Endangered Beauty Focuses on Illinois’ Rarest Wildlife

Award winner Carol Freeman’s new book of photography, Endangered Beauty, showcases her work thus far to capture for all time the endangered species in Illinois and tell their stories. Compelling narrative, with contributions by Sheryl DeVore, an award-winning nature writer, and exquisite camera work weave an ethereal web that is at once both moving and inspiring.

Endangered Beauty opens the reader’s eyes to the fragility of every species. Freeman is the voice for the voiceless, be it the majestic wolf or humble sedge. Each creature has its own special place in our complex ecosystem and deserves to be protected, she says. This book is a glorious tribute to some of the most amazing life on the planet.

Freeman set out in 2003 to photograph all of the 483 threatened and endangered species that were listed in the state at the time. She hopes the large-format, 180-page softcover book, printed in the U.S., will inspire viewers to care, protect and preserve Illinois’ most vulnerable plants and animals.

Freeman says, “I didn’t go to the zoo to photograph these species. For the most part, I went to their natural habitats to photograph them, and often scientists accompanied me to help me find them. I could not have done this project without the help of all those who are working to save these species from extinction.”