College of DuPage - COD Natural Areas

08/26/2026

I love seeing people out in the prairie and how they use it. Pictured here is Caroline, an art student, sketching for one of her classes. As students return to campus, I love seeing all of the picnic tables full out in the prairie with students studying, having meetings, and taking a break between classes.

08/24/2026

UPDATE: spots available! was able to add another 17 spots with folding chairs to accommodate the group.

Join us for a “Lunch & Learn” presentation by nature enthusiast, writer, photographer, wildlife monitor, and former COD Professor, John Cebula, as he highlights “The Birds of College of DuPage.” College of DuPage is not only an important educational and cultural resource for the community, its Glen Ellyn campus provides bird watchers year-round opportunities to enjoy over 222 species of birds. This programs presents many of those birds, with suggestions on when and where to go on campus to enjoy them.

The Birds of College of DuPage
STEM Biology Guest Speaker Event

Wednesday, September 30, 2026
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Institutional Resource Center (IRC)
Room 1020

Free event, open to the public. Register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0948a4a623abfac52-codnatural1 #/

08/21/2026

As we move into a new school year, I challenge those to check your sources, understand that AI doesn't know everything, cross reference your sources, fact check when unsure, and evaluate content closely. Case in point "Ask Chappy" on our COD website page. I needed some unrelated information but when I pulled up the homepage, I had the random urge to check in on Chappy's understanding about oneself and ask a few questions. It appears that our beloved mascot has been habitualized to humans ways and has lost touch with his/her wild "birdness." Chappy struggled to understand some main concepts about habitat, food preferences, mating, and ecological roles. I went to the first source in science that we are told not to use (Wikipedia) and learned that chaparrals are actually two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. Since Chappy doesn't talk and we can't host an interview, it looks like these questions will continue to go unanswered...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadrunner

Based on geographic proximity, I'm going to go with Chappy is a Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus). Again it's hard to know. You be the judge.

https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/greater-roadrunner-geococcyx-californianus

08/20/2026

Yesterday campus was closed for our 2026 Fall Kickoff, welcoming back staff as we move into a new school year. Having been cooped up inside for half the day, when I got outside it was glorious. I rarely break for a lunch but today decided a quick walk was necessary to stretch my legs and take in the sun before office work. The vernal pond in the RKP is one of my favorite spots as it unites 3 habitats: woodland, prairie, and wetland into one tiny space. The vernal pond is ALWAYS dry this time of year, but with the heavy rains this year it’s more full than ever and has atypically, not dried up. Our breeding dragonflies and frogs have had a great year as a result and are abundant in the natural areas right now.

On my journey I spotted a few of these beautiful red dragonflies with blue faces and 1 was particularly friendly, hanging out and letting me photograph it for 5 minutes or so with my not so great phone camera. It even landed on my finger at one point and let me inspect it closer.

Anything that looks different usually gets me excited because I am always hoping it is something I have not seen before. To my luck this species turned out to be a blue-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum), a find that isn’t super common for our area as we’re really at the northern edge of its range. With very limited posts on iNaturalist in the Chicagoland region, I’m happy to add this to our biodiversity index at COD.

So the moral of the story is get out and enjoy nature, you never know what you’re going to find. Today I found this gem in a swamp, wearing a skirt, after ditching the heels and opting for a pair of muck boots after a college-wide function. I also may have ventured a little too deep pulling a patch of purple loosestrife in the process and ended up with water coming into the top of my boots. 😂

http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/392709894

https://dnr.illinois.gov/education/wildaboutpages/wildaboutinvertebrates/wildaboutdragonflies/family-libellulidae/wadfbluefacedmeadowhawk.html

08/19/2026

We love hosting Art Professor Mara Baker’s Natural Dye students every year. This course teaches students how to make natural pigments from nature, learn about sustainability, and give back to the land by engaging in active stewardship on campus. Her course was instrumental in helping clear the “Cumpston Cut-Thru Trail” in the north section of the Ecological Study Area (ESA). Her rockstar team is removing non-native carrot AKA Queen Anne’s Lace this year from the MAC Hill. This will allow more native plants to break through the soil and thrive with reduced competition. Plus the plant can also be used to make pigments, a win-win for all.

08/18/2026

Did you know plants can naturally hybridize? I learned this fun fact in my FOR 204 Tree ID course at Michigan State University decades ago. I thought learning hundreds of trees and shrubs without leaves (and their Latin names) was tricky but then found out they can hybridize to make the process of identification even harder.

Some plants are more prone to hybridization, such as these wild lobelias. The “blue-ish purple” colored one is blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and the “red” is cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). They can create fun shades of maroon and pink as shown with the cross of a maroon variety. Both species love wet habitats and I enjoy hunting for them in the late summer in our vernal pond while managing wetland weeds.

Here is a quick explanation covering the science behind it: https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5833

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/plant-profile/LOSP2

08/14/2026

Want a sneak peak at some of the action in John Stoddard’s Biology of Bats class?

08/14/2026

08/12/2026

Thank you to Kollin Otto of Scout Troop 1 from St. Charles and attends Bartlett High School. Kollin made 3 amazing benches for an Eagle Scout Project that were just placed out in our campus Natural Areas.

Kollin was joined by his family which included 3 generations of scouts and mom, Kris Otto, who works at the College of DuPage Carol Stream Testing Center. Even grandma was a benefactor by receiving the protoype bench for her yard as a Mother's Day present. Your benches will be used and appreciated by those enjoying our campus green spaces.

08/12/2026

The summer of storms. Yesterday 3 tornados touched down within a few miles from work. I was out surveying the trails for storm damage from the day before when the sirens went off. Ironically it happened to be a Tuesday at 10am and early in the month (It’s always the 1st Tuesday), so at first I thought it was a routine test. But it kept going as I headed back to my office in the BIC Basement where other staff were already taking shelter. It was hard to gauge the sound of rainfall over the COD building sirens but after things cleared about an hour later and I went outside, so many trails were flooded. Thankfully no trees were down in our area for this round of weather but we’ve had several down this season. When I got back to my Yorkville farm we had a downed power line and tree in the road with a downed power line in the front yard that crews did a great job of fixing late at night and restoring power. Thanks to all of our storm response crews working hard and hoping all of our DuPage neighbors and friends faired just as well.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1UxQPM3EzM/?mibextid=wwXIfr