By Jack MacRae I think everyone should have at least one wahoo (Euonymus atropupureus) in their backyard. They’re small, shrubby native trees that prefer average to moist conditions and do well in today’s crazy world. They thrive in the filtered shade of wide-open woods and forest edges, creating a picturesque colony over the years. Shrubs such as … Read more
By Brandon Combs and Jenni Schiavone Friends of the Fox River Second Saturday Outdoor Adventures is a new program initiative we’re starting this year. We hope this monthly program will engage young community members and their families in regular outdoor educational activities as we explore the Fox River’s watershed. We are proud to report that … Read more
By Jack MacRae Groundhogs and badgers are both local, grayish mammals that live in holes in the ground. But that’s where the similarities end. Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are grazing members of the rodent family; badgers are hunting members of the weasel family, (Mustelidae). Groundhogs live all over, badgers are restricted in their local range. Groundhogs have a holiday … Read more
By Jack MacRae Our wildlife neighbors adjust to the approach of winter in various ways. Some creatures migrate (red bats), some hibernate (fox snakes), and some grow a layer of insulating fat (raccoons and many humans). And some birds grow big brains. Seriously. Long ago, scientists learned that black capped chickadees’ brains expand during autumn when the birds … Read more
By Jack MacRae The burgundy leaves of sumac fill the Fox Valley’s fall woods. The hue comes from the pigment anthocyanin and is greatly influenced by the weather. Here is how: Cool nights (below 45f) inhibit the tree’s chlorophyll production. Without chlorophyll, sugars accumulate in the leaves. Increased sugar leads to a rise in anthocyanin in the leaf. The more … Read more
On Saturday, September 21, Friends of the Fox River will coordinate our fifth river-length event on the entire Fox River from Waukesha, Wisconsin to the confluence in Ottawa, Illinois. Here’s how to participate. We are reaching out to Mayors, City Councils, Park Districts and Forest Preserve Districts along the river, along with environmental groups, faith … Read more
By Jack MacRae Our bobcats are busy. February means females are looking for houses and males are looking for females. Bobcats den in old forests with a dense, shrubby under-story, where they create a hidden home within the hollow logs and tangled roots. Gestation lasts 60 days and the circle of life continues. Hakuna matata. … Read more
By Furry Jack MacRae Voles live fast and die young. There are millions of these mousy rodents in our grassy neighborhoods throughout the Fox River’s watershed, but they almost never make it to their second birthday. Meadow voles have their own cycle of life. Bio-chronologists have learned voles do not subscribe to a typical 24 hour circadian rhythm, but … Read more
By Jack MacRae Witch Hazel was one of my least favorite Looney Toons characters. She wasn’t a deep thinker like Foghorn Leghorn or a slapstick genius like Yosemite Sam. But I do like her namesake shrub. Witch Hazel was named after an attractive tree native to our understory of our wooded lands. Blooming during the fall, this … Read more
By Gary Swick Personally, I love living in a region that has distinct seasons. Walking ankle to waist deep in a stream on a hot summer day is always a refreshing experience, and something my children always loved. On a calm fall day, gliding in a kayak or canoe on the Fox River is incredibly … Read more
