The first group field trip was to Lake in the Hills fen to census populations of a rare plant, Cirsium hillii (Hill's thistle).
Of course, the day before was sunny and warm, and so was the following day. But on the day of the trip, it was cold, drizzly, windy, and cold! As you can tell.
The group participated in a census on two populations of C. hillii with Susanne Masi and Rachel Goad of Plants of Concern (POC). POC is a program devoted to recording and analyzing the year-to-year variation in populations of rare and threatened plant species in north-eastern Illinois.
The students braved the conditions to collect leaf samples for molecular analysis, and soil samples for biochemical analyses- all back in the lab!
Results of the study have been provided to Plants of Concern, and will contribute to their knowledge about the population structure and environmental requirements of this rare species.
Tour leader, Dr. Greg Mueller, shows us around the herbarium 
Examining the beetles and hissing cockroaches 
Meet and greet with on of the pet tarantulas 
Entomology 101 
First glimpse of the tarantula for Christine 
Denise meets the tarantula 
