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Spring brings a short but stunning wildflower show in Illinois forests. Ephemeral blooms like skunk cabbage, bloodroot, spring beauty, and Virginia bluebells take advantage of early sunlight before trees leaf out. Each visit offers something new as different flowers bloom in waves from February to May. Look for colorful petals, unique shapes, and even hidden blooms like wild ginger’s or mayapple’s. Don’t miss nature’s brief but beautiful spring display.

Red-tailed hawks are large, powerful birds found year-round in Illinois. They have broad wings, a red tail, and a piercing screech often mistaken for eagles in movies. Look for them perched on poles or soaring overhead. They hunt rodents, snakes and birds, diving at speeds up to 120 mph. With eyesight eight times stronger than ours and clear eyelids for protection, they’re built for the hunt. Winter is a great time to spot these raptors in action.

World Wildlife Day, celebrated March 3, raises awareness of the beauty and importance of wildlife. Explore nature by observing animals, plants and their signs, then record and share your findings. Visit local preserves, nature centers or zoos to learn more. Celebrate year round by journaling, taking photos and sharing your discoveries to help others appreciate and protect the wildlife around us.

2024 is a leap year which means we get an extra day on February 29 to keep our calendar in sync with Earth’s orbit which takes about 365.24 days. Every four years we add a day to make up for the extra time. Century years are only leap years if divisible by 400. Leap day is in February due to the ancient Roman calendar. Without leap years the seasons would slowly shift. Take time to enjoy the extra day with a walk or bike ride in the forest preserves.

Contrails are manmade clouds formed when hot, humid jet exhaust mixes with cold, dry air, creating ice crystals. Seen high in the sky, they resemble clouds and can last from seconds to hours depending on humidity. Contrails can spread wide, affect cloud cover, and even impact climate by reflecting sunlight and altering atmospheric chemistry. They’re most common in areas with heavy air traffic like the U.S. and Europe.

Make a fun winter treat for birds with a snow cake. Just shape fresh snow into layers and decorate with birdseed, nuts, and fruit. Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, raw peanuts, and fruits like apples, raisins, and oranges attract a variety of birds. Watch who visits, experiment with ingredients, and refill as needed. It’s a creative, eco-friendly way to feed and observe winter wildlife.

European starlings are glossy, dark birds whose feather color changes with the seasons. Known for mimicry and complex songs, they eat insects, seeds, and fruit. They gather in large flocks that create stunning sky patterns called murmurations. Native to Europe, they were introduced to the U.S. in 1890 and have since spread widely. Though non-native, they remain one of the most abundant and fascinating birds in North America.

Most native bees in Illinois spend winter right here, resting in the ground, hollow stems, or under logs. Bumblebee queens hibernate alone after their colony dies, while solitary bees like mason bees develop inside nests and pause their growth until spring. You can help by growing native plants, leaving gardens “messy” for shelter, and sharing this info to support these vital pollinators.

Virginia opossums are tropical animals that now live as far north as Illinois, surviving harsh winters despite their thin fur and exposed skin. They often get frostbite and rarely live past three years, but they adapt by rotating between multiple homes, scavenging during the day, and using leaves for insulation. Their diet is varied, and their survival is helped by human food waste. Though winter is tough, these resilient marsupials continue to thrive up north.

Myths blend facts with exaggerations and misunderstandings. For example, the full moon doesn’t affect behavior; lightning can strike the same place twice; “heat lightning” is distant storm lightning; mother birds usually don’t abandon babies touched by humans; bats aren’t blind; daddy long legs aren’t venomous spiders; not all bees die after stinging; it’s never too cold to snow; and fawns have faint scents to avoid predators. These myths are widely believed but often untrue.

While many animals hibernate in winter, bald eagles begin nesting. In northern Illinois, pairs start building or fixing nests in November or December. Eggs are laid in February and hatch after 35 days. Both parents take turns incubating eggs using a special brood patch. Nesting in winter helps eggs stay warm and times fledging with peak food availability in late spring. Other birds like owls also lay eggs in late winter or early spring.

The white-breasted nuthatch is a small bird known for hopping headfirst down trees. Males have black caps and females have gray. Their sharp beaks act like hatchets to crack nuts and hunt insects in bark. They stash seeds for later and may hide them with bark or snow. Common in Illinois year round, they love sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. Try hanging a feeder near a tree to attract them.

Squirrels are common Illinois mammals, active year-round and known for burying nuts in fall. Tree squirrels like gray, fox and red squirrels are joined by ground squirrels and chipmunks in the squirrel family. Their teeth never stop growing, so they must chew often. Squirrels cache food, sometimes using fake holes to outsmart thieves. They run in zigzags to escape predators and can survive falls from any height by spreading out to glide and slow their descent.

Make milk dance with this fun science experiment. Add drops of food coloring to a bowl of whole milk then touch the surface with a cotton swab dipped in dish soap. Watch the colors swirl and move as the soap breaks the surface tension. Try using cookie cutters for fun shapes.

Snow is perfect for creative fun like building snow people or snow animals. Start by rolling and stacking snowballs, then decorate using nature or household items. Try sculpting animals from real life or imagination, adding details with sticks or leaves. Dress warmly and take breaks to stay safe. Enjoy the magic of winter and let your creativity shine outdoors.

Several blue birds live in northern Illinois, including the blue jay, eastern bluebird and indigo bunting. Blue jays are larger forest birds with crests and bold markings. Eastern bluebirds are smaller grassland birds with red-orange chests. Indigo buntings are bright blue, with females a muted brown. While all are blue, each has unique traits. Blue jays stay year-round, while some bluebirds migrate. Other blue jays and bluebirds live in different U.S. regions.

Wood frogs can freeze solid in winter and survive, then thaw in spring and resume life like nothing happened. Found in forests across the U.S. and Canada, they lay eggs in vernal pools. When cold hits, their bodies produce glucose that protects their cells during freezing. In spring, they thaw and return to the pools to breed. This freeze-thaw ability lets them survive harsh winters, even in Alaska.

Skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to appear in late winter or early spring, sometimes as early as February. It creates its own heat, allowing it to grow through snow and ice. The first part to appear is the dark purple flower bud. Its name comes from the strong odor the plant gives off, which smells like a skunk. This scent isn’t just for show—it helps attract insects that pollinate the flowers so the plant can reproduce.

The eastern milksnake is Illinois’ state snake, common in the northern third of the state. Brown with black-bordered blotches, it grows 24 to 43 inches long. Despite its name, it doesn’t drink milk; farmers once wrongly thought it did because it was found in barns. Milksnakes are carnivores, eating amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and small mammals. Illinois also has the red milksnake, found in the southern two-thirds of the state.

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are colorful light displays caused by solar wind interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. Colors vary by altitude—blue, green, or red. Best viewed near the poles, they can occasionally be seen farther south during solar storms. Unlike predictable celestial events, they’re harder to forecast but peak during solar cycles, with activity expected to be high in 2024–2025. For the best view, head away from city lights and look north around midni