Tag: TLC

A Drought of Words About Drought

Written on July 22, 2012.

Drought. It’s a serious problem this year, but I have been reluctant to write about it. Frankly, the images that come to my mind are not pretty. I think of famine and pictures of small children with distended bellies...

Words of Wisdom from a very old Bur Oak

Written on July 5, 2012.

There is a bur oak at Woodstock’s Hennen Conservation Area that has come to be called “Granny” oak, in recognition of multiple generations of her progeny that are found all around her. At 49 inches in diameter, she is over...

A couple (3) haikus for our oaks

Written on July 5, 2012.

Do you remember writing haiku poems in Grade School? They are short – a classic haiku is just 17 syllables, in a three line, 5-7-5 format. In Japan, where this form of poetry originated, there is almost always a reference...

McHenry County & Biodiversity

Written on June 1, 2012.

“Green infrastructure” – as opposed to traditional built infrastucture like roads – includes the living systems like wetlands and woodlands that provide essential support to our communities in the form...

Green Infrastructure: the Living Backbone of our Communities

Written on May 5, 2012.

The word infrastructure brings to mind roads, power lines, sewers and other built systems that support the human population. But there is also a natural, living infrastructure that is often overlooked: “green infrastructure.” One...

It’s Time to Burn, Burn, Burn

Written on March 16, 2012.

You’ve probably noticed smoke in the air recently. The season for burning natural areas in McHenry County arrived early this year! Typically the temperature is still too low and the ground is too wet for land managers...