Illinois Wildlife Categories: Plantlife

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Wicked Wildlife
Wildlife is a very important role to Illinois; there are many different categories of wildlife. One of the categories is plant life found throughout Illinois. Some of the plants are dandelions, sunflowers, poison ivy, and goldenrod. Although plants in Illinois are beautiful, there are also many mammals, fish, and birds. These many plants and animals throughout Illinois make this state a very interesting and beautiful place to visit and study.
Plants
Dandelions
There are many plants in Illinois that you can see locally, whether it is in your yard, on the side of a road, or on a hike in the woods. One common flower that you can see in your yard is a dandelion. Dandelions grow statewide from the beginning of spring to the end of fall (Busch 38). With that being said, these pesky flowers grow for a long time. Even though most adults, especially gardeners, don’t like dandelions, children find this flower to be interesting (Busch 38). Even though gardeners hate this weed, people, not only kids, adore this flower all over the state (Busch 38). Although this plant is interesting, dandelions are very hard to expel (Busch 38). To prevent dandelions, you can dig them out with a shovel, spray weed killer on them, or just chop the flower out of the ground (Busch 38). Believe it or not, some people eat dandelion leaves in their salad (Busch 38). Others cook the roots and eat them as their daily vegetable (Busch 38). I know I wouldn’t want to eat this pesky flower! Not only do people eat dandelions, but different people have beliefs about them as well. Some people say that if you blow seeds off, the amount of seeds that are remaining will be the number of kids you will have in the future (Busch 38). Others believe that if...

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...ds, on a fishing trip, or just on a relaxing drive. Plants can also be found in your yard, in the woods, or along the rural backroads of Illinois. Illinois’ wildlife is one of the most interesting and unique characteristics about Illinois. Next time you take a walk in the woods or cruise in your car on a Sunday look for these amazing creatures that live in your local area.

Works Cited

Busch, Lottie. Violets and Dutchman's Breeches: Wildflowers of Illinois Sung to Favorite Childhood Tunes. Moline, IL: Illinois Writers Guild, 1993. N. pag. Print.
"Fish Species in Illinois." Fish Species in Illinois. N.p., 24 Apr. 2014. Web.
"Living with Wildlife in Illinois." Directory of Illinois Wildlife: Mammals Living with Wildlife University of Illinois Extension. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.
Twesten, Gary. Wildlife Ecology. Belleville: Record Printing, 1973. Print.

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