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Birds have a special voice box called a syrinx, allowing them to sing two notes at once. Some, like wood thrushes and northern cardinals, create complex songs. Mimics like mockingbirds, catbirds and blue jays can copy other birds and even animals. The superb lyrebird can even imitate man-made sounds like chainsaws. Try listening to bird songs, recording them or singing along to discover the amazing voices of birds around you.

The Tully monster, a bizarre sea creature from 300 million years ago, once swam in Illinois’ swampy estuaries. It had a tube-shaped body, stalked eyes, and a trunk-like snout with a toothy claw at the end. Scientists still debate if this monster is a vertebrate or an invertebrate. Discovered in the 1950s by Francis Tully near Braidwood, this mysterious fossil puzzled experts and earned the nickname "Tully monster." It’s now Illinois’ official state fossil.

A striped skunk’s family name, Mephitidae, literally means stink. It takes a lot of energy to produce their spray, taking up to 10 days to load back up. This is why skunks deploy multiple warning signs before deciding to spray. Warning signs include making their stripes that lead to their spray gland visible, raising and wagging its tail, stomping its front feet on the ground while lifting its hind legs, and lastly, making a “U” shape with its body to take aim.

The idea that moss only grows on the north side of trees is a myth. While moss often grows on the shadier north side in the northern hemisphere, it can grow in any direction where conditions are moist and shady. Mosses are nonvascular plants that absorb water from their environment, not through roots. They often grow on tree bark because it provides a good growing surface and little competition. Moss does not harm trees.

The spring peeper frog, Pseudacris crucifer, is named after its high-pitched call that marks the start of their mating season early in the spring after spending the winter months frozen under piles of leaves, healthily waiting for warmer weather. A male’s high-pitched sound is made possible by their inflatable, stretchy vocal sac. Despite finding them near or along bodies of water, spring peepers are tiny woodland frogs that are active during the night.

Illinois has many state symbols, most chosen by schoolchildren. The violet is the state flower, and the white oak is the state tree. The northern cardinal is the state bird. The monarch butterfly, which relies on milkweed, is the state insect. Other symbols include the white-tailed deer (state animal), bluegill (state fish), eastern tiger salamander (state amphibian), and the painted turtle (state reptile) - all representing Illinois' rich wildlife.

Touching frogs or toads won’t give you warts - that’s a myth. Warts are caused when human papillomavirus enters the body through a cut or scrape, not animals. Most viruses that cause warts are specific to a particular species. The bumps on frogs and toads are glands, not warts. While you can’t catch warts from them, some amphibians secrete toxins or carry bacteria that can irritate skin or make you sick. Always handle them gently with clean hands and wash thoroughly afterward

Head outside to catch snowflakes for fun and for science! Try catching them on your tongue or use frozen black construction paper to observe their shapes. Use a magnifying glass for a closer look and keep a journal of what you have observed. Are the flakes big or small? Falling fast, slow or at an angle? Snow is not just fun - it’s a great way to explore nature too!

Fur, a collection of individual hairs that covers an animal’s skin, is one of the adaptations that sorts an animal into the mammal group. Fur is made up of keratin and contains multiple layers (down hairs and guard hairs) that can trap heat, create a water-resistant surface, protect skin from UV rays, and can help camouflage animals to their habitats. Other specialized hairs include whiskers, quills, and bristles. Fur is crucial to an animal's survival.

Woolly bear caterpillars are often seen during the colder months and can survive at temperatures as low as 90 degrees F below zero. They slowly freeze in the winter, but they produce a substance called glycerol that prevents their inner cells from freezing. During the fall, woolly bear caterpillars search for food and look for a place to spend winter. If the temperatures are above freezing, they "defrost." They can repeat this freeze-and-thaw cycle many times over the winter.

Will County’s Forest Preserve has protected local habitats and species for over 90 years. Illinois is home to about 54,000 species—around 3% of the world’s known biodiversity—thanks to its overlap with four of the U.S.'s ten biomes. Illinois has 15 natural divisions; Will County includes two – the Northeaster Morainal and the Grand Prairie. The Northeastern Morainal is the most diverse division in the state. The Grand Prairie is the largest division in our state.

Turn old CDs/DVDs into a fun wind chime or sun catcher! Decorate discs with Sharpies, then use a plastic lid as the base. With an adult's help, poke holes in the lid using a nail and hammer: three in the center for hanging and one for each disc. Tie strings through the holes and attach decorated discs. You can add pony beads if you want. Knot the top strings together to hang your creation from a tree or hook. This a great family project to reuse materials and brighten your sp

Black bears once roamed Illinois and were important to Native tribes around the Great Lakes. By 1865, they were gone due to fear-driven killings and fur trade. Today, bears occasionally visit Illinois from nearby states and are protected by the law. Black bears are stocky with dark fur, climb well, and can run up to 30 mph. They are omnivores, eating 11 to 18 pounds of food a day. Black bears are deep sleepers - not true hibernators.

Muskrats are rodents that can be found in every county in Illinois. They have brown fur that darkens in the colder months and are about the size of a cottontail rabbit. They spend most of their time in and around marshes, swamps, wetlands and rivers. Muskrats are active all day and eat mostly plants but also hunt for fish. They are closely related to rats and produce a musky odor. Muskrats are great swimmers thanks to their long tails and webbed back feet.

The northern cardinal is Illinois’ state bird, known for the male’s bright red color and both sexes’ crests. Found only east of the Rockies, cardinals sing year-round, with females often singing on nests. They mate for life, build layered nests, and eat seeds, fruit, and insects. Cardinals defend territory even against their reflection and can live up to three years, sometimes much longer. Several states share the cardinal as their state bird.

Owls don’t chew their food well and sometimes swallow their prey whole. Similar to a hairball, what cannot be digested, like fur and bones, forms into a pellet that the owl spits up typically once a day. Owl pellets are dark in color and turn gray as they dry and are often mistaken for poop. They can be found on the ground under roosting spots. The larger the bird, the bigger the pellet. Be sure to use gloves when handling or examining.

Detritivores are animals that eat dead or decaying plants and animals, helping nature recycle. Earthworms, millipedes and slugs are common detritivores that improve soil health by breaking down waste into nutrients. Without them, dead matter would pile up and plants would struggle to grow. You can help by composting at home. Visit Plum Creek Nature Center’s Compost Trail to learn more.

Chipmunks and 13-lined ground squirrels are both rodents that look alike, but differ in stripe patterns, habitat, and hibernation. Chipmunks have five wide stripes, live near woods, and store food. Ground squirrels have 13 narrow stripes, prefer grassy areas, and truly hibernate without storing food. Both are active by day and omnivores. In Illinois, chipmunks are easier to tell apart from tree squirrels like the eastern gray squirrel and eastern fox squirrel.

Queen snakes are nonvenomous, water-loving snakes found in Will County. They’re gray, brown or green with yellow belly stripes and mainly eat recently molted crayfish. These snakes are rarely aggressive but may release a smelly fluid if caught. Named from their Latin name Regina, queen snakes give birth to live young and can often be seen basking near rivers, streams, or ponds.

During the fall, chipmunks are busy prepping for winter by gathering food, bulking up and building burrows. These diurnal omnivores use cheek pouches to store food and live in an underground system of tunnels. Rather than hibernating, they fall into deep sleep and wake to eat stored food. They’re born tiny and helpless, grow fast, and live just 2 to 3 years. A group is called a scurry, babies are kits, and adults are bucks (males) or does (females).