Turkey vultures are large birds with dark feathers and bright red, featherless heads. They eat dead animals, called carrion, using their strong sense of smell to find food. By consuming carcasses, they play a vital role in the ecosystem by preventing disease and reducing unpleasant smells. Their unique diet and appearance make them easy to recognize and important for nature’s cleanup.

Illinois has only two toad species and just one lives in northern Illinois the American toad. They live on land but need shallow water for breeding hiding and feeding. Unlike frogs they have dry bumpy skin with warts. Their color ranges from brown to gray green or red. American toads are smaller than bullfrogs growing only 2 to 3½ inches long and mainly eat insects worms and other small invertebrates.

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.

Red milkweed beetles are bright red insects with long antennae and a unique “four eyes” setup. They live on milkweed, laying eggs near the stems. Larvae feed on roots underground, then emerge as adults in summer. Like monarchs, they eat milkweed and avoid its sticky latex by cutting leaf veins. Their red color warns predators of their toxicity. These beetles also make squeaking and purring sounds while feeding or interacting with each other.

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.

Luna moths are easy to spot with their green color, long curved hindwing tails, and four moon like spots which is how they got their name. They have a wingspan between three and four and a half inches. The tails help confuse predators like bats. Found across most of the United States, they prefer deciduous forests because their caterpillars eat tree leaves. As moths, they live about a week and do not eat.

The northern saw-whet owl is one of the smallest owls in the world, standing no larger than 8 inches tall. They do not hoot and are named for their song that is said to sound similar to a whetstone sharpening a saw. Northern saw-whet owls usually nest in cavities built or used by other birds where fledglings will stay until fully independent after about 3 months. They are exclusively nocturnal predators that prey on small rodents and birds and large insects.