Willy's Wilderness

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Oct 8, 2019
2 min

Why Do Birds Have Feathers?

Feathers are unique in the animal kingdom. All birds have them, but no other animals do. Even other animals that can fly, such as bats,...

Sep 26, 2019
2 min

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Have the leaves on the trees in your neighborhood started to turn yellow? Or orange or red or brown or purple? If you haven’t seen the...

Sep 10, 2019
4 min

BFFs: Dogs and Humans Have A Long History

When walking around the Will County forest preserves, you’ll find lots of amazing animals: birds and butterflies, turtles and deer,...

Aug 27, 2019
2 min

What's the Difference?: Millipedes vs. Centipedes

What’s that bug in the dirt with all those legs? It’s probably a millipede or centipede. But how do you tell the difference? Millipedes...

Aug 22, 2019
2 min

Do Animals Get Sunburned?

If you’ve ever been sunburned, you know how painful it can be. But wild animals spend all of their time outside. Do they ever get...

Aug 8, 2019
2 min

What Is a Meteor Shower?

Summer break is almost over, but mid-August provides one more good reason to ask your parents if you can stay up late. That’s because...

Aug 6, 2019
4 min

Get Geeked About Creeks!

The forest preserves have lots of different types of water flowing through the woods and prairies. Some preserves are named after these...

Jul 25, 2019
2 min

How Do Birds Fly?

Birds make flying look easy. That’s because they were built for flight. In fact, the Wright brothers spent a lot of time studying birds...

Jul 12, 2019
2 min

Colorful Connections: The Science Behind Rainbows

Rainbows give excitement, awe and inspiration to most everyone who views them. They are beautiful, magical and fleeting. Read on to...

Jun 27, 2019
2 min

Why Do Bees Sting?

The buzz of a bee may cause you to freeze in fear of its painful sting. But should you be worried every time you see a bee? And why do...

Jun 13, 2019
2 min

In Living Color: Do You See Like Animals Do?

We see all the colors of the rainbow. We learn the helpful name Roy G. Biv to help us remember the colors in order: red, orange, yellow,...

May 24, 2019
1 min

Why Do Bees Have Pockets? For Pollen, Of Course

Do you like to stuff the pockets of your pants and jackets with things you find during the day? So do bees. That’s right. Some bees,...

May 23, 2019
1 min

Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch?

Have you ever had a perfect summer day ruined by mosquitoes? You’re not alone. These pesky insects sure know how to ruin a fun time. But...

May 3, 2019
2 min

The Mysterious Mayapple and Its Poisonous Fruit

Mayapple is an easy plant to identify in the forest preserves. It grows in the spring and in a group. It gets about 1 foot tall, and the...

Apr 11, 2019
1 min

Nature's Disgusting Side: Rabbits Eat Their Poop

The rabbit you see every day in your yard munching on grass and leaves has a disgusting secret. It eats its own poop. That’s right....

Apr 2, 2019
3 min

Hooray for Earth Month!

Did you know that April is Earth Month? Woo-hoo! I dare you to run outside and scream, “Thank you, Earth!” Just think how lucky we are....

Mar 7, 2019
2 min

Skunk Cabbage: Strange and Stinky

Something stinks ... and it's this plant. March is an odd, in-between month. One minute there’s a blizzard outside. Then the next you see...

Mar 4, 2019
1 min

Why Don't Fish Freeze in the Winter?

Have you ever looked at a frozen pond or lake and wondered about the fish? How do they survive the winter in frozen water? It may...

Feb 6, 2019
3 min

What Animals Are Hibernating Right Now?

Did you know out of the 60 mammals in Will County, only two of them hibernate during the winter? Before you jump to bears as an answer,...

Feb 4, 2019
2 min

Nutty Facts About Squirrels

Most of us don’t think twice when we see squirrels zipping around and up and down trees, looking for nuts to hide away for winter. These...

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