Explore with Willy

About 200 years ago, porcupines were common in Illinois. That's no longer the case, but you don't have to go far to find them in the wild. Learn all about these prickly creatures and why they no longer live in Illinois.

Feeling cooped up? Here are a few new ideas to try and get you outside, get your body moving and your mind out of the winter slump. 

Starting a fire can be easy as lighting a match, but it's good to know other techniques you can use when you don't have a match handy.

In the bird world, there are many different kinds of ducks. There are dozens of species of warblers, and there are a lot of different owls. But there are only two turkeys. One of those — the wild turkey — is well-known to us in the eastern United States. The other — the ocellated turkey — is not so familiar. The ocellated turkey looks sort of like a technicolor version of the turkey we are familiar with.

Rough-legged hawks may not be the most recognizable hawk in Will County, but they are one of the most interesting.

Animals that stay active during winter in cold climates rely on many adaptations to help them survive. For a select few, their winter survival strategies include a unique adaptation: turning white. 

Spring and autumn are the seasons of mushrooms, with many different species showing their fruiting bodies. But some mushrooms, like jelly fungus, can be found year-round.

Illinois has a state bird and a state tree and even a state mineral. Here's your chance to learn all about fluorite.

Weather and climate are related, but they are two different things. One simple way to explain the difference is with a well-known saying from American writer Mark Twain: "Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."