We held our April meeting/ field trip at Merwin Nature Preserve in McLean County (Illinois). This nature preserve is located near the town of Lexington. The Mackinaw River flows through the preserve. We arrived at the preserv about 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 19. Roughly 15 members participated in the trip. We got the chance to observe a number of insects and plants (along with a snake and some interesting fungi). Additional information and photos can be found on our Facebook page. I thought it might be helpful to have a photo gallery of what we encountered. Most photos have captions as to the likely species you are viewing. We met for a late lunch in El Paso after we concluded our field trip). Overall, it was a great opportunity to connect with nature, walk some trails, and remember the last time we visited (in 2024 – as the periodical cicadas were about to emerge). We hope you enjoy the photo gallery.

Our next field trip will be to Henry Gleason Nature Preserve (near Manito) on May 17). We hope you will be able to join us. That is a most unique area. Many species of plants and animals you would expect in the SW U.S. can be found at this preserve.