From Mike
6-20-19

Dear Jeff,

I felt compelled to share information regarding the mass flora and fauna die-offs occuring in my area. I live in Rockford, Illinois situated roughly at 42 North latitude/89 West Longitude near the Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin border.

Let me begin with the plants. Trees and bushes are dying at a rate starkly frightening. This began to be apparent about 3 years ago but has increased exponentially ever since. I would estimate that we are well past the 30% marker for trees dead or actively dying, while the rest are in obvious states of extreme stress and on their way out. They are burned out despite our area having above average rain fall this year and last. The ones dying from increased UV-B (and now UV-C making it to the ground) are characterized by dying from the top down.

The ones dying from pollutant uptake through the root structures die from the bottom up, or within the limb structures then spreading out. This is no doubt due to the pollutants coming down in the air column and in the rain as a result of all the stratospheric aerosol injection for solar radiation management ocurring here (i.e. chemtrails). I used to photo document all of the chemtrailing going on, as it has really ramped up in the past 8 years, but it is so common place and regular now, what's the point? If people can't look up and realize something's wrong, pictures won't help them. Sheeple, indeed.

Three years ago, I began to notice the tree and bush die-off. I told my wife, if this continues we'll be screwed in 5 years. It has, and we are! I have done a little experiment where I randomly stop at locations all over my city, and then scan 360 degrees. NOWHERE can you find a spot that trees are not dead or dying.

The coniferous trees (pines) have been hit hard but the deciduous are also in free-fall. Even on my own property, I can note these following alarming, dire issues. Evergreen bushes that have been in place for over 20 years are dying and have almost lost all their needles in just this season. Barberry bushes are likewsie dying and have been decimated in just this one season. After the last two seasons, my rose bushes are fried and are barely holding. A Soft maple tree that is at least several decades old began showing black burn spots on its leaves last year by the Fall. Now, such singed leaves were evident by this Spring.

Pink Honeysuckle bushes that span the south side of my property, that are 20 feet tall and 100 feet long, did not yield any viable berries last year for the first time ever (and I have been here 16 years). The little red berries they sprout at summer's end were all (100%) burned black to cinders. They could be smashed into ash in your hand. I expect the same this year.

All the Cottonwood trees all over town have had the bark burned off of them down to the white wood beneath. Decades old Locust trees that line my street took a month longer to re-leaf this Spring, and now they are very stressed and lacking in complete leaf coverage. These examples are but a sampling of the destruction I see.

In regards to animal life...

There are no honey bees anymore. They are gone. Despite having planted a patch of Milkweed in my yard, I can count the Monarch Butterfiles I see all season on one hand. The crows, one of my favorite animals and a totem of mine, have been tragically decimated by the West Nile Virus. While growing up here you would see giant flocks (formally called "murders") of crows every night flying in from all over the city to flock together by the thousands. Now all you see are a few individuals here and there. Very, very sad.

The Mallard ducks are likewise in great decline. While some are scattered here and there, I have not seen a migrating duck arrow in the sky for years. Again, tearfully sad. The bats used to come out in force every night and you could watch them sailing the sky to catch bugs. Very few bugs are left, and the bats have unfortunately gone with them.

I could continue with this anecdotal evidence, but frankly it is depressing, sad, tragic. We are indeed within the 6th Great Mass Extinction, and humans are arrogant fools to think it will not include us.

Michael
Rockford, IL

Birds & Bees Going Down In Central, Southern Illinois

From Sharon
This report is from Benton, in Central-Southern Illinois
6-22-19

Every year is more strange than the last.

This is June 19th, and we are still seeing small, undernourished, young squirrels desperately trying to get into the bird feeder. We usually never see younger squirrels. They were nearly grown and healthy before we ever saw them. This is not normal.

There are no dirt dabbers this year. We always have them making nests all over the back porch and in the garage.

I saw one honey bee this morning on flowers in bloom. The first this year. I have not seen a bumble bee. We did have a few last year. There is one very large, hornet-like bumble bee, and a few wasps earlier.

We have had birds the last two or three years that we never had before. They were here through the winter and spring. Now almost all birds are gone. The feeder hangs for a week at a time without filling. We haven't even put the bird bath out this year. There have been two pairs of small wrens in the bird houses.

We do have four rabbits in the yard. There are two young bunnies. They look healthy and happy. We also have one chipmunk that comes to the bird feeder looking for what is dropped. I have seen one raccoon. We used to need to trap and relocate to keep them
out of the garden. No skunks or groundhogs either.

A family of hawks nested across the road in a large oak the past two years. Last year by mid-summer they were pulling worms out of the ground in the yard. I had never seen that before. I assume they were hungry. This year they are picking off the squirrels...the young ones have now disappeared. The hawks also perch right up by the garage and even on top of the truck. I have felt that they are asking for help. That is totally new behavior.

During the winter the blackbird swarms were much smaller and didn’t stay long. In the past they stayed much longer and messed on everything. There are no moles in the yard since spring. I can't say I miss them, but this is highly unusual.

There are many very-young frogs that have recently hatched. That is unusual also. I don't hear frogs croaking at the back of the yard the way they always have in the past.

I have not seen a fly this year and only a few mosquitoes. There have been no bugs on the front of the truck...............in a very long time. I just looked under the yard light. There is one small moth and something small flying around the outside. That's it! I saw a few fire flies last week. I saw none tonight.

Trees seem to be holding up for now, other than the large oaks which have been dying for the past few years from galls. My understanding is that only weakened oaks die from galls.

There are few cabbage butterflies in the garden. The past few years there have been no squash bugs. I could never grow plants in the squash family in the past as the squash bugs killed them. There are fewer bugs in the garden...beneficial and not. There are earthworms, but fewer than in the past. There are also a couple of small lizards on the back porch. And, there are few if any spiders. Granddaddy long legs were in abundance 20 years ago. I have seen none in several years.

While friends in town said the bird count was close to normal last year - much less Roundup. There is a growing silence and the feeling of death and despair in the natural world.

From Jacob
6-17-19

Just would like to add my bit about the 6th mass extinction. Mid-Illinois is mostly farms and farmlands...and no native prairie left in the wild. I will share what I have seen on my and family's properties. As of today, over 50% of all the trees have died and the other half are dying. This is no joke. There are a few small to mid-size trees that look well but they are all under bigger and dead or dying trees . The tree leaves are burnt and falling off, especially if the wind blows hard. Mind you, this is occurring in early summer.as if it is October. Every day i can see more and more burnt and brown leaves on the ground.

I Have only seen two (2) bees and no crickets, zero. There are very few grasshoppers and I have only seen one species of butterfly. Woodlouse and ear worms are on the rise but that could be because the Midwest spider population is also nearly gone.I can only find 5 species, total.

The bird population from last year alone is down from hundreds of birds to about 20-30 birds, total, and most of them use our bird feeder. Can almost tell them apart because they are so few left. As for aquatic life in or around the ponds, There are few frogs, few turtles and no snakes at all. I am not a professional regarding the environment or wildlife but what I have seen with my own eyes in my 22 years of life - I can state that this IS an extinction level event.no question about it.