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Plant of the Week: Hop Hornbeam

8/27/2021

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This week’s plant of the week is the Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). Hop Hornbeam is an uncommon understory tree found throughout Illinois, where it grows primarily in dry to mesic woodlands and woodland clearings.   

This interesting tree is easily identifiable by its fruits that resemble the fruits of the Hop Plant, commonly used in flavoring beer. The small delicate fruits are made up of inflated structures that each carry one seed and are a food source for many types of animals including birds, insects, and small mammals. This tree is related to another native Illinois tree, the Musclewood Tree (Carpinus caroliniana).  

The importance of the Hop Hornbeam as an individual plant providing food or acting as a host plant serves a great function within the forest but, this tree is also part of the canopy understory. It is a significant piece of forest ecology along with plants such as Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), and varieties of Dogwood (Cornus sp.) or Viburnums (Viburnum sp.). In Illinois, forests come in many compositions, from the light and airy Oak-Hickory savannas to the dense and shady Maple-Beech forests that cast heavy shade on the ground. All forests contain some lesser level of growth between the tallest trees and the herbaceous layer on the ground, which can vary widely depending on the density of the canopy layer. The forest understory serves multiple functions that contribute to the succession of savanna into forest, allowing more sensitive plants to germinate that may be less tolerant of exposure.  

Illinois forests are currently experiencing a rapid loss of understory growth because of invasive species, primarily Honeysuckle and Buckthorn. These two shrubby invaders can shade the forest floor so densely that it can prevent the germination of native species that local wildlife relies on for food and other needs. Without proper management of native areas, we would lose species such as the Hop Hornbeam.   
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Bolingbrook Park District Annerino Community Center Parking Lot

8/25/2021

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​ERA provided engineering services on a joint project with Bolingbrook Park District and the Bernard Ward Elementary School. Our services included drainage improvements and pavement rehabilitation of a ½ mile section of Recreation Drive, the 236-space main parking lots for the Annerino Community Center, the shared 98-space parking lot, and 89 parking spaces along Recreation Drive.  Additionally, the pavement and 54 parking spaces associated with the Bolingbrook Park District Central Maintenance Facility were rehabilitated. 
 
The project was done in two phases to have the first phase completed in time for school to start.  The contractor, Abbey Paving, was able to complete the first phase in time for school to open despite delays due to record rainfalls.  The $980,000 project was completed on time and approximately $120,000 under budget.
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Plant of the Week: Wild Bergamot

8/13/2021

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​This week’s plant of the week is Monarda fistulosa, commonly known as Wild Bergamot.
 
True Bergamot is Citrus bergamia and is a hybrid of the bitter orange and lemon plants. Wild bergamot, as it is found in Illinois, is a member of the mint family and is commonly identified by tall, erect stems with opposite leaf arrangement featuring a square cross section. Each lavender-colored bloom is comprised of many smaller individual flowers that are prized by bees, flies, butterflies, moths, and many other pollinators. Considering all this information, it is easy to see how the plant got its name. Wild bergamot leaves, when bruised or crushed, produce a bergamot-like odor that wafts across the prairies during summer.
 
This plant is commonly found in both prairie and wetland buffer settings where it is often used in restoration and stormwater improvement projects. Known for its semi-aggressive growth habit, this plant has no issue outcompeting some of the more problematic prairie invaders. One downside to this plant is that it is highly susceptible to powdery mildew, a fungus that appears on the leaves and stems. This dusty coating that does not necessarily harm the plant but is not the most pleasing to see in your garden.
 
With vigorous growth, an attractive bloom and foliage, fragrance, and benefits to pollinators, it is no wonder this plant has been seen more often in landscape settings as native plants grow in popularity. 
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Warrenville Horizon Construction

8/10/2021

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ERA worked with Alden Design Group and the Alden Foundation on the design of a three-story, 71-unit senior living facility in Warrenville, IL at the corner of Butterfield Road and Batavia Road. The attractive building is accompanied by ERA-designed site features such as a 71-stall parking lot, permeable paver pavement, walking paths, a new emergency entrance from Butterfield Road, and an underground stormwater storage area. One major site challenge involved managing the 14.5’ grade change from the front of the lot to the rear while avoiding regulatory floodplain adjacent to the West Branch DuPage River. The construction is making fantastic progress this summer.
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Plant of the Week: Pickerel Weed

8/6/2021

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This week’s plant of the week is Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata).
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Found primarily in the northeast part of Illinois, Pickerel Weed enjoys shallow water and mucky soils on shorelines in slow-moving streams, ponds, and emergent wetlands. This attractive plant is prized for its dense growth habit and its plentiful flowers that support a wide variety of wildlife. Pickerel Weed is a great addition to any wetland planting.   

While the beautiful spikes of blue-violet flowers provide nectar and pollen to various types of bees, flies, and butterflies, the seeds are consumed by waterbirds and the foliage is occasionally browsed by White-Tailed Deer. This plant also provides excellent habitat benefits for animals that require shallow calm water for egg-laying and rearing, such as frogs and many species of fish that seek out the shaded shallow thickets that make predation difficult.   

Pickerel Weed is one member of a large group of plants that anyone might find in wetland plantings throughout Northeast Illinois. Often paired with other showy emergent plants such as Water Plantain (Alisma subcordatum), Common Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), and Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). Pickerel Weed makes a great showy addition to natural areas that benefit not only the people living nearby or visiting but also the local wildlife.   

This week's photos were taken at Armstrong Park within the onsite wetland basins off Klein Creek. One of many examples of a successful native planting. 
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    ERA Consultants

    Engineering Resource Associates, Inc. (ERA) is a consulting firm providing civil engineering, structural engineering, environmental science, and surveying.

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