Taking My Parents Up Fults Hill Prairie

I recently came back from a brief trip to Southern Illinois, where I had planned to visit Giant City State Park with my family. It was raining there, and it didn't seem as if it was going to stop raining, so instead I decided to show my parents Fults Hill Prairie State Nature Preserve instead.  Fults Hill Prairie is located on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois.  It's one of the finest places in Illinois I've ever visited, albeit one of the most rugged trails in Illinois, too.

The first great find of the day was this Putty-Root Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale), the first orchid species I've found this year.  I know they're much more common in Southern Illinois, but I still enjoy finding them.  This big evergreen leaf is a dead giveaway.

Above it on the path was the first violet species of the year, which between its size and light flower color almost looks like a new species for me.  I have no idea what that might be, however.

These woods are considerably steep and rocky, and my parents weren't thrilled about the difficulty of the trail.  It's rated "Extreme" for Illinois, though anyone out West would probably laugh at that rating.  Still, they wouldn't give this an "Easy" rating, either.

Some emerging ferns along the trail were out in the exposed, rocky areas, which I did not expect.  Also, I think this might be a new species for me.

The hill prairies here are dry and full of rocks, mirroring Missouri glades in the Ozarks further west.  In the summer, scorpions can be found here.  This stretch of bluffs here in southwestern Illinois is the only place in Illinois where you can find scorpions, and the rest of us are happy about that!

I flipped a few rocks meanwhile, and found this interesting fellow arthropod:

ARTHROPOD ALERT

I'm fairly certain the Cosmetid Harvestman (Vorones sp.) is a localized resident of hill prairies and glades.  I've only found them in such sites.  Apparently they are kept in captivity by some people, which doesn't surprise me, as they are unusual and docile.  Collecting any animals for captivity is banned at Fults Hill Prairie, however, as it is an official Illinois Nature Preserve.

I pushed my parents to come to the top, and eventually my dad went with me, while Mom stayed behind in the lower prairie, just a hundred or so feet away.  The view that rewarded Dad and I is, in my limited experience, the best in Illinois.

You can walk all the way to the edge of the cliff, though with the strong westerly winds at this time of year, I stayed well back.  This is one of the most amazing but also most dangerous preserves in Illinois, simply for the height of these bluffs. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) grow along the edge.  Without regular burning and removal, they would come up and overgrow the entire prairie.

To the southeast is Kidd Lake Marsh, another Illinois Nature Preserve, and one I have yet to explore.  You can see it in both pictures here, above and especially below.

Both north and south of Fults Hill Prairie, other, undeveloped hill prairie preserves provide the only toehold of many Missouri species in Illinois, including the aforementioned scorpions.  Still, they are not alone here by any means, as some specialized Midwestern endemics live here too:

This is Cleft Phlox (Phlox bifida), a colorful plant of dry prairies and glades in the Midwest.  Thanks to the warmer winter and the warmth of the rocks on the edge of the bluff, it is up and blooming a bit early this year.  These photos were taken before the most recent snowfall hit Illinois.

While it may look like a path to the end of the world, and it is the fastest and worst way back down to the parking lot if you keep going over the edge,  this trail actually leads to the cliff overlook seen earlier.  Look at that view! This is the only photo I have that even comes close to replicating it.

I believe this is Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) in flower. I have seen it in fruit up here, and it grows plentifully throughout the woods.  Despite its name, Fults Hill Prairie is mostly wooded.

We rejoined up with my mother and walked back down the short, steep trail that we had hiked up.

Notably, did anyone notice what was missing?  Bird photos! I finally have made a blogpost without a single bird photo, something I rarely do!  There are birds here, as it's one of the few places you can be at eye level with a Turkey Vulture, but I didn't notice them for the scenery.  We went on home, tired but happy for all that we had seen.  Someday, we will return and climb all the way to the top together.

Favorite Pictures of 2016 + Lifers of 2016!

Happy New  Year!

Swamp at Beaver Dam State Park

Water Willow (Justicia americana) at Lake Springfield

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) takes off at Center Park, Lake Springfield

Pere Marquette State Park



Sunbeams in Sand Ridge State Forest

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) in Michigan

Rapids of Sangamon River at Carpenter Park

Graham's Crayfish Snake (Regina grahmii) at Lake Springfield

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) at Emiquon Preserve

 Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) at Lake Springfield


Total Lifer Birds of 2016- 108 lifer birds


9 Birds of Prey: Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Barred Owl, Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Screech Owl

25 Waterfowl: Greater White-fronted Goose, Ross' Goose, American Black Duck, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe

2 Herons: Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron

17 Sandpipers: American Golden-Plover, Semipalmated Plover, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, American Woodcock, Stilt Sandpiper, Wilson's Pharalope, Marbled Godwit

8 Gulls and Terns: Bonaparte's Gull, Franklin's Gull, Sabine's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Forster's Tern, Black Tern,

47 Songbirds: Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Sedge Wren, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Yellow Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Pine Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Carolina Chickadee, American Tree Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Summer Tanager, Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Purple Finch

OTHER ANIMALS AND PLANTS

 9 Lifer Reptiles: Spiny Softshell, Smooth Softshell, Common Map Turtle, Eastern Box Turtle, Six-lined Racerunner, Blue Racer, Chicago Garter Snake, Prairie Kingsnake, Graham's Crayfish Snake

5 Lifer Amphibians: Fowler's Toad, Western Chorus Frog, Spring Peeper, Smallmouth Salamander, Spotted Salamander

3 Lifer Mammals: Beaver, River Otter, White-footed Mouse

9 Lifer Fish:  Logperch. White Sucker, Redear Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, Green Sunfish, White Crappie, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Yellow Bullhead.

Total Lifer Animals: 134!

70 Selected Lifer Plants (Orchids in bold, non-natives struck through):  White Cedar, Wood Betony, Green Dragon, Cream Violet, Hoary Puccoon, Fringed Puccoon, Pale Beardtongue, Small-flowered Skullcap, Tennessee Milk Vetch. Prairie Ragwort, Western Wallflower, Ebony Spleenwort, Goat's Rue, Field Horsetail, Marsh Fern, False Indigo-Bush, Purple Rocket, Gray's Sedge, Smooth Ruellia,  Silvery Bladderpod,  Prairie Sunflower,  Short Green Milkweed, Thimbleweed, Leadplant, Pale-spike Lobelia, Western Marbleseed, Hoary Vervain, Royal Fern. Round-leaved Sundew, Grass Pink, Yellow-fringed Orchid, Pink Ladyslipper, Spoonleaf Sundew, Rose Pogonia,  Bog Yellow-eyed Grass, Horned Bladderwort, Swamp Rose, Lowbush Blueberry, Kalm's St. John's Wort, Wild Lupine, New Jersey Tea, Hairy Puccoon, Prairie Phlox, Tall Thimbleweed, Skunk Cabbage, Michigan Lily, Eurasian Helleborine, Safflower, Allegheny Monkey Flower, Spotted Beebalm, Hemp, Halbard-leaved Rose Mallow,  Clammy Weed, Boxelder, Virgin's Bower, Eelgrass, Water Forget-me-Not, Swamp Rose Mallow, Hog Peanut, Rough Blazing Star, Field Goldenrod, Bronze Fern, Great Plains Lady's Tresses, Bradley's Spleenwort, Shortleaf Pine, Cliff Onion, Cutleaf Grape Fern, Rose Verbena, Giant Cane, American Mistletoe

27 Protected Species seen (State or Federal Threatened or Endangered):  Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Osprey, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron,  Forster's Tern, Common Tern, Black Tern, Smooth Softshell, White Cedar, Tennessee Milk Vetch (also State-endangered), Silvery Bladderpod, Regal Fritillary,  Grass Pink, Yellow-fringed Orchid, Rose Poginia, Pink Ladyslipper, Leatherleaf, Round-leaved Sundew, Spoonleaf Sundew, Tamarack,  Buckbean, Eastern Hemlock, Kalm's St. John's Wort, Smooth Softshell, Bradley' Spleenwort, Shortleaf Pine,

26 New Nature Preserves visited- Carpenter Park, Manito Prairie. Sand Ridge, Henry Allan Gleason. Chautauqua NWR, Emiquon, Emiquon NWR, Matanzas Prairie, Scrub Oak-Sand Prairie, Revis Hill Prairie, German Cemetery Prairie, Pinhook Bog. Cowles Bog,  Loda Cemetary Prairie,  White Pines Forest, Castle Rock, Nachusa, Rogue River, Calamus Lake, Spitler Woods, Bois de Sangamon, Piney Creek Ravine, Fults Hill Prairie, Horseshoe Lake, Cypress Creek NWR


Y'know, some people have really hated 2016, but for all the reasons above, I've kinda enjoyed it.

Top Ten Lifer (Vertebrate) Animals and Top Ten Lifer Plants of 2016

Top 10 Lifer (Vertebrate) Animals of 2016

Honorary Mentions-  River Otter, Sabine's Gull, Cape May Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Smallmouth Salamander

10.  Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)-  The best find of a spectacular day, under a log atop a dry bluff (an unusual spot for salamanders).  While it's by no means the rarest possible animal that can be found at Fults Hill, it's one I've never seen, it's colorful, and it was in an unusual location, although I'm beginning to not believe in the concept of usual and unusual locations anymore.

9.  Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerula)-  I don't know how, but I somehow knew that I would find this bird when I went to the Beachhouse one day.  It's an interesting example of something not really explainable, and an example of what I said before about not believing in usual locations.  This is a Southern bird that migrates north in late summer, which is atypical and very interesting to me.

8. Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)-   I have to say this is the best snake species of the year.  I've always wanted to see one, and now I've seen two, under my very first flipped piece of tin ever!  Plus, it's yet another example of the awesome wilds of Mason County producing something amazing.

7.  Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)-  This is the bird that got me into birding.  Well, it ties for that with the Ruddy Duck, but as I've seen Ruddy Ducks in previous years I'm going to go with this one.  It's one of my favorite moments I've ever spent with my dad, chasing this hawk down in a car in rural Sangamon County before managing to get the photo above.

6.  Beaver (Castor canadensis)-  This animal is not one I see often, and as I am fond of the book "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", in which a pair of beavers play a crucial role, I am fond of beavers by extension, and one made my day back in April, and again in October.

5.  Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) -  The highlight of a day in Macon County, Eastern Box Turtles are among my favorite Illinois animals, and seeing this particular one under a metal canister was quite a surprise.  I was even more surprised to find a second one a month or so later at Lincoln Memorial Gardens.

4.  Common Gallinule [no photo]-  This bird appears to be parts of several birds mismatched together, with its oversized feet, chunky body, and small head.  That's fine by me, considering I saw two of them back in March in Sangamon County.  Both the time and place are incorrect for these birds to be here, and yet there they were.  This is also my greatest missed photo opportunity of 2016, and as a result, the sighting remains unconfirmed, according to Ebird.  However,  I do know what I saw.

3.  Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)-  Moving from none to best on the photography scale,  I got, well, probably too close to this little bird when I found one on Marine Point this spring, but it seemed to tolerate this.  Between this and #1, I've now got a strong interest in sandpipers.

2.  Common Loon  (Gavia immer)- These are my favorite birds (when I have to actually pick a favorite, as many people ask me for one).  The only reason they're not higher on the list is that I saw them where I expected to see them, on Lake Springfield.  I did not expect:

1. American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) -  Maybe not my favorite bird, but as far as quirky little creatures go, it rises to the top.  Between its adorable "dancing" and awkward appearance, the Timberdoodle makes #1 on this list. Besides, none of the rest showed up at my house. Now I just want to find its cousin, the irritatingly unseen Wilson's Snipe!


Plants-  Notably, about half of these were at Indiana Dunes, and the majority of the rest were from Mason County expeditions.

Honorable Mentions:  (Both Indiana-native species of) Sundews, Safflower, Silvery Bladderpod, Yellow-fringed Orchid,  Grape Ferns (both Bronze and Cutleaf varieties)

10.  Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) - This may seem like an odd choice to include when I've seen far rarer plants, but the fact remains that this is the first plant I recognized in Mason County, and it's one I've always wanted to see before then.  It's a beautiful reminder of the odd flora of Mason County's sandlands, and as such I can't wait to look for it again next spring!

9.  Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata)-  This was easily the best tree I've seen this year, on a day full of exciting discoveries.  The Eastern Hemlock doesn't make it here simply because I found them last November.  This also wins best gymnosperm (out of two contenders for that title, I might add.)

8.  Royal Fern (Osmunda spectabilis)- I had to include a fern.  This is easily the largest fern I saw, and one of the few I've managed to identify this year.  Fern identification is an arcane, esoteric, nearly-mystical art form.  I have no idea how many of the small ferns are identified correctly.

7. Goats' Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)- I've spent a long time looking for this plant over the last few years, and it's always nice to knock one of these nemesis plants off my list.

6.  Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense)-  The first, and so far only, wild true lily I've ever found, this is one of the most beautiful native plants I have ever seen.  I found a couple of these within three days of each other, and I haven't ever repeated that. Hopefully, next year I'll get Turk's Caps!

5. Tennessee Milkvetch (Astragalus tennesseensis)- Easily the rarest plant (or, to be honest, the rarest ANYTHING)  I've seen all year, this only gets fifth because it isn't an orchid.  Nevertheless, this was still an awesome plant to find! It amazes me that it grows only a few hundred feet from a person's house.  It feels like a plant you should only see hundreds of acres into the middle of nowhere.

4.  Eurasian Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine)-  This orchid species originated the term "Fifth Orchid" on this blog, as in a surprise discovery at the very end of the trip.  Since I haven't found a birding, botanizing, or herping term to match its meaning, I keep saying it.  This is also the only nonnative of either plants or animals in my top ten lists.

3. Great Plains Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum)-  This is the closest native flowering orchid I've found to me, as well as the only orchid I've found in Central Illinois (though by no means is it the only one around here).  I've always wanted to see one, and they are quite tiny, I have learned.

2.  Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule)-  This is a Ladyslipper Orchid, finally! I  don't include it as #1 simply for lack of flowers.  However, seeing a Ladyslipper Orchid has been a goal of mine since at least fifth grade.  I got very close in 2015, so actually finding quite a few in 2016 (albeit out of flower in Indiana where I knew they grew) made my day, almost as much as:

1.  Grass Pink Orchid  (Calopogon tuberosus)-  It was easy to see, it was easy to photograph, and it's an orchid and looks like one.   Grass Pink Orchids have been eagerly sought out by me since I first saw their picture, and like the best plants and animals on this list, it was a complete surprise to see it.

 If you haven't noticed, I use the (just-invented) Spanish Inquisition Rule in assessing how much I like something. If I didn't expect it, then it's even better.  I give this its name from the Monty Python skit about the Spanish Inquisition, where the characters are constantly saying  "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!".   This Spanish Inquisition Rule, like the concept of the Fifth Orchid, will now pass into the lexicon of this blog (all of which can be found on the uppermost right, above the ad.)

Since this is the last post I'll be putting out till after the 25th, Merry Christmas!

Year List #2 (AKA Discontented List)- 17 Goals for 2017!

My goats for this upcoming year (January 1, 2017- January 1, 2018)

This is basically a Scrabble hunt for what I want to see.  I want to complete at least nine of these, as a sort of challenge to myself.  I don't know that all of these are complete-able, but I think they are.

Crossed-out means that they were seen before January 1.  Bold means they were seen after January 1.

1. Find Yellow Lady's Slipper Orchids!  Bloom would be nice, but isn't necessary.

2.  See five of the following birds: Rough-legged Hawk,  Long-tailed Duck, Golden Eagle, Mississippi Kite, (either) Bittern,  American Wigeon, Trumpeter Swan (in IL), Tundra Swan, Red-throated Loon. Western Grebe, Black Scoter, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Greater Prairie-chicken,  Dunlin, Whimbrel, Willet, Wilson's Snipe, Piping Plover, Snowy Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Barn Owl,  Long-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Snowy Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Nelson's Sparrow, Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, (either) Cuckoo, (any) Rail,  Northern or Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Orchard Oriole, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Canada Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Bell's Vireo, Pine Siskin, (any) Crossbill,  Purple Finch, and/or Evening Grosbeak.

How I'm going to do this:  Hope and pray for good birds at Montrose.  Just keep my eyes open everywhere else.  Some of these could be at Sand Ridge State Forest during the winter.

3.  Find two of the following reptiles: Ornate Box Turtle, Blanding's Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Slender Glass Lizard, Bullsnake, Rough Green Snake, Smooth Green Snake, Western and/or Eastern Hognose Snake, Milksnake, Fox Snake, Lined Snake, Smooth Earth Snake, Coachwhip, and/or Plains Garter Snake.

How I'm going to do this:  Most of the turtles are northern, so check wetlands in Chicago area (revisit Volo if possible).  Most of the snakes are more or less within two hour's drive of here, and many can be found in Mason County if I look hard enough.  Lined Snakes are theoretically in Sangamon County, so finding where they are will involve lots of research.

4.  Find three of the following amphibians:  Tiger Salamander, Marbled Salamander, Slimy Salamander, Silvery Salamander, Cave Salamander, Longtail Salamander, Two-lined Salamander, Spadefoot Toad, Eastern Red-backed Salamander,  Narrowmouth Toad, Green Treefrog, Bird-voiced Tree Frog, Wood Frog, and/or Illinois Chorus Frog.

How I'm going to do this:  Visiting Southern Illinois will make things easier.  I plan to hunt in March/April up in Mason County for the Illinois Chorus Frog, when they're breeding in the sand ponds of the Illinois River Valley

5.  Find a venomous snake in Illinois, of any kind (albeit from a safe distance).  The best would be Massasauga, but that's highly unlikely.  Most likely, this will be either a Cottonmouth or a Copperhead along Snake Road, maybe even a Timber Rattlesnake (again, from a safe distance of several yards, and hopefully downhill of me, as it's harder for a venomous snake to strike uphill)

6.  Find a Kirtland's Snake

How I'm going to do this:  Possible nocturnal hunts, and visits early in the morning after rain.  This is a very rare snake, and while they are supposed to live around here, I have no idea where to find them.

7.  Visit four new (to me) state parks and/or nature preserves (Meredosia NWR, Middle Fork Nature Preserve, Kickapoo State Park, Doris Westfall Nature Preserve, Howard's Hill Seep Natural Area, Spring Lake, )

8. Revisit Fults Hill Prairie and find a Scorpion, Narrowmouth Toad, Great Plains Rat Snake, Flat-headed Snake, Coachwhip, Splendid Tiger Beetle or just something that's rare that lives there.  (We're going to count seeing my parents there as something rare.)

9. Visit Montrose Point, the birding capital of Illinois.

10.  Visit the Ozarks at least once, especially Johnson's Shut Ins and some of the larger glades where I see videos of snakes being found under most flipped rocks!

11. Visit Snake Road (should help with a lot of these)

12.  See a live, wild skunk, bear, or badger  (from a good distance away)

13.  Find a Snowy Egret in IL.

14.  Find at least three of the following plants:  Bird's Eye Primrose, Poke Milkweed, Wild Agave, Bunchflower, (either) Turtlehead,  Kalm's Lobelia, Obe-Wan Conobea, Lance-leaved Violet, Powdery Thalia, (either) Boltonia, Cancer Root, (any) Orobanche, Prairie Trout-Lily, (either) Ginseng, French's Shooting Star, Showy Orchis,  Indian Pink, Snow Trillium, Bird's Foot Violet, Turk's Cap Lily, (any) Twayblade, Pitcher's Leather Flower, (either) Camassia,  French Grass, Violet Wood Sorrel, Missouri Coneflower, Royal Catchfly, (any) Spiranthes, (any native in Illinois) Rhododendron, Filmy Fern, Matalea, Heart-leaved Plaintain, Pink Corydalis, (any) Sabatia, Ozark Milkvetch, Blue Hearts, Lobed Spleenwort, Walking Fern, Fameflower, (any in Illinois) clubmosses, Green Trillium, American Chestnut, Water Tupelo.

How I'm going to do this:  This list is weighted towards Southern Illinois and Mason County for a reason.  Mostly, I just have to keep my eyes open.

15.  Find at least one of any Platanthera orchid species (Fringed Orchids), preferably in flower.

16.  Find at least one Coralroot Orchid  (Spring Coral-root Orchid)

17. Have fun!

Top Sixteen Adventures of 2016

(Next year's list is "Top Seventeen Adventures of 2017", obviously.  2038 will get rather tiresome, I suspect, provided I'm still writing this blog by then!)

God has blessed me so much this year, and I've been able to participate in and see so many amazing sights and wonders.  If you're new to this blog and want to catch up on the most relevant parts of this blog, read on.  If you are an old reader of this blog, read on to see what I've ranked as what.  If you went on one of these trips with me, thanks for putting up with all my nonsense and for going along with me, because that really made my days.  If you've never been on a trip with me, sign ups are in the comments section below:)

By the way, I do know that we have a month to go, but I doubt I'll see anything in December that will be put on this list. December is such a busy month that I'm not likely to be able to do anything during it.  If I do have a surprisingly amazing adventure, it will be on next year's list.

16.  Electroshocking- Honestly, getting to go out and do this was great.  I caught more fish in this one outing than I ever have in my entire life, and I got to do it as part of a wonderful class.

15.  Being detained as a terrorist -This is one of my favorite stories to tell people, as an introduction to my life.  It probably shouldn't be, but it was quite exciting, even if that title is basically the punchline of the story.  Additionally, I got to hang out with my brother, something which I'm growing to appreciate a little bit more each year.  He actually took the photo above.



14.  Exploring Carpenter Park with Dan and Jesse-  There were so many toads, a few lifer plants, and just great times with great friends.

13.  Twenty-Three Smallmouth Salamanders in Lick Creek Wildlife Area - What's better than a Smallmouth Salamander?  How about finding twenty-three of them in about an hour of searching?

12. The Great Northern Expedition- If you can't tell, I have some of my best trips with my dad.  He put up with a lot on this day, and we had a great time, especially late in the day at Nachusa.




11.  Exploring Lick Creek Wildlife Area with Dan and Jesse-  This was the first trip we did as a group, and the three hikes I went on with those two are among the best  I've been on.  All trips are better when taken with friends, especially friends who appreciate nature, but who can also drag you out of it for a random conversation about philosophical topics and general nonsense.  This is especially good when you're exploring someplace you've never been before.



10.  The Ides of March - First Common Loon and Western Chorus Frogs, two of the best new birds and frogs I've seen this year.  Overall, it was a wonderful day, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, so much so that I split it into two blogposts. Links are here and here.

9.  Michigan Canoe trip-  My shoes may never smell the same way ever again, I may have fallen out of the canoe twice, and my sunglasses have never reappeared since, but this was awesome.  Next time, though, I'm going to get a little more prepared!

8. Seeing 14-plus duck species in Center Park-  If Northern Harriers drew me into birding, this expedition capped it off!  I got to see just about half of all Illinois duck species at once!  Links for both sections are here and here.

7.   Going to Revis Hill Prairie and Scrub Oak- Sand Prairie with Dan-
It was a difficult hike, but a great trip to two of the wildest spots in Central Illinois, and even better because I brought a friend along for the struggle. Several new plants and many strange insects awaited us in these, the absolute wildest of Central Illinois natural areas.

6. Going to Southern Illinois with the Environmental Club-  This trip had orchids, salamanders, friends, and grand adventures.  Plus, I got to see a Logperch! (It's a fish). Unfortunately, we didn't find any of the scorpions, copperheads, or anything else scary or dangerous (other than the heights at Fults Hill Prairie).  Still, there's always next time!  Links for both sections are here and here.

5.  First winter trip to Nipper-  This single trip got me into birding big-time (to the point where I say birding instead of birdwatching).  A single Northern Harrier along the road ended up becoming a hobby which I have spent countless hours doing this year. I also met people I didn't know who read my blog, and that was back in January!  Honestly, sometimes I forget how many people read this blog, and who all that might be.  And, I got to do this all with my dad!

4.  Going up to Mason County for the first time-  That was a long, lonely trip, but there were so many new  birds and experiences I had that I will never forget.  I saw the rarest lifeform of the year there, the Tennessee Milkvetch, and I found a large number of nature preserves only an hour or so from my house, with tons of exciting plants and animals.  The wild sandlands of Illinois are the best.  Links for the three sections are here, there, and ere.

3.  Going up to Chautauqua and Emiquon with Jesse and Dan-  Trips are always best with friends, especially when we debate philosophical concepts while watching sandpipers on a levee in the middle of a mild thunderstorm.  Trust me, it's an invigorating experience, and one which brought me plenty of lifer shorebirds and great memories with friends, as well as an interesting experience in accidental trespassing which I hope no future employer sees as a reason to not hire me...
Links for both sections are here and there.

2.   Going to Indiana Dunes- Five Orchids in one day! I've seen seven this year, and as it's November I am unlikely to see any more.  Roughly a quarter to a third of the lifer plants this year were seen on this trip, including a plurality of the best ones.  And, as with several of my favorite trips, I got to go on this with Dad.  Links for all four sections are here, there, and also here, and everywhere.

1.  Surviving this year-  Thanks to God for my survival this year.  Considering this is a website open to the internet and the general public, I don't plan on sharing all that's happened to me over the course of this year.  I will say that a close family member suffered from a serious disease.  They are completely fine now, (again-  Thank you, God!)  but between that and the usual hassles that come with being a full-time student, it's been a rather... interesting... year.  At the same time, I've gained so many good friends... too many to list! (And besides that, half of them are all named Josh, Jesse, Dan, Logan, or Jake- It would get confusing:)  I've been so many wonderful places and seen so many wondrous creatures.  I really look forwards to next year!

P.S.  Some of the older posts have egregious errors.  Rather than redacting them, I've decided to leave them in, mostly because I'm lazy, but also because I think it's fascinating to see how much the tone has changed from month to month and year to year on this blog.  My apologies for any incorrect information.  Also, there may be photos taken by other people.  Other than ones taken from state websites, I will be removing those for copyright reasons, albeit slowly over the next month.