Lightning bugs, or fireflies, are a summer favorite, but their numbers are declining due to light pollution, habitat loss, and harvesting for their glow-chemical. Their light helps them find mates, and it’s nearly 100% energy efficient. Not all fireflies glow - some use pheromones to attract mates instead. Only one U.S. species can sync its flashes. Found mostly in the eastern U.S., they’re actually beetles, not flies. You can still catch them - just handle gently and release

The nocturnal cecropia moth, the largest moth in North America, is a lesser-known member of the Lepidoptera family. You can spot them from May to July in busy, urban areas with red and white stripes and crescent-shaped eyespots on their wings; or by their rows of red, yellow, and blue spiny tubercules as caterpillars. Cecropia moths do not eat and are attracted to trees and shrubs that can well-nourish offspring. Adult cecropia moths only live five to six days after emerging

The 34,000 species of spiders are categorized based of the number of eyes they have and their arrangement. While most spiders have 8 eyes arranged in pairs, some spiders do not have any eyes and others can have as many as 12. Typically, the most central eyes detect size, shapes, and colors while eyes on the side of their head detect motion. Though some spiders have good vision, most spiders do not and can rely on other senses like taste, touch, and vibration to survive.

Baltimore orioles are known for their vibrant plumage and their sweet tooth. They arrive in Illinois in May and migrate south as early as July. Males are black and orange, but females and juvenile males are drabber in color. Orioles eat fruits and insects and build hanging, sock-like nests. They’re not named after Baltimore city, but after England’s Baltimore family, whose crest was similar in color to the orioles’ black-and-orange plumage.

All animals within the mustelid family, such as skunks, minks, and badgers, can produce bad-smelling secretions. All mustelids have scent glands that can emit secretions with a foul odor that serve different purposes. This secretion can be used to mark territory, attract mates, or as a defense against predators. Other animals outside of the mustelid family and insects with odor-secreting abilities include bombardier beetles, opossums, stink bugs, vultures, and muskrats.

Baby animal names can be as adorable as the animals themselves. Some are playful, like porcupette (porcupine), puggle (platypus), and chuckling (woodchuck). Others are cute by sound, like pinkies (rats) and squeaker (dove). Many use suffixes: owlet, snakelet, spiderling, and antling. Unique names include joey (opossum), cygnet (swan), polliwog (frog), wriggler (mosquito larva), and eyas (hawk/falcon).

Thunderstorms need two basic things to develop: moisture and quickly rising warm air. Lightning bolts can instantly change nitrogen in the air into a gas that plants can absorb - nitrogen oxide – giving grass its green color. Normally, rain and soil microbes help convert nitrogen for plant use, but lightning speeds up the process. After a storm, especially one with lightning, grass may look noticeably greener. Just remember to observe safely and wait 30 minutes after the stor

Named for their strong jaws and excellent stalking abilities like a tiger, the six-spotted tiger beetle, Cicindela sexguttata, are diurnal insects that are an emerald green or metallic blue color and have between zero to six white spots on the bottom edges of their forewings, formally known as elytra. Their large eyes give them great peripheral vision, making them hard to catch. Despite their size, they can eat prey larger than them. Six-spotted tiger beetles have a four-stag