Prairie Research Institute

blog posts

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  Illinois otters have highest dieldrin levels

  Feb 7, 2014 8:00 am

  INHS Researcher Samantha Carpenter was featured in an article in Michigan State University's Great Lakes Echo, about the high levels of dieldrin and other contaminants in the bodies of river otters. Carpenter was lead author on a study published in October in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.

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  ISTC Farm to Food Bank project publishes case studies highlighting recent collaborations

  Feb 28, 2023 4:15 pm

  The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center's Farm to Food Bank project recently published six case studies of their work with farmers during the 2022 growing season. Each case study includes a summary of the project, as well as lessons learned.

• New director starts May 1, 2008

  Mar 4, 2008 12:00 am
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  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.

• Heavy Rain in Southern Illinois Results in Widespread Flooding

  Mar 19, 2008 7:15 pm

  A storm system moving slowly through southern Illinois since March 17 has produced rainfall totals that have already exceeded 8 inches in some places south of Interstate 70, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

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  Temperature swings were typical for March in Illinois

  Apr 1, 2022 2:30 pm

  As is typical for March weather, Illinois temperatures varied from day to day, with an average statewide temperature 1.5 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey. March average precipitation was 1.32 inches above normal.

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  Are Illinois farmers aware of the risk of tick-borne diseases?

  Apr 6, 2023 2:45 pm

  Tick-borne illnesses like ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are on the rise in Illinois, and outdoor workers like farmers are at higher risk than those who spend more time indoors. 

  blog post

  blog postsTick-borne illnesses like ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are on the rise in Illinois, and outdoor workers like farmers are at higher risk than those who spend more time indoors. 

  Tick-borne illnesses like ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are on the rise in Illinois, and outdoor workers like farmers are at higher risk than those who spend more time indoors. 

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  Double the traps, double the turkeys

  Apr 11, 2018 11:15 am
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  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.

• First comprehensive treatise on leafhopper genus Zyginama published

  Apr 17, 2008 3:30 am
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  PRI executive director Praveen Kumar elected as 2023 AAAS Fellow

  Apr 18, 2024 10:15 am

  Seven University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors have been elected 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among the 502 scientists, engineers and innovators recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society.  

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  April 2019: An active weather pattern and late-season snow

  May 1, 2019 4:30 pm

  April 2019 will be a month remembered for a continuation of an active and stormy weather pattern across Illinois, with two short-lived, yet notable and uncommon late-season snow events which impacted many in the northern portions of the state.

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  Could Legionnaires' bacteria lurk in idled buildings?

  May 1, 2020 5:00 pm

  Many businesses are closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and some building managers have shut off water and air conditioning to conserve resources. Warmth and lack of clean water flow can contribute to the growth of potentially dangerous microbes, including the bacteria that contribute to Legionnaires’ disease. ISTC chemist and industrial water treatment specialist Jeremy Overmann spoke with the News Bureau's Diana Yates about the problem and potential solutions.

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  How does climate change affect global bird reproduction?

  May 1, 2023 2:15 pm

  A new study reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences assessed changes in the reproductive output of 104 bird species between 1970 and 2019. Illinois Natural History Survey avian ecologist Jeff Hoover, a co-author of the paper, discusses the findings and how climate change is altering bird ecology and health around the world. 

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  Brown marmorated stink bug in Illinois

  May 2, 2011 8:00 am

  The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is a new invasive species being found in Illinois that is getting a lot of media attention. INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich discussed the bugs in the Geneva Republican, stating that with no natural predators, these bugs can become a nuisance species. He adds that, “They’re actually considered a delicacy in some parts of Mexico.” Illinois Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Entomologist, Kelly Estes was interviewed about the bugs on WGLT - Bloomington NPR affiliate and WILL 580. This species has been confirmed in Cook, Kane, Champaign and McLean counties but scientists are still determining the extent of its spread. She asks that if you think you have this (or other pest species) send her a photo or the actual specimen for positive identification. She can be contacted at invasives@inhs.illinois.edu.

• Warmest April on Record for Illinois

  May 3, 2010 1:15 am

  Based on preliminary data, the statewide average temperature for Illinois in April was 58.4 degrees, 6.2 degrees above normal and the warmest April on record. This beats the old record of 58.2 degrees set in 1955, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

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  April brought a mix of winter, spring, and summer weather

  May 3, 2021 12:45 pm

  Illinois temperatures varied considerably in April from way above to significantly below normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

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  Scouting for Black Cutworm Moth Larvae

  May 8, 2012 8:00 am

  Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator Kelly Estes advises that corn growers should begin inspecting for damage from Black Cutworm Moth larvae. Based on adult moth captures in March and April, larvae should be nearing the leaf-cutting stage. For more information, check out this Cutworm Fact Sheet.

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  Cats pass disease to wildlife, even in remote areas

  May 13, 2011 1:00 pm

  INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and graduate students Shannon Fredebaugh recently published a study that found that even in remote parts of a natural area, cats spread disease to wildlife. Their study, Allerton Park in Monticello, does not have bobcats which strongly suggests feral house cats are responsible for spreading the feline dependent Toxoplasma gondii parasite.  Infection by the parasite causes neurological problems and possible death in humans and other animals. "If one infected cat defecates there, any area can become infected," Fredebaugh said. "It just takes one cat to bring disease to an area."

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  Monitoring for Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

  May 26, 2015 8:00 am

  Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey director Kelly Estes was asked about Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, native to Asia, currently found in the eastern United States. Estes explained that BMSB are good hitchhikers, able to be transported by people and packages. This, and other species will be discussed during the Invasive Species Symposium this Thursday at University of Illinois.

• A Wet May, Spring, and Year to Date for Illinois

  Jun 3, 2013 2:30 am

  The statewide precipitation for May was 6.87 inches, 2.25 inches above the long-term average, and the 12th wettest May on record, according to Jim Angel, Illinois State Climatologist at the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

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  Scientists find world’s oldest fossil mushroom

  Jun 7, 2017 4:30 pm

  Roughly 115 million years ago, when the ancient supercontinent Gondwana was breaking apart, a mushroom fell into a river and began an improbable journey. Its ultimate fate as a mineralized fossil preserved in limestone in northeast Brazil makes it a scientific wonder, INHS scientists report in the journal PLOS ONE.

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  Wet Soil Conditions in Illinois

  Jun 17, 2017 2:45 pm

  Higher than normal rainfall across most of the state has led to wet soil conditions,  according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) Program Manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

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  Attack of the Flying Fish

  Jun 24, 2010 2:00 pm

  The Illinois Times talks to Kevin Irons, INHS LTRMP Fish Specialist, about sampling for Asian carp. Irons catalogs some of the things that he does to make sampling on the Illinois River safe.

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  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.

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  Study explores coevolution of mammals and their lice

  Jul 5, 2022 7:15 am

  According to a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the first louse to take up residence on a mammalian host likely started out as a parasite of birds. That host-jumping event tens of millions of years ago began the long association between mammals and lice, setting the stage for their coevolution and offering more opportunities for the lice to spread to other mammals.

  The study was led by Illinois Natural History Survey ornithologist Kevin P. Johnson and Jorge Doña, a Marie Curie postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Granada, Spain.

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  North ‘plaza’ in Cahokia was likely inundated year-round, study finds

  Jul 21, 2022 8:15 am

  The ancient North American city of Cahokia had as its focal point a feature now known as Monks Mound, a giant earthwork surrounded on its north, south, east and west by large rectangular open areas. These flat zones, called plazas by archaeologists since the early 1960s, were thought to serve as communal areas that served the many mounds and structures of the city.

  New paleoenvironmental analyses of the north plaza suggest it was almost always underwater, calling into question earlier interpretations of the north plaza’s role in Cahokian society. The study is reported in the journal World Archaeology.

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  Lone Star ticks in Illinois can carry, transmit Heartland virus

  Jul 23, 2020 9:45 am

  Researchers have confirmed that Heartland virus, an emerging pathogen with potentially dire consequences for those infected, is present in Lone Star ticks in two Illinois counties hundreds of miles apart. The findings are reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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  Bringing yesterday's plants to digital life

  Jul 31, 2019 11:00 am
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  Study tracks plant pathogens in leafhoppers from natural areas

  Aug 2, 2022 8:00 am

  Phytoplasmas are bacteria that can invade the vascular tissues of plants, causing many crop diseases. While most studies of phytoplasmas begin by examining plants showing disease symptoms, a new analysis by researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey focuses on the tiny insects that carry the infectious bacteria from plant to plant. By extracting and testing DNA from archival leafhopper specimens collected in natural areas, the study identified new phytoplasma strains and found new associations between leafhoppers and phytoplasmas known to harm crop plants.

• INHS hosts "An Evening of Entomology"

  Aug 9, 2007 8:00 am

• Chinese researchers visit INHS field station

  Aug 18, 2009 2:00 pm

  Dr. John Chick, Director of INHS' Great Rivers Field Station, spent the first part of August with Yangtze River researchers. Chick first met the researchers while visiting China last year. The Chinese researchers were particularly interested in learning about the methodology and techniques used in the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program on the Upper Mississippi River. A long-term goal of these exchanges is to have comparable monitoring programs set up on large rivers around the globe, which would provide an excellent opportunity to advance both the scientific understanding and management of large rivers.
  
  In addition, both Chinese and American researchers at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center were interested in learning about Asian carp habitat. The Asian carp is native China, but invasive in the United States. To read more about this exchange, please read the August 7th article in the Belleville News-Democrat entitled, "Chinese Scientists Studying in Area."

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  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.

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  Hot and stormy end to summer

  Sep 2, 2021 8:15 am

  August temperatures were largely above normal across Illinois. Because of the heat and humidity, August precipitation was accompanied by frequent severe weather events including several tornadoes, hail, and strong winds.

• August and Summer Were Cool and Dry in Illinois

  Sep 5, 2013 1:00 am

  The statewide average precipitation for August was 1.38 inches, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.  It was the third driest August on record and 2.22 inches below the 1981-2010 average.

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  Understanding Lake Michigan's dynamic shoreline

  Sep 11, 2020 4:30 pm

  ISGS scientists work the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to develop a better understanding of shoreline dynamics along the Illinois coast of Lake Michigan. Such insights are needed to inform coastal managers on how to best preserve the remaining natural coastline in Illinois.

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  Joy Scrogum recognized as P2 Ambassador by National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

  Sep 22, 2022 3:45 pm

  The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) has recognized ISTC assistant sustainability scientist Joy Scrogum as the recipient of the 2022 Fred Granek Memorial P2 Ambassador Award.

• Public Meeting on Arsenic in Tolono Wells to be Held Oct. 4

  Sep 23, 2011 9:15 pm

  The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) is presenting information and outcomes from a study on arsenic concentrations found in resident wells in the Tolono area on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.

   

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  2014 Illinois First Detector Workshops for invasive species announced

  Oct 1, 2013 8:00 am

  The schedule is up for the First Detector workshops for 2014. This program, a cooperative effort between University of Illinois Plant Clinic, University of Illinois Extension, and the Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Program (Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute), is a great way to learn about new pests, diseases, and plants heading into Illinois. Last year, the trainings focused on forested ecosystems; this year the focus is on Landscape and Nursery pests.

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  Team discovers invasive-native crayfish hybrids in Missouri

  Oct 8, 2021 7:00 am

  In a study of crayfish in the Current River in southeastern Missouri, researchers discovered that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native’s genetics, life history and ecology. Reported in the journal Aquatic Invasions, the study highlights the difficulty of detecting some of the consequences of biological invasions, the researchers say.

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  Undergrads choose their own adventure in this wildlife research group

  Oct 20, 2017 1:15 pm

  Don’t be fooled by the name: The wildlife and chronic wasting disease research group has a broader mission than you might think. Yes, the research focuses on white-tailed deer, primarily, and on CWD, a baffliing affliction of deer and elk. But for the dozens of undergraduate students who have joined this collaborative effort over the years, the group also is a portal, of sorts, to wide-ranging adventures in research. “More than 50 undergraduates have worked with us in the past 15 years. And most have gone on to successful careers,” said Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, a veterinary epidemiologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey who leads the effort with animal sciences professors Jan Novakofski and Michelle Green.

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

  Nov 2, 2012 9:00 am
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  Students helping fill in the gaps in INHS herpetology collection records

  Nov 4, 2011 1:00 pm

  Scott Saffer, teacher at Tri-Point Junior High School and former employee at INHS, seeks out opportunities for his students to be engaged in actual science. His students have participated in bird research, studied insects, and cruised the Illinois River looking for Asian carp. This year the students are working on filling in the gaps in our knowledge of reptile and amphibian species in Livingston and Ford County. With the help of INHS Herpetologist Andy Kuhns verifying identifications and occurrence records, the students are documenting the species found in these two under-surveyed areas.

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  My experience at a Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory

  Nov 4, 2022 10:45 am

  Miriam Schlessinger writes about her experience as an intern in the Illinois Natural History Survey's Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Lab for the Outdoor Illinois Journal.

• INHS Chief Dr. Lorin I. Nevling to Retire

  Nov 5, 1996 11:00 am

• Free Online Program Educates Homeowners with Water Wells

  Nov 19, 2012 7:30 pm

  Homeowners in small communities and rural areas without a public water supply often don’t fully understand how to manage, operate, and protect their private well.

• November 2013 in Illinois – Cold and Dry

  Dec 2, 2013 1:30 am

  November 2013 will always be remembered for the tornado outbreak on November 17, 2013, that produced 25 tornadoes across Illinois based on the latest reports. While not as dramatic, weather conditions for the month of November were colder and drier than average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

• Fifth Warmest November and Second Warmest Fall in Illinois

  Dec 2, 2016 4:30 pm

  November 2016 was the 5th warmest November on record for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

  This year also had the 2nd warmest fall (September, October, and November) on record for Illinois. 

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  INHS plant ecologist finds that many retailers sell mislabeled invasive vines

  Jan 8, 2018 9:45 am

  Gardeners hoping to celebrate the beauty of American bittersweet — a native vine that produces orange berries in the fall and is used for wreaths — may be unwittingly buying an invasive bittersweet instead. That’s because many Midwestern retailers are selling oriental bittersweet with labels misidentifying it as the native plant, researchers report.

• Second Wettest Year on Record for Illinois

  Jan 9, 2009 8:15 pm

   Illinois experienced its second wettest year on record when 50.7 inches of precipitation fell in 2008. This was 11.4 inches above normal. Only 1993 was wetter with 51.2 inches. Nine of the 12 months in 2008 received above-normal precipitation, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).