This Friday, WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli explains how green darner dragonflies are migrating south and stopping in Illinois. Plus, stories on local Black businesses hoping for a DNC boost and the paratransit drivers' strike.
Next week, the DNC kicks off in Chicago and you can follow all our coverage here.
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Welcome to this first edition of City in a Garden, where every Friday I’ll be sharing cool stuff about nature in and around Chicago.
This week, for me, has been all about dragonflies, starting last Sunday when I basically biked into a wall of dragonflies at Belmont Harbor.
I wondered “what the heck was that all about?,” which is how I get a lot of ideas for articles — just being curious. After interviewing multiple dragonfly experts, I had my answer: Green darner dragonflies are starting to migrate south for the winter and I’d stumbled onto a feeding and/or mating swarm during one of their stopover breaks.
I learned so much about these amazing creatures — more than I could cram into my article. Like the fact that they are the most efficient predators on the planet, nabbing their prey with a 97% success rate. Lions don’t even top 30%
Dragonflies are also great indicator species when it comes to climate change and the health of our ecosystems. Cindy Crosby, a dragonfly monitor, told me that new species are moving into Illinois and existing species are moving out as temperatures shift.
And while the green darner — one of the most common species across the country — is thriving, in part because it’s tolerant of polluted water, other species are in decline.
One of these is the elfin skimmer, according to Doug Taron, chief curator emeritus at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. It’s North America’s smallest dragonfly, and only lives in fens with really clear water. It’s listed as a threatened species here in Illinois.
To learn more about dragonfly species in Illinois, check out the website of the Illinois Odonate Survey.
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A male green darner dragonfly with his signature bright blue abdomen. (emprised / iStock)
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“It’s the most exciting time of the year if you love dragonflies," says Cindy Crosby, the author of “Chasing Dragonflies” and the blog “Tuesdays in the Tallgrass.” Walking around the Chicago area, you've probably spotted a few dragonflies flying around.
Why are they
here?
They're here in great numbers because it's the start of the annual southern migration of green darners (Anax junius), one of the largest and most common dragonfly species.
What people in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin are witnessing isn’t necessarily the act of migrating itself but rather the dragonflies’ feeding and mating frenzies during stopover breaks.
Wait, dragonflies migrate?
Yes, dragonflies migrate — some species at least. As migration patterns go, the green darner’s has more in common with monarch butterflies than, say, birds.
Dragonfly migration patterns are still a mystery but scientists suspect cooler temperatures trigger the onset of migration.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum manages a program called the Illinois Odonate Survey, which monitors dragonflies and their close relatives, the damselflies. Application forms are available online.
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Read the story
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(Courtesy of Sweet Beginnings)
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Next week’s Democratic National Convention is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to Chicago. That’s a lot of people spending a lot of money while they’re here. Many Black business owners are looking to get a slice of the economic action, as well as network with folks from across the country.
Sweet Beginnings
A social impact enterprise created by the North Lawndale Employment Network, Sweet Beginnings will provide 10,000 lip balms for convention-goers thanks to a partnership with Microsoft.
Sweet Beginnings hit upon the idea of using urban honey cultivation to provide jobs for people struggling to find work because of the stigma of having a criminal record.
“It means a lot for me that we have the opportunity to elevate a social impact business based in North Lawndale that is too often known for all of the social ills versus something that is sweet and good,” said founder Brenda Palms. “So for me, it’s about changing the narrative and uplifting what’s positive and what’s good.”
Lenore’s Kitchen Catering Founded by Lilia Key, this business has been providing catering services for DNC staff in the run-up to the convention.
“The experience was great,” said Key. “We had the opportunity to cater for the staff a soul food lunch, and it was well received."
Read more about the Black-owned businesses hoping to get some DNC traffic from WTTW News producer Paul Caine.
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Back In the Day: August 16, 2004 - Oprah Winfrey Does Jury Duty
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(Harpo Inc.)
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Back in 2004, Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous and wealthy television personalities — not just in Chicago but in the world. Despite her prestigious job as the host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" — the highest-rated daytime talk show in TV history — she still had to show up for jury duty. On this date 20 years ago, she accepted a $17.20 per-day job after being selected on the jury at a murder trial in Chicago.
At the time, she told ABC News: “I'm just hoping it doesn't take longer than a week because I've got shows to do." The case was about the 2002 murder of Walter Holley, who was allegedly shot to death by Dion Coleman over a counterfeit $50 bill. When Winfrey was asked about the gruesome details of the case, she was nonplussed. "Everything I could hear in a trial I've already heard on my show," she said. "I've met a lot of interesting people ... and got some show ideas." Coleman was found guilty of first-degree murder days later.
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(Regional Transportation Authority)
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Hundreds of PACE and Chicago Public Schools paratransit drivers have authorized a strike over unfair labor practices just days before the new school year kicks off.
Teamsters Local 727, which represents more than 800 drivers, announced this week that its members have voted to authorize a work stoppage after they claim their employer, SCR Medical Transportation, has refused to bargain in good faith.
What the union says: “Since commencement of negotiations in April 2024, SCR Medical Transportation has engaged in bad faith bargaining resulting in the filing of numerous unfair labor practices, including refusal to bargain in good faith, refusal to provide information, direct dealing, unilateral changes, and unlawful surveillance and intimidation of Union members,” Teamsters Local 727 wrote in a press statement.
What SCR says: SCR representatives could not be reached for comment Thursday. On its company website, SCR touts itself as “the choice paratransit transportation company for transporting children of the Chicago Public Schools, the elderly & the disabled.”
Student impact: CPS is set to begin classes for the new school year Aug. 26. But the district has already faced bus driver shortages that have limited its ability to transport students to and from schools in recent years. Neither CPS nor Teamsters Local 727 specified how many students could potentially be affected.
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Other News From Around Town
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Swimmers Are Pulling Abandoned Divvy Bikes From the Lake (Chicago Sun-Times)
Additional Dwelling Unit Ordinance Predominantly Benefits the North Side, Data Shows (South Side Weekly)
The Chicago Bulls Unveil Full 2024-25 Season Schedule (NBA)
Parking Meter Payoff for NASCAR Cost Chicago $600K Over Two Years (Chicago Tribune)
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