TLC's Blog Archives - Page 23 of 39 - The Land Conservancy of McHenry County

The Long Forgetting & Great Remembering

Written on February 21, 2016.

My friend Ken Williams, a horticulturist at Ringers Landscape Service in Fox River Grove, wrote a great blog post about TLC’s 25th Anniversary Brunch last month. I think it captures the spirit of the event and the essence...

Weather and a Changing Climate

Written on February 13, 2016.

Interesting weather this winter, wasn’t it? Last December brought tornadoes to the south and a blizzard to west Texas. Locally, we set some near-records for daily high temperatures in late December and again in January...

Of Loons and Climate Change

Written on February 13, 2016.

I remember the first time I heard a loon. My husband, Tom, and I were camping one summer in northern Wisconsin near a small lake. That first night, we heard an eerie sound that I didn’t recognize. “What is...

Why not roadside prairie in McHenry County?

Written on July 22, 2015.

Have you driven through Iowa? The roadsides are beautiful. Native wildflowers and grasses line the roads throughout much of the state, offering habitat for wildlife, especially birds and insects. (Iowa roadside in photo on...

Break the Lawn Addiction

Written on June 11, 2015.

It is iconic. The American lawn: green, neatly cut and free of any plant but grass. No violets. No clover. Definitely no dandelions! It ranks right up there with motherhood, baseball and apple pie as a symbol of America. Think...

Does Fire Bug Wildlife?

Written on April 14, 2015.

When conservation groups burn natural land, does it disturb wildlife species? Simply put, yes. Then why do we do it, and how can we call it “ecological fire” if it may harm some species? Historically, fire was a...