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Coyotes are an important part of the ecosystem, and their presence across Illinois is beneficial. Their main ecosystem role is keeping the population of small mammals like rodents and rabbits in check.

The white-naped crane lives far from the United States, but it might remind you of our local crane species.

With their shades of pink, purple, yellow and white, spring wildflowers usually get the credit for bringing the most color to the preserves. And while their bright colors are beautiful, the autumn season is full of color too! After the leaves start to fall, those colors are not as bright and may be more subtle, but they bring no less beauty to the preserve.  (Photo by Glenn P. Knoblock) In fact, this is one of the best times of year to get outside and count the colors! While

Ever since the first hunter-gatherers sat beside a buzzing log and got a whiff of a sweet honey coming from within, humans have been managing and keeping honeybees. Beehives in winter. (Photo via Shutterstock) The honeybee got its common name from its scientific name, which is Apis mellifera . In Latin, Apis means “bee,” and mellifera means “honey-bearing.” Who’s in the hive?  A beehive consists of three types of bees: queens, workers and drones. The first and most important

Do you feel inspired by the leaves changing color all around you? Let’s make a leaf lantern!

Ways to predict the weather are passed down from generation to generation. Let’s talk about some of these common weather predictions to see if any of them have merit.

Most of us go out of our way to avoid piles of animal poop on the ground, but dung beetles are right at home in all that manure.  And it's lucky for us that they are because these insects do some important work in there.

Coyotes and other canids like to roam, and African painted dogs can cover huge amounts of territory in their range.

See if you can ace this 10-question quiz on ladybugs.

Looking for a place to let the kids explore this fall? Check out Hickory Creek Preserve.

Check out this sweet activity to learn how archaeologists dig into the earth to learn about the past.

Pumpkin Jack is having the time of his life this autumn, but are his days of fun numbered? They don't have to be if his family extends the fun by bringing him to the Forest Preserve's Pumpkin Smash events on Nov. 8.

Interpretive naturalist Jenna Krukowski helps us dig into the history of the Forest Preserve District's Joliet Iron Works Historic Site.

What’s your favorite part of fall? Picking apples? Trick-or-treating? Those are all fun fall activities, and watching as the leaves change color each autumn is another one of the hallmarks of the season. Learn why the leaves change color each fall.

What's that eerie green glow in the forest? It could be mushrooms glowing in the dark.

If you’ve ever heard someone calling out in the woods, “Who cooks for you?” there’s probably a barred owl nearby. These distinctive-looking owls are best known for their hard-to-miss call, which sounds like they are calling out: "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?"

Have you ever heard that sunflowers will follow the sun across the sky? They do in a way. The flowers are firmly rooted to the ground where they grow, but the flower heads will move throughout the day so they are always facing the sun.

How are animals related? System of taxonomy helps us understand.

Take this quiz to see how much you know about skunks.

Boa constrictors are among the most well-known snakes in the world thanks to how they are portrayed in popular culture. If the movies were to be believed, boa constrictors are a major threat to people. The reality is a little different. Boa constrictors are large snakes, and they do kill their prey by wrapping their bodies around their catch and constricting it. That’s why they are called boa constrictors.