species of migrating songbirds return each year to their favorite summer home in the Midwest, where food and nesting sites are plentiful. A University of Illinois scientist and a biologist from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources found that recorded birdsongs could coax endangered Kirtland’s warblers to a new breeding site hundreds of miles from their usual destination for their own protection.

  • Relationship between conservationists and Papua New Guinea villagers more than just monetary

    Dec 21, 2015 8:00 am

    INHS Post doctoral researcher Bridget Henning, had a paper published recently looking at market-based conservation in Papua New Guinea. Her research found that although villagers were concerned with the condition of the forest, they placed more emphasis on their relationship with conservationists, expecting conservationists to be present in the village, reciprocate their hospitality, participate in customary ceremonies, and respond to requests for material goods. This research explained that the relationship that maintained the conservation project was not market-based, it was a customary Melanesian exchange relationship that involved material goods, social interactions, and moral obligations.

  • Remnant prairies protected by railroads

    Oct 8, 2012 10:00 am

    INHS Plant Ecologist Bill Handel has been surveying railroad prairies for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for years. The data Handel and his colleagues at INHS gather are used by IDOT and other state agencies to protect native habitats when planning construction projects, mowing along roadways, and applying pesticides. 

  • Report: Milkweed losses may not fully explain monarch butterfly declines

    Mar 13, 2017 8:00 am

    Steep declines in the number of monarch butterflies reaching their wintering grounds in Mexico are not fully explained by fewer milkweeds in the northern part of their range, researchers report in a new study.

  • Researchers describe crayfish conservation concerns and strategies

    Jan 30, 2020 8:45 am

    Whether you call them crayfish, crawfish, or crawdad, this creature needs protection nationwide to prevent extinction, according to Chris Taylor, Illinois Natural History Survey curator at the University of Illinois. In a recent article published in the journal Hydrobiologia, Taylor and colleagues have outlined possible strategies for conservation practices to protect crayfish from invasive species, habitat changes, and potential overexploitation.

  • Researchers find link between avian malarial infections and body condition in migrating ducks

    Jun 13, 2018 4:15 pm
  • Researchers studied bobcat population in Wisconsin.

    Researchers find that data from hunters can help assess bobcat population

    Jun 11, 2020 12:00 pm

    Wildlife managers track animal groups to control populations and determine the number of permits provided to hunters and trappers each year. Whether data are taken from the forest or from hunter surveys, their accuracy is necessary to inform conservation, according to Javan Bauder, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Illinois’ Illinois Natural History Survey.

  • Researchers move endangered mussels to save them

    Sep 10, 2013 9:00 am

  • Researchers need your brown marmorated stink bugs

    Oct 1, 2013 12:00 pm

    Fall is the time for many insects to start making their ways indoors for the winter. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys is believed to have been introduced from Asia and can be a pest on tress and crops. Researchers are still trying to determine the range of the BMSB and need your help. If you believe you have BMSB, we would be very interested in looking at it.

  • Researchers photograph bats under bridges with a borescope

    Oct 9, 2018 2:30 pm

  • Researchers Reconstruct the Stonefly Fauna of Ohio

    Dec 13, 2016 8:00 am

    The aquatic nymphs of stoneflies are indicators of water and habitat quality and quantity. Loss of this habitat is resulting in rapid decline of many species, which are at serious risk of disappearing from agricultural and urban areas of the Midwest, according to Ed DeWalt, aquatic entomologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Researchers rescued stranded mussels on the Vermilion River

    Aug 31, 2018 11:00 am
  • Matthew Niemiller

    Researchers sample a DC swamp to study a spineless creature

    Jun 19, 2017 9:45 am

    INHS ecologist Matthew Niemiller led a recent study that used an environmental DNA approach to search for Hay’s Spring amphipod in its Rock Creek Park home. “It’s not a cute, cuddly or charismatic species. But we’re still learning more and more about groundwater ecosystems. And there is evidence that these crustaceans are important indicators of groundwater quality, and may play important roles in water purification and nutrient cycling over time.”

  • Researchers survey and study mosquito vectors for the Zika virus in Illinois

    Sep 7, 2017 9:15 am

    Researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey are surveying and collecting adult female mosquitoes in Illinois and testing how effective insecticides are against them, particularly the Asian tiger mosquito, a species capable of transmitting the Zika virus.

     

  • Researchers suspect that nightjars are declining in Illinois

    Sep 25, 2017 1:45 pm

    Although the Eastern Whip-poor-will is rarely seen, its distinct call occasionally can be heard in forests from dusk until dawn. Once common, Whip-poor-wills and other nocturnal nightjar species are disappearing from Illinois forests as their habitats shrink and change, according to data from the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), a division of the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute.

  • Asian tiger mosquito

    Researchers track the invasive Asian tiger mosquito in Illinois

    Aug 26, 2022 1:30 pm

    The exotic Asian tiger mosquito, known to transmit diseases to humans, is more widespread in southeastern Illinois than previously realized, according to Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) researchers who conducted a study on how invasive mosquito communities form and shift because of different land uses.

  • Researchers track the secret lives of feral and free-roaming house cats

    Jun 9, 2011 4:00 pm

    A team of University of Illinois researchers, including INHS wildlife veterinary epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and mammalogist Ed Heske, conducted a two-year radio telemetry and activity tracking project on 42 adult cats in Central Illinois to answer that question. They found that pet cats spent only 3 percent of their time engaged in highly active pursuits, such as running or stalking prey while un-owned (feral) cats were highly active 14 percent of the time. Even feral cats stayed near human structures, according to Mateus-Pinilla. The study, "Home range, habitat use, and activity patterns of free-roaming domestic cats" was published in The Journal of Wildlife Management.

  • Researchers on a boat

    Research fieldwork comes with safety challenges

    May 31, 2022 8:45 am

    Prairie Research Institute (PRI) researchers and technicians may not know exactly which hazards they’ll face when they conduct fieldwork to study the natural world. What they do know is that there are plenty of dangers to prepare for as they start another field season.

  • Research finds that male largemouth bass should be released quickly

    Apr 16, 2014 8:00 am

    A recent study by INHS Sport Fisheries Ecologist Jeff Stein suggests that anglers involved in catch and release fishing should release male largemouth bass as quickly as possible to return to nest guarding. For more information, visit the Sportfish Ecology Lab website.

  • Research on diving ducks continues

    Apr 5, 2013 8:00 am

    Researchers at the INHS Forbes Biological Station have banded lesser scaup over the past two seasons to examine their use of restored habitats. Director Heath Hagy hopes to have funding to continue taking blood samples to look at metabolites and contaminants in the birds. “There are a lot of scaup here,” Hagy said. “We are catching 200-400 per day and we are only getting 10-20 recaptures, so there are a ton of birds out there."