Skip Through Summer With Our Local Skippers
Summer is full of sunshine, flowers and insects! One group of insects are famous for their life cycle and fluttering. They belong to the...
Willy's Wilderness
Willy's Wilderness
Search
- Jun 1
- 2 min
These Shiny Beetles Are Emerald Jewels of the Forest
The six-spotted tiger beetle is a beautiful, shiny insect. They are often seen on woodland trails, just a few steps ahead of you. As you...
- May 18
- 3 min
These Busy Bees Eat Holes in Your Leaves
When we think of bees, honeybees or bumble bees usually come to mind. But did you know that there are 500 different species of bees...
- May 14
- 2 min
Unassuming Dekay's Brown Snakes Are Harmless To You
Brown snakes are also called Dekay’s brown snakes. Their scientific name is Storeria dekayi. The Storeria part of the name honors an...
- Apr 28
- 4 min
Busting Myths About The Maligned Double-Crested Cormorant
Here’s a challenge for you today: Put on your nature detective hat to solve a mystery – the case of the much-maligned double-crested...
- Apr 13
- 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...
{"items":["60d1e3dc432dc6001537ab36","60b14c91542372001560a035","60a3cb6b3095b400162278de","609e90217690730016efcb11","608962d6cde0510058783f00","60759a9fa08ff900575b7ed6","606c5f5aff5a8d00150a568e","6059ed871eb320001527e875","604ba1f81b9a2c00158a414a","604787e85bd9e00016c85290","602bde68b95aa20017ccd997","6022aad52e09d0001780f011","601827dfac9f030017ccf4e4","6010237e943262001779e180","600ae84e04ef0300178230f2","5ff47dc51085f900177b9c53","5fec8b1436b8c200171cf807","5fd8cb1afd50850017c231d4","5fc901d62c419e00176557ea","5fbe6a10672f8c0017a8d4eb"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":1.3333333333333333,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":32,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":1,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":1,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":1,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":940,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"value":"rgba(232, 230, 230, 0.75)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"targetItemSize":940,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|fill|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":false,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0.5},"container":{"width":940,"galleryWidth":972,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}