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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
Many Midwest streams and rivers have been straightened by channelization. The soil removed from the stream channel is often sidecast next to the st...
Posted in
Creeks,
Ecological Services,
habitat,
Habitat Management,
Habitat Restoration,
iowa,
midwest,
MidwestWildernessConnections,
Natural Areas,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Rivers,
Streams,
Water Quality,
wilderness
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
Double-crested cormorants nest in colonies that can be so large that their feces can kill the trees they nest in. They may also nest on the ground....
Posted in
Animals,
birding,
Birds,
Birdwatching,
Double-crested cormorant,
illinois,
midwest,
MidwestWildernessConnections,
Natural Areas,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Nesting,
Plant and Animal Interactions,
Rivers,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
The great egret was on a path to extinction in the late 1800s when women found it fashionable to decorate their hats with beautiful bird feathers....
Posted in
Animals,
birding,
Birds,
Birdwatching,
Declining Species,
Endangered Species,
habitat,
Habitat Management,
Habitat Restoration,
illinois,
midwest,
MidwestWildernessConnections,
MississippiRiver,
Natural Areas,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Rivers,
Wading Bird,
Wetlands,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
Detritus consisting of leaves, sticks, or other organic debris is essential to steam life. This material provides food, shelter, and chemical con...
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
The Blanchard's cricket frog is a declining species in the northern portions of their Upper Midwest Range. This species hides along muddy banks w...
Posted in
Amphibians,
Animals,
backyard habitat,
Creeks,
habitat,
Herpetiles,
Herpetofauna,
Herpetology,
midwest,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Rivers,
Streams,
Wetlands,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
This rare Blanding’s Turtle was attempting to cross a busy highway, so I stopped and helped him cross safely. This time of year, many of the turtl...
Posted in
Animals,
backyard habitat,
BlandingsTurtle,
Creeks,
habitat,
Herpetiles,
Herpetofauna,
Herpetology,
midwest,
Migration,
MississippiRiver,
Natural Areas,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Reptiles,
Rivers,
Streams,
Turtles,
Wetlands,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
What animal left these tracks on a sand road in northwestern Illinois? Scroll below to reveal the culprit.
Here's a photo hint 🤔
The correct ans...
Posted in
Animals,
AnimalTracks,
habitat,
Herpetiles,
Herpetofauna,
Herpetology,
illinois,
midwest,
MidwestWildernessConnections,
MississippiRiver,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Reptiles,
Rivers,
SnappingTurtle,
Turtles,
Wetlands,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
In the early 1900s, freshwater mussels in the Upper Mississippi River were over exploited to the point of near extinction to make pearl buttons fr...
Posted in
Clamming,
FreshwaterMussels,
midwest,
MidwestWildernessConnections,
MississippiRiver,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Rivers,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
-
by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
We all marvel at the beauty and acrobatics of dragonflies and damselflies. Less well known is that years of their life are spent underwater a...
Posted in
Creeks,
Dragonfly,
habitat,
Muscatine Iowa USA,
Natural Areas,
nature,
NaturePhotography,
Odonata,
Pike Run Wildlife Preserve,
Pocahontas State Park,
Rivers,
Streams,
Virginia USA,
Water Quality,
Wetlands,
wilderness,
wildlife,
Wildlife Photography
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
Have you watched a pair of Canada geese in amazement as they chaperone an unbelievable number of goslings? Egg dumping, laying eggs in another fem...
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by Jennifer Anderson-Cruz
Got oxygen? Stream water holds less available oxygen than air. Water picks up dissolved oxygen (DO) where mixing occurs and when plants & alga...
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