blog navigation

All Results

blog posts

  • Increase in Soil Moisture due to Recent Rains

    May 19, 2014 4:00 pm

    Recent rains across Illinois have led to increases in soil moisture levels, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • White Nose Syndrome found in three additional counties

    May 20, 2015 8:00 am

    White Nose Syndrome, the fungal disease that leads to mortality in bats, has now been confirmed in 11 counties in Illinois. First discovered in New York in 2006, the fungus has spread west, first being detected in Illinois in 2013. INHS Cave Biologist Steve Taylor told an NPR affiliate that, "between 2013 and 2015, it was like a 95 percent decrease in the number of bats at this site, which in 2013 was in excess of 25,000 bats."

  • Dogs find turtles that researchers can't

    May 24, 2012 8:00 am

    This past week INHS Herpetologist Chris Phillips enlisted the help of a team of 8 dogs to locate box turtles as part of a long term population study. The dogs, Boykin Spaniels, and their handler, John Rucker have helped researchers across the country locate box turtles. The study in Illinois is a collaborative effort between the INHS and the U of I College of Veterinary Medicine to monitor the health and ecology of the box turtle populations in an effort to conserve this species. Their small size, high energy, keen sense of smell and ability to fight through thorns enabled the dogs to out-turtle the humans 42 to 4 this week. They will return in June.

  • INHS botanists train volunteers at Midewin

    Jun 1, 2009 9:30 am

    INHS botanists (Rick Phillippe, Paul Marcum, Brenda Molano-Flores, Jason Zylka, Jamie Ellis, and Mary Ann Feist) conducted a one-day vegetation monitoring workshop at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Will Co. Illinois May 19, 2009. A total of 16 volunteers attended the training. The ultimate goal of the workshop was to give volunteers real life experience in quantitative vegetation data collection and analysis. During the morning, volunteers were shown how to set up transects and plots and to determine percent cover for species and functional groups. During the afternoon, volunteers learned how to analyze and interpret the data they had collected. Volunteers expressed that knowing the dos and don’ts of collecting field data will be extremely helpful when they assist Midewn staff during vegetation sampling. They also commented that, although somewhat overwhelming, they now know how the data they will collect will be used to make management recommendations at the site. This event was sponsored by the Nature Conservancy and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

  • Slow spring for soybean aphids

    Jun 1, 2011 8:00 am

    INHS Entomologist Dave Voegtlin conducted his annual spring survey for soybean aphids on buckthorn in Indiana and Michigan. He found the majority of locations had no soybean aphids and only a few sites had low numbers of colonies.

  • Illinois Had the Warmest Spring on Record

    Jun 1, 2012 7:45 pm

    Spring in Illinois-March, April, and May-was the warmest on record dating back to 1895, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey.

  • May Was Warm and Wet in Illinois

    Jun 1, 2015 2:45 pm

    Despite cool weather at times, May was 2.3 degrees above average on temperature and 1 inch above average on rainfall, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • May in Illinois: Warmer Than Average, Dry in the West

    Jun 2, 2014 4:00 pm

    The statewide average temperature for May in Illinois was 63.9 degrees F, which is 1.2 degrees above average. This is the first month for temperatures to be above average in Illinois since October 2013, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Fish Quality Index a "potential game changer"

    Jun 2, 2014 8:00 am

    Project F-69-R, also known as the “Sport Fish Population and Sport Fishing Metric” project, is developing a Fish Quality Index that will help fisheries biologists evaluate and compare the quality of sport fishing for various species in different water bodies. The collaborative project is headed by INHS Sport Fish Ecologist Jeff Stein. This information can be used to inform anglers of the best places to catch a particular species and to help fisheries biologists manage those species. Read more about Project F-69-R and the Sport Fish Ecology Lab's research projects.

  • Heavy Rains Strike Parts of Illinois in May

    Jun 2, 2016 7:45 pm

    The statewide average precipitation for May was 4.52 inches, just 0.08 inches below normal. However, heavy rains struck parts of Illinois, causing flooding. Some areas received up to 10 inches of precipitation by the end of the month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • May brought a cool end to a warm spring

    Jun 2, 2021 8:15 am

    May temperatures varied substantially across Illinois, with an average temperature 2.5 degrees below the 30-year normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • May brought spring and a taste of summer to Illinois

    Jun 2, 2022 11:00 am

    Illinois temperatures in May varied from periods of below average to periods of far above average, breaking records across the state, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. Rainfall was slightly below normal in May statewide.

  • Fifth Wettest Spring on Record

    Jun 3, 2009 11:15 am

    Wet conditions in March, April, and May resulted in 15.9 inches of rain, 4.5 inches above normal and the fifth wettest spring since statewide records began in 1895. May precipitation was 6.0 inches, 1.7 inches above normal and the 19th wettest May on record, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • rain on umbrella

    May 2019: Exceptionally wet and stormy across Illinois

    Jun 3, 2019 3:30 pm

    May 2019 will be a month remembered for exceptional, record-breaking wet conditions locally, as well as an active, stormy, and at times severe weather pattern across the state.

  • Wet Month Leads to Seventh Wettest Spring for Illinois

    Jun 6, 2011 12:45 am

    The statewide average rainfall for Illinois in May was 5.6 inches, 1.3 inches above average for the month. Combined with the 2.8 inches in March and 7.3 inches in April, the total rainfall for this spring was 15.7 inches. This is the seventh wettest spring on record since 1895 and 4.3 inches above average, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • ISWS Website for Water Supply Operators Offers New Social Media Features

    Jun 6, 2011 12:45 am

    Operators of water systems that serve small communities face many challenges:  overcoming compliance issues with few resources and a lack of money to train staff.  That’s where the Illinois State Water Survey’s www.smallwatersupply.org website can help.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Fourth Warmest Spring in Illinois

    Jun 11, 2010 1:15 am

    Based on preliminary data, the statewide average temperature for spring in Illinois was 55.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and the fourth warmest spring on record. Warmer than normal conditions prevailed in all three spring months of March (2.5 degrees above), April (6.2 degrees above), and May (1.3 degrees above), according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

  • Warmer, Drier Soils in Illinois the First Half of June

    Jun 16, 2017 3:00 pm

    Soil temperatures at depths of 4 inches under sod averaged 77.7 degrees in Illinois on June 14, 4.7 degrees above the long-term average.

  • Wet Soil Conditions Continue Throughout Illinois

    Jun 17, 2015 2:45 pm

    Soil conditions throughout Illinois remain wet as most of the state experienced higher than normal rainfall in the first two weeks of July, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Paleontologist Sam Heads in the lab

    A donation for the ages

    Jun 26, 2018 8:15 am

    A recent gift of thousands of fossils provides insights about a dynamic stage in the climatic evolution of North America.

  • High-density Network Measures Incredible Differences in Recent Heavy C-U Rains

    Jun 27, 2007 7:00 pm

    A high-density raingage network identified large differences in rainfall amounts from June 26-27 storms across Champaign County, Illinois. Amounts ranged from 2.58 inches just west of the I-57/I-72 interchange (west of Champaign) to less than 0.20 inch (southeast Urbana).

  • June in Illinois: Warmer and Wetter than Average

    Jul 1, 2014 3:00 pm

    The statewide average precipitation for June 2014 in Illinois was 6.78 inches, 2.58 inches above average and the 8th wettest June on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • rain on umbrella

    June 2019: Stormy and wet with a warm finish

    Jul 1, 2019 4:30 pm

    June 2019 will be a month remembered for a continuation of above average precipitation and near to seasonably cool temperatures, despite an unseasonably warm finish.

  • June brought all kinds of weather to start the summer in Illinois

    Jul 1, 2021 2:15 pm

    June in Illinois started out particularly warm and ended with above average rainfall from numerous storms, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Record June Rain, Flooding Inundates Midwest

    Jul 2, 2015 2:45 pm

    Heavy rain and flooding highlighted a wild month of June across the central portions of the Midwest.  The wettest state was Illinois, where a precipitation record that has stood for over 100 years was broken, according to Bryan Peake, service climatologist at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu), Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

  • June was mostly warm and dry across the state.

    Summer started mostly warm and dry in Illinois

    Jul 2, 2020 1:30 pm

    The preliminary statewide average June temperature was 73.7 degrees, 1.8 degrees above the 30-year normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. The preliminary statewide average total June precipitation was 3.70 inches, 0.51 inches below the 30-year normal.

  • June was Warm with Extreme Rainfall Variations across Illinois

    Jul 5, 2017 3:00 pm

    The average temperature for June in Illinois was 72.8 degrees, 0.9 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • End-of-June Rainfall Provides Remarkable Transformation

    Jul 6, 2007 7:45 pm

    "The most outstanding feature of June weather was the change from very dry conditions the first 18 days to very wet ones the rest of the month. As a result, crops, lawns, and gardens recovered quickly from abnormally dry conditions that began in May," says State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Statewide June precipitation in Illinois was 4.47 inches (0.39 inches above normal), and statewide temperatures were 72.7°F degrees (0.8°F above normal). "That's quite a switch from the first 18 days of June, only 1.03 inches statewide, less than half the 2.42-inch normal for that period. The last 12 days of June had 3.44 inches, about twice the 1.66-inch normal," says Angel.

  • Wet June for Illinois

    Jul 6, 2009 11:15 am

    Statewide June precipitation in Illinois was 5.3 inches, 1.2 inches above normal, and the 25th wettest June on record. The total precipitation for the first half of 2009 was 24.2 inches, 4.8 inches above normal, and the 14th wettest January–June on record for the state, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu).

  • Swarms of mayflies are short-lived

    Jul 6, 2011 4:00 pm

    INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich was interviewed about the infestation of mayflies long the Illinois River this week. After spending most of their life in the water, they emerge en masse, overwhelming predators, mate and then die, typically within 24 hours. According to Dietrich, mayflies are an environmental indicator for our rivers, so large numbers of them is a good thing.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • West Nile Virus confirmed in Evanston

    Jul 14, 2014 8:00 am

    The Illinois Natural History Survey Medical Entomology Lab has reported the first positive tests for West Nile Virus this year from samples collected in Evanston. For more information, visit the Medical Entomology Program website.

  • Record Wet Start to the Year in the Midwest

    Jul 16, 2013 2:30 am

    Following the drought-stricken 2012, the first six months of 2013 are off to a record wet start in much of the Midwest.  Year-to-date regional precipitation totals rank as the wettest January-to-June period on record (records start in 1895) for the Midwest, according to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu) at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

  • Soil Moisture High in Northern and East-Central Illinois

    Jul 16, 2014 3:00 pm

    Soils in northern and east-central Illinois are beginning to dry out after the rains of last weekend, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Japanese beetles thrive in human landscapes

    Jul 18, 2011 8:00 am

    According to INHS entomologist Chris Dietrich, Japanese beetles are generalists and will eat approximately 300 different types of plants, which is not unusual for an introduced species. Human lawns make perfect habitat for the grubs which feed on the roots of grass, but killing the grubs will do little, as adults will fly in from other yards.

  • Corn rootworm on the rebound?

    Jul 18, 2011 9:00 am

    After a couple of years with low levels of damage from Western Corn Rootworms, INHS Insect Behaviorist Joe Spencer and his colleagues have found significant damage to roots and a higher level of adult emergence compared to last year. For more information, visit Farms.com.

  • Japanese beetles spreading westward

    Aug 1, 2011 8:00 am

    INHS Entomologist and Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey coordinator Kelly Estes was interviewed about the spread of Japanese Beetles westward. Their ability to spread in a given year is dependent on fluctuating populations, which can be affected by rainfall. The best way to get rid of them is collecting them in a bucket of hot soapy water.

  • It's a Tie for the Coolest July on Record in Illinois

    Aug 1, 2014 3:00 pm

    The statewide average temperature for July was 70.3 degrees in Illinois, which ties the record for the coolest July set back in 2009, according to the Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Another very weather-active July in the books

    Aug 7, 2024 11:15 am

    After a drier than normal June, Hurricane Beryl and an active, stormy July resulted in statewide precipitation of 7.01 inches, 2.95 inches above the 1991-2020 average and the third wettest on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  • Soil Moisture Increased throughout Illinois Due to Recent Rains

    Aug 16, 2016 7:15 pm

    Recent rains increased soil moisture throughout the state, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

  • Mussel surveys help assess river health

    Aug 26, 2011 8:00 am

    INHS Malacologists Sarah Bales, Josh Sherwood and Amy Stultz were featured in an article in the Rockford Register Star. The team is one of three teams conducting statewide mussel surveys, documenting the location, size, age, sex and species of mussels they find. Mussels are an important part of the ecosystem, filtering pollutants, providing shelter to small organisms, as well as food for larger organisms such as raccoons and muskrats. By understanding the mussel populations in a location, biologists are better able to determine the health of that river.

  • ISTC and F&S staff sorting waste samples.

    ISTC assists U. of I. campus with waste characterization study

    Aug 28, 2024 11:15 am

    The ISTC Technical Assistance Program assisted with a waste characterization study that found that 34% of campus waste reviewed was avoidable. The report also made recommendations for waste reduction and improved management. Facilities & Services Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse said, “ISTC’s important and updated insight gives us the ability to turn their work into meaningful results that have an impact across campus. To accomplish our goals, we need to keep looking at how we can all continue to make progress by taking all available actions to properly reduce, reuse, and recycle where we study, work, recreate, and live.” 

  • Surveys to assess potential for Thousand Canker Disease on Illinois walnut trees

    Aug 29, 2011 8:00 am

    Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator Kelly Estes is sampling black walnuts across the state to monitor for the potential of Thousand Canker Disease. If you have black walnut stands on your property or know of stands, ICAPS asks that you submit that information for mapping purposes.

  • Near-Normal August after a Hot and Dry Summer for Illinois

    Aug 31, 2012 7:45 pm

    After months of exceptionally warm temperatures and drought, Illinois finally experienced temperatures and precipitation closer to normal in August, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • ISWS Partners on Project to Help Communities Prepare for Climate Extremes

    Sep 1, 2016 5:00 pm

    Climatologists from the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) are partnering with the American Planning Association in a two-year project to assist five Illinois pilot communities in preparing for more frequent climate extremes using current weather and climate data.

  • A Wet August Wraps Up a Cool, Wet Summer in Illinois

    Sep 2, 2014 3:45 pm

    The 12th wettest August in Illinois finishes out the 10th wettest summer on record. While August was slightly warmer than average, the summer was cooler than average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  • Western corn rootworm developing resistance to rotation

    Sep 4, 2013 8:30 am

    INHS Behavioral Entomologist Joe Spencer is looking at rotation-resistant western corn rootworms, which are causing severe injury to crops. Crops modified to resist infestation by insects and crop rotation are some of the methods to control injurious insects, but some rootworms have developed resistance to these mechanisms. Repeated use of the modified corn year after year has given the rootworms time to adapt. Producers are encouraged to watch their fields for injury. This story was reported in InvestorPlace and the Bulletin.