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Rare Endangered & Saved
on Flickr
The story of an ambitious statewide photo shoot that may have no end.
Photos by Carol Freeman
Bog buckbean: “This has to be one of the most unusual flowers I have ever photographed. Fortunately, these were easy to spot and I was able to get down low enough to get these details.”
Photographer Carol Freeman is on a mission. From her home base in Glenview, she has spent the last four years tracking down some of the rarest plants and animals in Illinois. It’s part of her project to photograph each one of the state’s endangered and threatened species. She recently captured #100 — a fine aromatic plant called sweet fern — but the toughest may be yet to come. We asked Freeman about her process, her finds, and the long road ahead.
What is the Endangered Species Photography Project, in a nutshell?
The goal is to photograph all 483 threatened and endangered species in Illinois and use the photos for educational purposes. It officially started in 2004.
How do you go about finding these photos?
First, I dug up the latest Checklist of Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants of Illinois. I contacted several naturalists I had met or worked with in the past and asked if they had any of these species on their lands that I could photograph, and it grew from there. I also work with Plants of Concern, which monitors many of the plants on the list. The monitors and I coordinate schedules and bloom times and hope we can be in the right place at the right time to get some beautiful shots. I don’t want to just document these species, but to take inspirational and beautiful photos as well, so conditions such as light, blooms, wind, et cetera become very important.
Snakemouth orchid: “Many people are amazed when I tell them that Illinois has native orchids.”
Barn owl: “This is a captive bird. It is unlikely I would find this species in the wild in Illinois anymore.”
Purple fringed orchid: “I had to fight off hoards of mosquitoes to get this shot.”
Hine’s emerald dragonfly: “I went out every other week during the flight season to Lockport Prairie for 3 years until I finally spotted this female. I was in shock for days until it finally sunk in that I had actually photographed the rarest dragonfly in the US.”
So you’ve hit 100 species. What’s your plan for finishing the list?
Just 383 to go! I may never get them all, and the list changes every five years. I would like to get as many as possible. But the journey here is really the important part.
Have there been any unusual situations where you thought, “What the heck am I doing here?”
Some of the species are in fairly remote locations and do require quite a hike through unfriendly terrain. The worst was a three-hour search on a very hot, humid day, for a plant growing in tick-infested brush that, in the end, we never found.
What photos are you most proud of?
The shots of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly. I did the research on where to find them and went out every other week during the flight season for three years before I found the species. No expert, just me and the camera.
What was the hardest shot to get? The easiest?
The Hine’s emerald took the longest to get, but the dragonfly actually flew right in front of me and landed on a cattail while I stood on the trail. The easiest was when a federally endangered plant, the leafy prairie clover, was found growing in a yard and the owner called to let me know it was there. The hardest ones are some that I have yet to get, especially the fish and the bats.
What has been the coolest species?
I just love the orchids. It still amazes me how many native orchids we have in Illinois.
How many miles in the car and hours in the field do you think you’ve logged doing this?
Many miles and many hours. The good news is I have been doing all this driving in a Prius! I always try to group shoots in an area, if possible, to cut down on driving.
What do you think about while you’re in transit?
I think about what a wonderful job I have.
How many of these rare species are you finding in the Chicago region? Do you have a sense of the role our corner of Illinois plays in their survival and recovery?
About two-thirds of the species can be found in the Chicago Wilderness region. Many can’t be found anywhere else in Illinois. Every bit of land — green space, park, and private property — helps provide the habitat they need, both the species that live here and the ones that migrate through. But it’s really a handful of the best-managed preserves, many of them in the Chicago region, that support most of the rare stuff.
Mountain blue-eyed grass: “The endangered species looks very similar to the common variety. Even an expert can sometimes get the wrong plant.”
Carex formosa: “I look for ways to make these humble plants look good.”
Small sundrops: “This population is in an easy-to-get-to location that made it easy to keep off the habitat.”
Sandhill crane and chick: “Photographed at Volo Bog. What was fun was that I saw the adult first and then the bonus of this very tiny chick.”
What are the greatest challenges facing these species? What is your project doing to help their situation?
I’m not a scientist, but it seems to me that land development, a lack of good management practices like controlled burns, and toxic chemicals are some of the greatest threats. I hope these photos let people know that endangered species are not only an issue in Africa or India but right here in Illinois, and we do have the power to protect and preserve many of them. Anyone can join a restoration workday or learn to monitor species. Or they can encourage local leaders to support green development and active land restoration. I also try to set a good example myself. I never bring a tripod or extra equipment while on a shoot, to minimize my impact in the field. And I do not give out the location of any plant, to protect them from possible poachers.
Why is it important that we protect these species? How much are our lives really affected if some plant or animal disappears that’s so clearly difficult to find anyway?
I think protecting them gives us hope, hope that we can have a beautiful world to leave for the next generation. It also reminds us to appreciate what we have.
Is there a “holy grail” out there for you still?
I think now I would really like to get shots of the Franklin’s ground squirrel. I haven’t gotten any mammal photographs from the list, and this is a species people are talking about.
How will you celebrate if and when you finally photograph the last species?
I think I will move to a new state and start all over!
See more of Freeman’s endangered species photos here. Have a lead or a need for a rare Illinois species photo? E-mail her at carol@carolfreemanphotography.com.
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