R e p o r t s Spring 2006 No. 387 INSIDE Chicago Wilderness Celebrates 10 Years Mallows in Illinois 2 of Cooperative Conservation Male-produced Aggre- gation Pheromone in About 10 years ago, representa- Galerucella Beetles tives of a handful of groups, 3 including the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), met at Reference Stream Con- Chicago’s Field Museum to dis- ditions in the Illinois cuss how they might cooperate Grand Prairie Natural to conserve biodiversity in the Division Chicago area. Soon their num- 4 ber grew to 34 forward-thinking organizations. In April 1996 Slowing the Invasion of they formed Chicago Wilder- Exotic Plants in Illinois ness, a consortium dedicated 5 to protect, restore, study, and manage the ecosystems of the Species Spotlight: Chicago region to help preserve Columbine global biodiversity and enrich 6 local residents’ quality of life. Now more than 180 members Blanding’s turtle, an Illinois-threatened species now found primarily in the Chicago area. INHS staff are studying this species’ biology and status. The Naturalist's strong, Chicago Wilderness is Photo by Mike Dreslik, INHS Apprentice: Draw the celebrating its 10th anniversary. global conservation significance. of the region’s plants and animals Mystery Picture “Chicago Wilderness” For example, many of the best using both professional scientists 7 sounds like an oxymoron; remaining examples of tallgrass and trained volunteer citizen after all, more than 9 million prairie and oak savanna, both of scientists. Consortium members people call this region home. which have almost disappeared conduct research to understand Yet despite its intense urbaniza- from both the state and region, the biology of the region’s organ- tion and sprawling suburbs, the can be found in the Chicago isms and the impacts of habitat Chicago metropolitan area has area. The region is also a crucial changes upon them. They train significant natural resources. stopping point for birds migrating school teachers to incorporate the Stretching from southeastern along the Lake Michigan Flyway concept of biodiversity into their Wisconsin through northeastern and provides breeding habitat for classroom curricula. Members of Illinois and into northwestern many grassland, wetland, and the consortium also work with Indiana, the region holds more forest birds. elected officials and land-use than 225,000 acres of protected Independently and in partner- planners to facilitate sustainable lands and waters, home to ship, Chicago Wilderness mem- development. thousands of native plant and bers work to restore the health Chicago Wilderness has animal species, many of them Yellow-headed Blackbird of local natural areas using land achieved many notable successes. threatened or endangered. Some banded during INHS re- management tools such as con- These include the publication of the natural communities they search. In Illinois, this species trolled burns and invasive species of the Biodiversity Recovery breeds only in the Chicago form are rare enough to be of removal, and monitor the status area. Photo by Mike Ward, INHS. Continued on back page Mallows in Illinois A mallow can be defined as any member of once known in six counties. The related the genus Malva, whose common name is Triangle-leaved poppy mallow (Cal- Mallow, or it can be more broadly defined lirhoe triangulata) is disappearing fast. as any member of the plant family Mal- Its survival in Illinois appears to depend vaceae, generally known as the Mallow upon its protection in a few remnant sand Family. prairies. Another mallow may also be ex- Two of the 26 Illinois mallows have tinct in Illinois now, namely, Elliott’s sida been listed as state-endangered, the (Sida elliottii). It has been found only in Kankakee mallow (Iliamna remota) and the Alexander County. The Northern swamp False mallow (Malvastrum hispidum). The hibiscus (Hibiscus palustris) appears Kankakee mallow is generally well-known to survive in a single native population because native individuals are restricted to in a salty swamp near Starved Rock in one small limestone island in the Kankakee La Salle County, though an introduced River in Kankakee State Park and nowhere population appears to occur along a salty else in the world. The False mallow is a roadside near old coal wastes in Will small rather inconspicuous annual that County. The Glade mallow (Napaea grows in very shallow soil on level dolo- dioica) is having better luck—Illinois mite or limestone bedrock within dolomite appears to have most of the larger surviv- This mallow of the genus Hibiscus was painted prairies. The largest remnant populations ing populations of this striking peren- by Mary Vaux Walcott, who made over 400 today are in small areas around the growing nial, once considered for inclusion in the paintings of North American plants in the early industrial and refinery complexes of Chan- federal endangered plant list. This plant, 20th Century. nahon in Will County. the only member of its genus, is unique [see IL Nat. Hist. Surv. Reports No. 374, Five other native Illinois mallows ap- among Illinois mallows because individu- p. 2]), and the lesser economic plant Okra pear to be in decline as well. The Poppy als are either male or female (as in most (Abelmoschus esculentus), as well as the mallow (or Hollyhock mallow, Callirhoe animals) and so only half of the plants can garden ornamentals Hollyhock (Alcea alcaeoides) of gravelly prairies may produce seeds. rosea), Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus syri- already be extinct in Illinois, though it was The remaining four native mallows acus), Annual poppy-mallow (Callirhoe in Illinois appear to be doing well digitata), and Vervain, Musk, and High here—these include three swamp, mallows (Malva alcea, M. moschata, and floodplain, or pond margin spe- M. sylvestris). The Curly mallow (Malva cies often called Rose mallows verticillata var. crispa) is a rarely escaped or, simply, Wild hibiscus (Hibis- vegetable whose leaves can be used as cus laevis, H. lasiocarpos, and greens. The introduced Texas wine-cup H. moscheutos) and one annual (Callirhoe involucrata) is found today species often considered to be an primarily in a handful of cemeteries introduced weed, the Prickly sida where it was introduced from the south- (Sida spinosa). The wild hibiscus western states many years ago. species have showy white to pink The final five Illinois mallows are ac- flowers with a rose-red center, but cidently introduced weeds that generally each flower lasts only a single day. spread with crop seeds. One of these, These successful species appear Abutilon theophrasti, is usually consid- ered to be a serious pest, and is called, to tolerate a lot of environmental variously, Velvet-leaf, Button-weed, or disturbance and change. Butter-print. Another field weed in the Ten non-native mallows family is Hibiscus trionum, the Flower- were brought to Illinois either on of-an-hour, a far less noxious weed, and purpose or by accident by settlers. our only annual member of the genus. These include the economically The seeds of these two weeds often occur "Girl with Hollyhocks" by Victorian painter important cotton (Gossypium as contaminants in crop seeds, and so James Hamilton shows this mallow has been hirsutum); this may become a major crop popular in gardens for a long time. in Illinois as global warming increases! Continued on page 5 Male-produced Aggregation Pheromone in Galerucella Beetles Illinois researchers continue to learn more of their potency, pheromones would be about biological control agents for the inva- particularly useful in sparse populations, sive weed, purple loosestrife. This beautiful where monitoring by traditional methods but aggressive and prolific plant, originally is difficult. from Eurasia, became firmly established Using beetles supplied by INHS, in Illinois wetlands in the mid 1800s and preliminary experiments at NCAUR has caused serious ecological damage by indicated that males of G. calmariensis displacing native flora. In 1994, two spe- do indeed emit a pheromone and that cies of leaf-feeding beetles from Europe, both males and females can sense it. This Galerucella calmariensis and G. pusilla, pattern was consistent with a male-pro- were introduced in northern Illinois in an duced aggregation pheromone, a common effort to bring the weed under control by circumstance in the Coleoptera. Briefly, biological means. Since then, Galerucella the research procedure was to capture beetles have nearly eliminated purple loose- chemicals from the air around beetles strife from some infested wetlands, but less feeding on host foliage, a technique spectacular results in others have prompted adapted for Galerucella by NCAUR. Galerucella pheromone molecular structure. additional research into the biology of the Collections from males and females were analysis. Although researchers made beetles. Hopefully, insights obtained will then compared by gas chromatography, significant progress with this sample, lead to practical improvements in the bio- coupled with either mass spectrometry some key information was still not within control program. (GC-MS) or electroantennographic detec- reach of the NCAUR instrument. A In this vein, the study of Galerucella tion (GC-EAD). In GC-EAD, performed collaborator at Pfizer Global Manufac- pheromones began in 2002 as a collab- by NCAUR, beetle antennae were at- turing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, finally orative effort between the Illinois Natural tached to a sensitive electronic amplifier obtained the definitive NMR spectra on History Survey (INHS) and the USDA-ARS (see illustration below) and then exposed an instrument that was specially equipped National Center for Agricultural Utilization to compounds as they emerged from the for micro-scale analysis. The pheromone Research (NCAUR) in Peoria. We believe GC column. GC-EAD allows recognition has a novel furan-lactone ring system pheromones—the natural chemicals that the of chemicals that are particularly well (see illustration above) and is unlike any beetles use to attract mates—can become sensed by insects (as a pheromone would previously identified pheromone.