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 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.