Northern water snakes are one of the most common snakes we see in northern Illinois. In the spring and early summer you can often spot...

Did you know bats are mammals? Even though they fly like birds, they are classified as mammals. They are actually the only flying mammal....

Earthworms don’t have any arms or legs, but they sure can move. To get around underground, they rely on muscles in the wall of their...

Painted turtles are among the most common turtles in the United States. They are easy to identify from the yellow and red markings on...

Did you know that thunder is the sound that lightning makes? That means you can’t have a thunderstorm without lightning. We don’t see...

You probably call these helicopters or whirligigs, but these little things are actually called samaras, and they are the seeds from maple...

Did you hear that? Was it a cow or a frog? If it was a bullfrog, it might just be hard to tell. Bullfrogs got their name because of their...

Alvin, Simon and Theodore may be the most famous chipmunks of all, but we’ve got another chipmunk in our midst here in northern Illinois....

Dandelions get a bad rap, but they aren’t all bad. We spend a lot of time and money trying to keep them out of our yards, but they can...

River otters are very playful, with groups of otters often seen slipping and sliding on the ground and then splashing into the water. All...

Snapping turtles are the biggest turtles in northern Illinois, and they are named for their snapping ability. Their bite is no joke and...

Beavers are amazing animals for many reasons, but their building ability is top-notch. They are actually one of the few animals other...

White-tailed deer are the only animal in Illinois that grows antlers. Only males grow antlers, and they fall off each winter as a new...

Thanks to their bright red color, you probably know a cardinal when you see one. They are one of the few red birds we see in our area,...

Cows moo, pigs oink and ducks quack, right? It’s true, but not all ducks quack. In fact, most ducks don’t quack. The sound you think of...

Did you know the syrup you pour on your pancakes comes from maple trees? It does if you use real maple syrup instead of the imitation...

We don’t often think of birds as smart, but crows are among the most intelligent birds in the world. In fact, crows and ravens are...

Great horned owls are the most familiar owl for most people. They are the owl that’s pictured in storybooks and the one whose call people...

You probably know that tree squirrels like eastern gray squirrels love nuts and seeds, right? And you may know that they bury a lot of...

Bald eagles are our national emblem and national bird, and they are easy to identify with their bright white heads, dark brown bodies and...