By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands Ready for a grand surprise? Summer is not the only time to see butterflies at Kankakee Sands. March can be, too! Wait, what—March? Believe it or not, if you head out for a walk on a sunny day this chilly month March in anContinue reading “March’s Grand Surprise”
Author Archives: friendsofthesands
Getting Warmed Up with the Rough-legged Hawk
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands My ninety-year-old neighbor used to tell me that he was going out fishing… not catching, but fishing. It’s about the experience, he’d tell me. And that is how it is with me and birding… it’s about the experience. Attempting to see some birds –Continue reading “Getting Warmed Up with the Rough-legged Hawk”
A Visit from a Good Luck Sparrow
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands December and January are ‘a visiting time’ – a time to escape the chill of winter and explore new spaces in far-away places, or to travel to see friends and family in old familiar haunts and catch up on the year that was. It’sContinue reading “A Visit from a Good Luck Sparrow”
Seed-harvesting Time
By Jeanette Jaskula It’s seed-harvesting time and we could use your help! Friends of the Sands is setting aside seed for growing out into plants that we will offer next May at our annual Native Plant Sale. If you have seeds of any of the plants listed below that you might like to donate, pleaseContinue reading “Seed-harvesting Time”
Four and twenty blackbirds, gracing the sky
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands October is loud and raucous on the Kankakee Sands prairie. It can also be dark and ominous. In the early morning, you can hear them long before you see them. Off in the distance is a lone tree or perhaps a small cluster ofContinue reading “Four and twenty blackbirds, gracing the sky“
Just like Kankakee Sands, You’ll be Golden!
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands It’s all too easy to overlook things, isn’t it? As we move so quickly from place to place, from task to task, we often miss the nuances and details that make life so interesting. In the fall, with goldenrods painting our Kankakee Sands prairiesContinue reading “Just like Kankakee Sands, You’ll be Golden!“
Pretty in Pink
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands I feel so lucky to live where there are lots of flowers—in Newton County with all its natural areas and close to Kankakee Sands, where I can enjoy 20,000 acres of native flowers brimming with color from April through September. There are pretty flowers,Continue reading “Pretty in Pink“
Old Plainsman: Hurdling Drought and Drench
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands Old plainsman played its cards well this year. Early spring in Newton County was quite pleasant, with regular rains and warm temperatures. Old plainsman (Hymenopappus scabioseaus) was able to send up its two-foot tall flowering stalk in time to get pollinated by short tonguedContinue reading “Old Plainsman: Hurdling Drought and Drench”
Shedding that Winter Coat
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands Just this past week, I just put away all my winter clothes and brought out my summer clothes. Turns out bison are doing the same thing! Our Kankakee Sands bison herd spent the winter on the prairie, with their insulating fur coats keeping themContinue reading “Shedding that Winter Coat”
Thunder-pumper
By Alyssa Nyberg, Restoration Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands On this chilly May morning, I’m bundling up for a pre-dawn excursion. With binoculars round my neck and bird book in hand, I meet up with other Kankakee Sands staff and volunteers for our annual Kankakee Sands Bird Survey in the bison pasture. WeContinue reading “Thunder-pumper”
Friends of the Sands 