This year, it struck me that despite living most of my life here in the Quad Cities, I’ve actually spent very little time on the Mississippi River. With its wide channel, broad floodplains, islands, and wooded bluffs it is the defining feature of the landscape, yet somehow, I have been so removed from it. PerhapsContinue reading “Exploring the Mississippi River Islands of Rock Island County, IL”
Tag Archives: botany
Hunting Down the Prairie Trout Lily
With a sudden burst of unseasonably warm weather this past week, the spring ephemerals have leapt into blooming here in the Quad Cities region. Our remnant woodlands are now teaming with whites, purples, blues, and yellows, and the early spring pollinators are hard at work. Bumblebee (Bombus) queens and mining bees (Andrena) have awoken fromContinue reading “Hunting Down the Prairie Trout Lily”
Spring is here, and so are the Snow Trilliums!
April 2nd, 2023 Today, several friends and I met in rural Rock Island County, IL with the hopes of feasting our weary, plant-starved eyes on the blooms of Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale). One by one, we pulled down the gravel driveway of a private property located amongst bare farm fields and wooded ravines. We wereContinue reading “Spring is here, and so are the Snow Trilliums!”
Flora of the Quad Cities Region 