Red milkweed beetles are gorgeous pops of color in a sea of green. These charming, interesting insects are great fun to check out on hot...

When you think about owls, what comes to mind? Large birds that hoot in the night? That may be true of some owls, but northern saw-whet...

Whatever you think you know about bats, there's a chance at least some of it is false. For instance, bats aren't blind. Most actually...

Spend any time near the water in the summer and there's one thing you're almost sure to see: a dragonfly. The insects are noticeable...

Barbecues, bright fireworks and bald eagles. That pretty much sums up the Fourth of July! Bald eagles might be one of the most famous...

Ants have a reputation for being hard workers. They always seem to be busy, marching here, there and everywhere, and they seem impossibly...

I spy something that can fly and transform through metamorphosis and likes to hang out near people. Look around, and you’ll probably spy...

The American toad can live in forests, prairies, farm fields and even your backyard. That is why they are the most common toad in the...

World Turtle Day is May 23, but there is never a bad time to celebrate these awesome reptiles. Will County is home to familiar species...

The carpenter bee is so named because they bore, or drill, holes into wood to lay their eggs. They belong to the genus Xylocopa, which...

As turtles go, snapping turtles look a little scary. For starters, they are big, the biggest turtle we see in northern Illinois by far....

Imagine walking along a river on a beautiful spring day when out of the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of brown, furry head and...

The world is home to 40 wildcat species, but only one, the bobcat, lives in Illinois. However, many people aren't aware of its presence,...

Redspotted sunfish have little spots speckling their bodies, but the tiny dots do not look very red. In males the spots are orange, and...

Robins are among our most familiar birds, and many of us learn to recognize them at a young age. We love them because we know them — what...

Signs of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations can be found all around in March. Shamrocks (or three-leaf clovers), leprechauns and pots of gold...

If you spot a furry, brown animal along the edge of a local waterway, several possibilities may spring to mind. Is it a beaver or a...

Common goldeneyes are awesome ducks. They have great colors and patterns and super-cool mating dances and diving moves, and they are...

If you dig deep enough into the land, eventually you will reach past the soil and hit layers of solid rock. These layers are called...

Snowy owls are one of those birds that people get excited about. One of the things that makes them so special is their rarity in northern...