On May 17, 2025, we visited Henry Alan Gleason Nature Preserve (south and west of Manito, IL just off the Goofy Ridge blacktop). This is an area with immense sand dunes (deposited after the last glaciation). Many plants and animals which are more common in the American Southwest can be found here. One example is the prickly pear cactus. Another is the fungus growing ant, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis. We had a smaller group on this field trip (less than 10), but we had a grreat time exploring the area and observing a number of insect species. I have included a small gallery of photos. You will find more photos on our Facebook page. Keep in mind this is a private page so you will need to ask for access (be sure to thank a spammer for this being a private page – we wouldn’t have done it without having to remove annoying ads for t-shirts and other junk continually).

We hope you enjoy these photos and invite you to participate in our next adventure (at Benner Marsh in June, 2025).