Willy's Wilderness

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7 days ago
3 min

Newts Undergo Fairy-Tale-Like Transformations

Newts are not just magical ingredients for witches’ brews. They are also the leading character in their own fairy tale. Each year, they...

Apr 6
3 min

5 Fascinating Facts About Great Horned Owls

When you think of owls, it is probably the great horned owl that you first think of. It is the owl most familiar to many people. Great...

Mar 23
3 min

American Kestrels Are Small But Mighty Falcons

American kestrels are common throughout the United States. They have bold color patterns that would make you think they would be hard to...

Mar 12
3 min

Five Fun Facts About Those Wacky Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are unique among birds for how they make their presence known. They have chisel-like bills that are perfect for their...

Mar 9
2 min

Walleyes Are A Fish For All Seasons

For many fish, winter is a time of rest. They head down into deep waters, slow their heart rates and eat far less often. Walleyes, on the...

Feb 16
3 min

Whooo's Out There? Mourning Doves Can Sound Like Owls

A “hoooo, hoo, hoo” outside your window can be exciting to hear. An owl is nearby and making its presence known! Sometimes, though, those...

Feb 9
3 min

A Fox in a Tree? Gray Foxes Are Good Climbers

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is the only canid in America that climbs trees! A canid is a member of the animal family Canidae,...

Feb 2
3 min

It's Their Moment To Shine: 5 Things About Groundhogs

It’s Groundhog Day, and that means it’s time for our annual celebration of groundhogs. Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow and curse us...

Jan 26
3 min

The Not-So-Golden American Goldfinch

Winter is a great time to get into bird watching and bird feeding. You can spend time exploring new places to hunt down that elusive owl...

Jan 22
2 min

Don't Be Scared. Wolf Spiders Are Harmless

Did you see a big, hairy spider crawling quickly across the ground? It was probably a wolf spider. Because they are big and hairy, wolf...

Jan 5
2 min

Meet the Dark-Eyed Junco, Our Resident Snowbird

Winter is the best time to learn your birds! The leaves from the trees that block the view of birds flitting from branch to branch are...

Dec 30, 2020
2 min

Screech Owls Are Tiny But Mighty

What do you think of when you think of owls? Big birds that hoot into the night? That’s the common perception of owls, but there’s more...

Dec 15, 2020
2 min

The Least Weasel: Illinois' Smallest Carnivore

Illinois is home of two weasel species, the long-tailed weasel and the least weasel. Both have long, slender bodies with short legs and...

Dec 3, 2020
2 min

Ducks on Trend: Hooded Mergansers Have Hoodies of Their Own

Hooded mergansers are small ducks with yellow eyes and slender bills. Like most ducks, the males are much more colorful than the females...

Nov 25, 2020
3 min

The Secret, Underground Life of Moles

Meet the animal that spends most of its life underground: the mole! We might think of the world below our feet as a dark, forbidding...

Nov 12, 2020
2 min

White-Footed Mice Are Beneficial Creatures, Not Pesky Pests

The white-footed mouse is common in Illinois and most of the eastern United States. Its scientific name, Peromyscus leucopus, is very...

Oct 30, 2020
2 min

Ground Squirrels Are Squirrels That Look Like Chipmunks

If you see a small brown animal running across the ground, your first thought might be that it is a chipmunk. You might be right, but it...

Oct 23, 2020
2 min

Tool Time With Crows

Crows are recognizable as big, black, noisy birds. They have lots of interesting quirks, like eating basically anything, having the...

Oct 13, 2020
2 min

The Science Behind A Fishing Spider's Superpower

Have you ever wished that you could have a superpower? Maybe you want to fly, run like a flash or be invisible. Well, the fishing spider...

Oct 6, 2020
2 min

Beloved Monarchs Easy To Identify, Admire

Butterflies and moths flutter around us all summer, but we don’t always know what kind of winged creature it is flying by. Not so with...

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