TLC's Blog Archives - Page 22 of 39 - The Land Conservancy of McHenry County

Need Silence? Take a Hike!

Written on December 2, 2016.

I cannot recall the last time I experienced silence – the complete absence of sound. Sure, there have been times that I would describe as “quiet,” even very quiet, but not silent. Even late at night when Harvard...

Fog Season

Written on November 4, 2016.

“The fog comes on little cat feet” wrote Illinois poet Carl Sandburg in 1916 as he watched the fog roll in at the Lake Michigan shore in Chicago. The next line, “It sits looking over harbor and city on silent...

The Birds and the Bees

Written on August 10, 2016.

This is a story about the birds and the bees (and the bats and the bugs). That’s right, it’s a story about plant pollinators. Insects like bees and butterflies, as well as animals such as birds and bats, are responsible...

Bonnie and Clyde visit the woods (reprint)

Written on April 8, 2016.

I understand that it is welcome to see something green in the woods after winter, but please keep in mind that the welcome glint of green you see spells trouble for our native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. That green you see...

Human Nature as Seen Through Landfills

Written on April 8, 2016.

Have you ever heard of middens? They are basically really old landfills. The word comes from an old Scandinavian word, moedding, which means an old dump for human domestic waste. People have always produced waste. That...

Welcome Spring!!

Written on March 20, 2016.

Did you see it? A beautiful sunset on your drive home at 6:30 in the evening. I smelled it the other day. The scent of rich soil heated by the midday sun. Surely, you heard it! Red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, even Sandhill...