Willy's Wilderness

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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 lo...

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 t...

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 t...

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 plac...

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 des...

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 abili...

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 mo...

Sep 22, 2020
3 min

Fox Snakes May Act Tough, But They Are Harmless

“How much do you know about snakes?” someone asked recently when calling Plum Creek Nature Center. Answering the phones at a nature cente...

Sep 11, 2020
3 min

The Bold Jumping Spider Looks And Acts The Part

The bold jumping spider is one of the most common jumping spiders in North America. They are found in forests, prairies, farmland, yards,...

Sep 1, 2020
2 min

Common And Cute: Learn More About Cottontail Rabbits

If you’ve ever seen a cottontail rabbit, you can probably guess how it got its name. Their tails look just like cotton balls. Aside from ...

Aug 11, 2020
2 min

These Tiny Catfish Pack A Punch

Have you ever gone netting in a river or a pond, looking for tadpoles and minnows, only to scoop out a tiny catfish? You didn’t even have...

Aug 4, 2020
3 min

Heard But Not Seen: Coyotes Thrive In The Dark

Have you ever woken up late at night and heard an eerie howl? Or have you been outside at dusk and a yip, yip, yiiiip broke through the q...

Jul 31, 2020
2 min

Dig This: American Badgers Are Digging Machines

The American badger is an always present but not often seen animal across Will County and much of Illinois. They are mostly nocturnal, an...

Jul 23, 2020
2 min

What's That Buzzing Around? Hummingbird or Moth?

If you are a hummingbird lover, you’re going to love the clearwing sphinx moths too. These critters look like a hummingbird, sound like a...

Jul 10, 2020
2 min

Young Dragonflies Look Nothing Like Adult Versions

Did you know dragonflies swim? Not the adults – they’re the colorful flyers who zip around. We’re talking about younger dragonflies. They...

Jul 2, 2020
2 min

A Snake In Your Yard? It's Likely A Garter Snake

Chances are, if you’ve seen a snake in your yard it was a garter snake. That’s because the garter snake is the most common snake in Illin...

Jun 26, 2020
2 min

Is That Spit On That Plant? Nope, Just A Spittlebug

Have you ever walked along the trail or in your own garden and noticed a big glob of spit on a plant? Well, it wasn’t left by a human; it...

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