Opossums cannot hang by their tails for long because their tails are not strong enough to support their weight. They use them to climb and balance but not for sleeping upside down. One real but rare behavior is playing dead. When threatened some opossums enter a catatonic state and appear lifeless to avoid predators. This usually happens in younger animals while most prefer to run away when scared.

Dew is moisture that forms because of condensation, when water vapor turns into water. Whether dew forms depend on how cloudy the sky was the night before. Dew is most likely in the morning following a warm, sunny day that led into a cooler night with clear skies. Dew point is the temperature at which dew will form and varies depending on factors like air temperature, time of day and location. The dew point is the temperature air needs to be cooled to for the humidity to be 1

Scientists who study dendrochronology use a special tool called an increment borer to cut out a thin chunk of a tree to count its number of rings to determine the tree’s age. Tree rings grow in relation to the weather, so a lot can be told about past climate conditions. You can use math to get a close estimate of a tree’s age by measuring the tree’s circumference to find its diameter. You can then multiply the diameter by the tree’s growth factor based off its species type.

Bullfrogs and green frogs can both be found in our ponds and look very similar to one another. Key differences include size, ridges, and their songs. Bullfrogs are bigger in size, growing up to 6 inches long, have ridges, formally known as dorsolateral folds, that wrap around their ears, and males have a deep pitched song. Green frogs are smaller, growing up to 3 ½ inches long, have ridges that go from the back of their head down to their legs, and males have a single note so

The common myth that mothers will abandon their baby birds or eggs after being touched by a human is not true. Given their poor sense of smell, mothers cannot smell a human’s touch. If a nestling is found on the ground, gently pick it up and place it in its nest. If a fledgling is found on the ground, no human intervention is needed. If you are ever unsure of what to do, ask your parents for help or ask them to contact a local wildlife rehabilitation center.

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 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.

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.