A new way to contribute to science is here! We now have a Chronolog: a site for folks to take a photo and upload to a shared timelapse. Thanks to a grant from Illinois American Water, we invested in a Chronolog for two reasons. First, to engage visitors with our...
Written by Ceci Kimball | August 2026 Summer is a brief encounter. While of course, what else would a season be? Classifying summer as fleeting empowers each moment to be remembered. I’ve always categorized this time of year by the street festivals, farmer’s markets,...
Written by Ceci Kimball | August 2026 This summer, Nature At The Confluence volunteers went on weekly, staff-led prairie walks every Tuesday evening to observe milkweed plants (the sole host of the monarch butterfly) for the presence of monarch eggs, instars...
Nature At The Confluence is an idyllic stretch of restored prairie and woodland located in South Beloit, Illinois. Where Turtle Creek meets the Rock River, the grounds of The Confluence are a frequent destination for fishing, family outings, and kayaking. Roughly 80...
Written by Julie Uram | June 2026 This summer is the first time Nature At The Confluence has hosted two full-time AmeriCorps Members at the same time. Our organization is lucky to benefit from this federal service program, which would not be possible without...
Written by Ely Grimm | June 2026 In the late winter of this year, we seeded a half-acre expansion of our five-acre prairie along the Kelly Creek woodland edge. The area was carefully prepared with intentional herbicide use and a prescribed burn. With the help of many...
Written by Ceci Kimball | June 2026 Monarchs are one of the most recognizable butterfly species in North America, and it isn’t difficult to understand the fascination. The common name for the monarch derives from American entomologist Samuel Hubbard Scudder who coined...
Our program guide was created to be colored! The artwork was created by local student Tarah Sympson. Hard copies can be picked up at our building during business hours. Click here to download our 2026 Summer Brochure This summer we have both new and returning event...
Written by Julia Weber | April 2026 This is less of a reflection, and more of a love letter to all that makes Nature At The Confluence what it is: the community. Not only made up of human beings, but also made up of bluebells, trillium, cardinals, geese, the water...
Written by Ely Grimm | March 2026 It can be overwhelming to be in a job with immense flexibility, with endless tasks on a landscape full of neglect. As the part-time Stewardship & Facilities Assistant, I am tasked with making decisions about how to best proceed in...
Written by City of South Beloit staff | February 2026 The City of South Beloit will move forward with a long- awaited neighborhood park at Nature at the Confluence after securing a $600,000 grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Open Space Lands...
Written by Julie Uram | December 2025 Nature At The Confluence’s Bird Club had a wonderful year- our group met 11 times, took 5 field trips to nearby preserves, and observed 74* different bird species in 2025. Our organization also had the honor of collaborating...
Written by Jessie Crow Mermel | December 2025 Greetings friends of The Confluence, As we transition into a new year, I find myself pausing in gratitude for the extraordinary nature and community that make Nature At The Confluence such a special place. The story...
Written by Amelia Pullen | December 2025 This semester I had the opportunity to intern at Nature At The Confluence. My internship was through a community connection and civic engagement class at Beloit College, and over the semester I spent almost 100 hours...
Written by Amelia Pullen | November 2025 My name is Amelia and I am a senior at Beloit College, and this semester I took an internship course that paired students with a local organization that aligned with the students interests. I was paired with Nature At The...
Written by Ely Grimm | October 2025 In April of this year, I was hired as the Stewardship & Facilities Assistant at Nature At The Confluence. My primary focus is to manage the land here, including the vegetable gardens. In this vein, the first big project I was...
We are grateful to receive a community grant award from Gemini Solar! The funds will be used to purchase a chainsaw, chainsaw safety and maintenance tools, handsaws, and additional equipment that our staff and dedicated volunteers use to keep our grounds beautiful....
Written by Susan Burton | October 2025 A striking new figure now greets visitors at Nature At The Confluence in Sout Beloit — meet Woodrow the Woodpecker, a nine-foot-tall mosaic sculpture created through the SPARK 2025 Kids Camp and made possible in part by support...
Written by Therese Oldenburg | October 2025 As the leaves begin to change color and the air crisps up, challenge yourself to take 8 Autumn Hiking Adventures in 8 stunning locations, traveling from north to south through the Stateline area. Begin your...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | August 2025 This summer, I practiced species identification with the app iNaturalist. Starting in May, I aimed to identify three plants, insects, or animals each day. I also kept track of different plants blooming throughout the campus...
Written by Julie Uram | August 2025 We are thrilled to share the expansion of the Audubon Mural Project in Northern Illinois. Three murals were completed this summer, weaving together public art and conservation awareness. Murals include: “The Last...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | August 2025 This summer, Nature At The Confluence had an amazing time hosting Little Science Storytime in partnership with the South Beloit Public Library. Each week featured three books and tons of opportunities for nature discovery and...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | August 2025 Challenged with the daunting task of reflecting on three transformative months, I searched through past articles on the “News from Nature At The Confluence” blog for inspiration. The earliest posts date back to before the...
Written by Jess Savage for WNIJ Northern Public Radio | July 2025 | Original article link Angelina Sirianni pulled a wagon weighed down with purple loosestrife plants and the beetles that devour it. Recently, after months of work, high schooler Angelina finally got to...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | July 2025 This year, Earth Overshoot Day was July 24th. According to the Global Footprint Network, this estimate marks when we have collectively used up the Earth’s natural resource budget for the entire year. An overall pattern shows...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | June 2025 Humans have an innate connection with nature, developing from a very young age. Biophilia is a hypothesized inherited and genetic attraction to the natural world, and researchers have studied this connection in correlation to...
Written by Isabelle Molitor | June 2025 Our planet has a vast and fascinating history, with a diverse range of plants and animals that came before us. This summer, you can imagine a prehistoric world within the learning garden at Nature At The Confluence. Plan a visit...
Written by Julie Uram | May 2025 This April, we received notice from the Illinois Department of Human Services that our AmeriCorps program was terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency. Nature At The Confluence is one of over 1,000 AmeriCorps host sites...
Our program guide was created to be colored! The artwork was hand drawn by Alex Noskowiak from The Lincoln Academy and put together virtually by Ezekiel Kingsbury from Beloit College. Hard copies can be picked up at our building during business hours. Click here to...
Written by Ezekiel Kingsbury | April 2025 It was the first month of my time at Nature At The Confluence, and for some reason, Julie trusted me to lead the sunset bird walk. I showed up early with little more than a vague sense of which birds might be around and Merlin...
