Wolves and coyotes are wild canines often confused due to similar looks. Wolves are larger, with blockier snouts, smaller ears, and elevated tails when walking. Coyotes are smaller, have pointed snouts and ears, and droop their tails. Wolves once lived in Illinois but are now rare. Coyotes are common across Illinois and North America. Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in 2020 and may be removed from the Illinois list in 2025.

In summer, ponds and lakes bloom with aquatic plants like duckweed, water lilies and American lotus. Though similar, water lilies have pink flowers that float and notched leaves on the water’s surface. American lotus has yellow flowers on tall stalks and large, round leaves above the water. Both grow from rhizomes in calm waters. Water lilies ripen seeds underwater, while lotus seeds float. Lotus is native to Illinois, though some water lily varieties are ornamental.

Cicadas, often mistaken for locusts, are harmless, noisy insects that benefit ecosystems. Locusts, a type of grasshopper, form destructive swarms that devastate crops in parts of the world but are extinct in North America. Illinois has dog-day cicadas, which appear yearly, and periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years. Cicadas spend most of their lives underground feeding on tree roots and help aerate soil before emerging to mate.

Summer is full of beetles, including favorites like fireflies, ladybugs and June bugs. Fireflies glow at night and eat nectar or other bugs. Lady beetles, which come in many colors and spot patterns, eat garden pests like aphids. June bugs are harmless night beetles that munch on leaves. Beetles are the largest order of insects and come in many shapes and sizes. You might be surprised how many you already know.

Cattails are entirely edible if prepared properly. The brown part, or the spike, is made of tiny flowers: males that contain pollen and females that hold seeds. You can use the pollen in baking or eat green female flowers like corn on the cob after boiling. Peel the stem for a cucumber-like snack, use the leaves in salads, and even dig up rhizomes for a potato-like treat. Always get permission and check with a knowledgeable adult before you taste!

Grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets are all part of the insect order Orthoptera – known for their strong, back legs and sound-making abilities. Males produce sound using stridulation to attract mates. Crickets sing at dusk with a comb-like clicking, katydids call later at night, and grasshoppers call during the day, sounding like sandpaper rubbing. Crickets are dark in color while katydids are a bright green with long antennae and grasshoppers are an earthier green with shor

A green layer covering waterways can be duckweed—a tiny, floating plant with a single root and leaf-like thallus. Duckweed reproduces rapidly by cloning and can double in number in less than a day. They also produce the smallest flower known on our planet. In fall, duckweed forms buds called turions that sink and regrow in spring. Though often seen as a nuisance, duckweed supports wildlife in many ways and helps clean polluted water.

Fawns are born with very faint scent due to undeveloped scent glands, making it hard for predators to sniff them out. Their white spots mimic dappled sunlight, camouflaging them in tall grass. Does leave fawns alone to avoid rubbing their scent off on them but stay nearby to nurse. Fawns can walk hours after birth and are weaned by 4 to 5 months. If you find a fawn alone, don’t interfere—its mother is likely close. Only contact a wildlife rehabilitator if it’s injured or cryi