College of DuPage - COD Natural Areas

10/08/2026

It's not everyday that you get to share what you do for work and embarrass your kids. Today I presented to nearly 150 students in BPS101 about what it's like to be a Prairie Manager at the College of DuPage for Career Day. I shared comparable jobs, my career path, more about the work I do and why, and then students helped me process Senna seeds that we can grow into new plants. Cheers to the next generation of wildlife biologists, scientists, land managers, conservationists, and ecologists.

10/07/2026

More than 1,600 Black-crowned Night Herons were counted in Chicago’s Calumet region and other breeding sites across Illinois in '92. Today, the species (on the IL-endangered list for 50 years) is in decline all across the Great Lakes and the Northeast.
Lincoln Park Zoo is home to Illinois’ largest remaining breeding colony. Amy Lardner, founder of the Black-crowned Night Heron Project, will explore the history and future of Chicago’s herons, including research on tracking, migration and conspecific attraction, as well as the creative collaboration that produced life-size 3D decoys, plus the BCNH project’s 20-volunteer Heron Ambassador program at the LPZ rookery and elsewhere.

Presentation at 7:00 p.m. College of DuPage Health Science Ctr
Rm 1234, 425 Fawell Drive
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WtatvI6kSZSiXJDgk3o7yg

We'll have an opportunity for discussion on the bylaws changes after the presentation. And we're still looking to fill two leadership spots - so per that famous phrase - DBC NEEDS YOU!

[email protected]

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

Hooray! Thank you to everyone who has helped us grow our iNaturalist species number to 1300. Keep those observations coming to add to our campus biodiversity index. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/college-of-dupage-cod-natural-areas

1300 - October 5, 2026
1200 - June 11, 2026
1100 - June 5, 2025

10/06/2026

I spotted this common buckeye (Junonia coenia) today on the wall coming into work. The mainly brown butterflies have large eyespots to detract predators. These caterpillars love to feed on plants from the plantain, verbena, figwort, snapdragon, monkey flower, toadflax, and stonecrop families. Many of these plants contain iridoid glycosides, a chemical compound that makes them toxic or unpalatable to predators like ants and wasps.

10/06/2026

We love this! Many of our students go on to continue their education at NIU. Now their learning about prairie ecosystems can continue as well. 🩷

Site preparation is currently underway to transform some of NIU's property into native prairie.

10/01/2026

Shout out to our friends Maria Dvorak, COD Horticulture Adjunct Faculty and Nursery Manager at Wannemaker’s, Paige our plant delivery extraordinaire, and Wannemaker’s Home and Garden for their very generous end of season plant and seed donation. We’re excited to add additional hairy petunia, more Culver’s root, and two new species to our Natural Areas: Heart Leaved Golden Alexander (Zizia Aptera) and seed from New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus).

09/28/2026

Full October & November 2026 Calendar of events posted here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BtiYZSyIP1xy9tzR4oqrDd-uuDUllTnb | Events are open to students, staff, faculty, groups, and community members.

09/28/2026

7th Annual Tea Time on the Prairie. We won’t LEAF you behind in learning how some of our prairie plant families are used in common teas and for other purposes. You will gain a new perspective about the importance that these plants play in our ecosystem, their ethnobotanical properties including how they were used historically, their pharmaceutical applications, and other fun facts.

We will start the morning sipping tea together outdoors and then have an opportunity to stroll the prairie to collect native seed (optional) after the event. Have a favorite tea? Bring some to share. Event attendees are encouraged to dress in fancy attire for the event (optional) and bring their own teacup or mug. Tea will be provided. To register for the event visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0948a4a623abfac52-codnatural1 #/

Thursday, October 1, 2026
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
HSC Courtyard
Registration required

09/24/2026

This specimen is throwing down vibes of part alien and part nature’s gummy worm and reminds me of a tardigrade. I spotted this Pandora or Pandorus sphinx moth (Eumorpha pandorus) larva feeding on Virginia Creeper in the ESA Woodland, a campus hot spot for cool moths and butterflies. Also one of its host plants and where the eggs were laid. I’ve never seen a larva look so gelatinous and the color made it super unique. Caterpillars can range in color from brown, rust orange, to vivid green and by the 5th and final instar stage (molts from growing) they will shed the horn they first started with. It also has a giant eyespot on the flip side to help scare off predators. Plus check out the tiny little “feet” on this specimen, too cool. Soon it will burrow several inches into loose soil or leaf litter, forming a chamber where it transforms into a glossy, dark reddish-brown pupa to overwinter. By spring, this brown caterpillar will change into a beautiful, greenish hawk moth that will have a wingspan roughly 8.5 to 11.5 cm (3.3 to 4.5 inches) in size.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47914-Eumorpha-pandorus