In this episode of the Everyday Environment Podcast, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Karla Griesbaum talk with Allen Lawrance, Curator of Entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, to discuss the power of community science and how volunteers contribute valuable data to wildlife monitoring programs across Illinois. Allen highlights initiatives like the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, the Illinois Odonate Survey, and the Calling Frog Survey. These programs help track species abundance and distribution and are crucial for understanding environmental change, including the impacts of habitat loss and climate change. Allen emphasizes that anyone can participate with basic training—no science background is needed.

Resources

• Federal Community Science Opportunities
• Illinois Odonate Survey
• Calling Frog Survey
• Peggy Notebaert Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network
• East Central Illinois FrogWatch
• North American Butterfly Association Butterfly Counts

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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If you learn to listen for wildlife, you’ll start finding it everywhere. Learning a bird’s song or an insect’s call means you can sense them even when they are out of sight or pick out their call from a chaotic audio background that the brain normally filters out. There are side benefits too; sometimes an animal’s call is the only way to identify it, and it’s often the easiest way to share nature with friends. Learn more about wildlife sounds from Voice of the Wild's Brodie Dunn.

Check out Brodie's Voice of the Wild Podcast
See the Everyday Environment Periodical Cicadas episode

Community Science Resources: 

• iNaturalist
• Calling Frog Survey
• Frog Watch
• Breeding Bird Survey (INHS)

Identification Resources: 

• Merlin Bird ID
• Voice of the Wild
• iNaturalist
• Guide to Night Singing Insects of the Northeast by John Himmelman and Michael DiGiorgio
• Birding by Ear East and Centrl by Richard K Walton and Rober Lawson
• More Birding by Ear by Richard K Walton and Rober Lawson
• Field Guide to Bird Songs Eastern and Central North America by Cornell Lab
• Songsofinsects.com
• Birdsong ear training guide : Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody?
• McAuley Library
• Cornell’s All About Birds

Sounds heard throughout the episode: 

• Common raccoon sound by iNaturalist user Aleksandr Berdnikov
• Wood duck chick sound by iNaturalist user Danasasso
• American toad sound by USGS 
• Eastern Gray Squirrel sound by iNaturalist user k2018lena
• Common nighthawk sound by iNaturalist user Ben Johnson
• Lyric cicada sound by iNaturalist user Gabriel Diggs
• Walker's cicada sound by iNaturalist user Brian Wulker
• Dickcissel south by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Chimney swift sound by iNaturalist user Chris Harrison
• Least flycatcher sound by iNaturalist user Ty Smith
• Gray catbird sound by iNaturalist user Megan Hanson
• Eastern chipmunk sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Brown thrasher sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Indigo bunting sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Brown thrahser sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Northern mockingbird sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Blue jay sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• House finch sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel
• Red-eyed vireo sound by iNaturalist user Christopher Hensel

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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Beneath Illinois’ soil lives a little-known but ecologically important animal — the plains pocket gopher. In this episode, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Darci Webber talk with Nathan Alexander, postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey, about what makes this gopher unique to Illinois. Nathan shares how this “angry potato” of the prairie shapes soil health, how agriculture has influenced its habitat over time, and why this subspecies has a fascinating Ice Age origin story. Listeners will also learn how community science can help researchers better understand and protect this elusive species.

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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The Mexican long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus) has become a recent addition to the local fauna of Illinois as a response to habitat alteration and climate change. With these new species and many others comes new diseases and exposure of pathogens. Join Southern Illinois University associate professor Agustin Jimenez as he discusses zoonotic diseases and how the movement of Illinois wildlife, particularly armadillos, is impacting our understanding of pathology.

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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The Urban Coyote Research Project is an ongoing 25-year project studying coyotes in the Chicagoland area. Join Chris Anchor, wildlife biologist for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, as he discusses his 40-year career in wildlife management and the insights we’ve gained from this long-term research project.
 
Learn more about Urban Wildlife: 

• Research at the Forest Preserves of Cook County
• The Urban Coyote Research Project
• IDNR's Living with Wildlife Website

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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Fish hatcheries are an important tool for the heritage and recreation of Illinois wildlife. Join Kayleigh Smith, Outreach specialist for the IDNR Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery as she discusses the work at the fish hatchery and how it support conservation of Illinois wildlife.

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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Find out the difference between bison and buffalo...Amy and Darci talk with Dr. Elizabeth Bach from The Nature Conservancy about prairie restoration at Nachusa Grasslands. From reintroducing bison to boosting biodiversity, the conversation explores how science, history, and community come together to restore Illinois’ tallgrass prairie.

Resources to learn more

• Nachusa Grasslands
• Research by moonlight: Study shows bison alter ‘landscape of fear’ for rodents in grasslands
• Plant and bird responses to bison grazing at Nachusa Grasslands
• Grassland Restoration Network
• Invertebrate responses to bison grazing and prescribed fire management (research article)

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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Hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Darci Webber chat with Sydney Oliveira from the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic about what to do if you find injured wildlife, how to prevent common injuries, and the vital role rehabilitation and education play in conservation.

Resources to learn more

• University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic
• Illinois Extension Wildlife
• National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
• Wildlife Illinois - Orphaned Wildlife
• Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Map

Share your own Everyday Observation

Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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There are nearly 4 million miles of roadway in the U.S., allowing people to access almost anywhere, at any time, which has its benefits for people but also numerous ecological drawbacks. Learn from Kevin Rohling how roads alter the ecology of an area and affect our wildlife.

Check out the Everyday Environment Blog for more information and a reference to the studies Kevin discusses in the podcast.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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In this amazing episode, conservation biologist Dr. Mark Davis joins hosts Amy and Karla to explain environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material shed by organisms into their surroundings. This tool allows researchers to detect species in water, soil, and air without disturbing them. A fascinating look at how invisible clues in nature help protect biodiversity.

Highlights:

- Rediscovering the endangered salamander mussel in Illinois after 100 years using eDNA.

- Detecting rare Hawaiian birds through flower samples.

- eDNA enables faster, less invasive biodiversity surveys.

- Limitations include short DNA lifespan and data interpretation challenges.

More information
Illinois Natural History Survey eDNA

Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] 

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Check out our Blog
See the Everyday Environment Archives