Until climate change renders snowball fights the exclusive preserve of those able to climb K2, May will remain the most welcome of months, for have mercy, it is spring. Natural history, […]
Category: photography
Throwbacklist Thursday: Furry’s People
“Virtuosity in playing blues licks is like virtuosity in celebrating the Mass, it is empty, it means nothing. Skill—competence—is a necessity, but a true blues player’s virtue lies in his […]
Pictures perfect
As a plucky nonprofit, the UIP keeps an eye out for resources that allow us to marry words to striking images. The New York Public Library just added another treasure trove to […]
Of cats and bats, mostly cats
It is seldom mentioned that cats are one of the great lawyers of the animal kingdom. Say “no” to a cat and it will look at you with an expression that […]
Making Photography Matter wins National Communication Association award
Making Photography Matter: A Viewer’s History from the Civil War to the Great Depression by Cara A. Finnegan has won the Outstanding Book of the Year by the National Communication […]
Win a copy of Fe-Lines: French Cat Poems through the Ages
One of the wonderful things about independent bookstores is the opportunity for discovery. Is there a better feeling than walking among rows of texts and spying that one spine that calls […]
Larry Kanfer book signings and reception in downtown Chicago
Larry Kanfer will sign copies of his latest book CHICAGOSCAPES in the Chicago Loop on December 17th & 18th. This is a perfect gift for the holidays. Join us for […]
Best of Illinois: Look!
The Best of Illinois: Vol. 1, catalog offers cutting-edge graphic design, striking photography, a shelf of essential books, and a closeup of a bullfrog. Oh, you’ve heard these superlatives? Here’s the […]
The winter mushroom, Flammulina velutipes
Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer Edible, but tough. Despite appearances, the commercially produced “enoki” mushroom found in many grocery stores is a cultivated form of this mushroom. One of the best-known […]
Entoloma salmoneum, or the hunt for the gnome’s hat of mushrooms
Entoloma salmoneum (Peck) Saccardo Entoloma salmoneum can be found growing alone or scattered in leaf litter under hardwoods, or in moss under conifers; frequently on rotting, moss-covered conifer logs. When […]
Exploring Illinois: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
The Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge stretches for 261 river miles from Cordova, Illinois to the mouth of Wisconsin’s Chippewa River. Dozens of bird species can be […]
Exploring Illinois: Ayers Sand Prairie
Ayers Sand Prairie in Carroll County was once the western edge of the Wisconsin Glacier. Among the small dunes explorers can spy plants and animals friendly to the dry growing […]