Research

I'm a botany professor at Western Illinois University. While in the past I've studied recruitment, seed rain, and teaching, my main focus today is a little prickly pear, Opuntia fragilis.

Opuntia fragilis is a small cold-hardy cactus that grows throughout the northern half of the western United States, as well as in an eastward extension into the upper midwest. It is also found in Canada, and grows almost as far north as the Arctic Circle in British Columbia.

I am especially interested in the ecology of this species within the midwest, where it grows in five states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. I have published thirteen manuscripts about Opuntia fragilis (click here for more) and I currently have a collection of more than 370 live plants, including Opuntia fragilis from more than 100 different populations around the midwest as well as further west. You can learn more about Opuntia fragilis at this webpage.