Nature news
Just like human babies, insect babies – also known as larvae – sometimes bear little resemblance to the adults they become.
Kane County has a variety of family-friendly events to do before school begins, such as painting at Color Me Mine, visiting Primrose Farm and more.
This year, we seem to have an explosion of earwigs – primitive little creatures many find "creepy."
The Nature Foundation of Will County presented a $33,400 donation check to the Forest Preserve at the District to be used for a variety of programs and projects.
Central Illinois offers learning adventures described as “field trips for grown-ups.”
Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners club will hold its garden walk featuring seven gardens from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 13.
Lured in by the promise of a meal, the small arthropods bump into the trigger hairs – and pop! The would-be consumers are instead consumed.
Here's how to handle red-winged blackbird season, including stopping any dive-bombing should you encroach on the birds' territory.
Five weeks after their emergence, we find ourselves in the final two weeks of a once-in-seventeen-years-phenomenon in northern Illinois.
Temperatures in the 90s didn't stop area residents and wildlife from enjoying the outdoors on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
Seventeen years he’d waited for his one time to shine, and here he was in a cicada desert far away from millions of potential girlfriends.
Ever tried basswood honey? It tastes just like the blossoms smell. Before the flowers are gone, drink in the sweet smell of basswood in bloom.
Morton Arboretum in Lisle gives Joliet a $216,519 grant to expand tree inventory.
A delicate creature discovers better living through chemistry and spurs.
Native trees, a beaver dam, building blocks and coloring station are some of the new interactive displays at the Crystal Lake Park District Nature Center, freshly open after its five-month closure for construction of the new exhibits.
Sharing the story of Poly Pupa, who had a helping human hand, prompted a second mystery for a curious naturalist.
Joliet, Lockport park districts will feature cicada-themed activities.
Sally Wieclaw of New Lenox was named 2023 Volunteer of the Year during the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s annual banquet in April.
You’ve probably seen the mature form of a rat-tailed maggot without even realizing it. You likely mistook the hover fly, a prolific pollinator, for a bee.
Eastern phoebes seem to have a natural ability to make people happy.
“It’s not like they come out of the ground and you hear this gigantic, deafening sound. They need time to complete their life cycle," said Nancy Kuhajda, program coordinator at the University of Illinois Extension in Will County, in describing the emergence of cicadas.
D'Arcy GMC sponsored a sapling giveaway at Saturday's Slammers game with help of the Channahon Little League team.
Warm weather season means more time spent outdoors. It is also time for ticks to be out more and everywhere. Changes in climate are leading to an increase in the ticks and the potential for unwanted diseases.
Don’t feel left out if you’re not seeing cicadas in your area. You still can participate in a community science project.
Join a naturalist on a morning walk in the woods to search for feathers. Expect to see migratory birds and summer residents returning home on a Mother's Day program Sunday, May 12.
Not everyone is going to be a part of the coming Cicada-palooza.
The Forest Preserve District of Will County will host several educational programs the week of May 13 and May 20.
Besides particle physics research, Fermilab has also long provided a habitat for American bison. The Fermilab herd currently consists of 24 cows and two bulls.
Periodical cicadas are predicted to emerge throughout northern Illinois in just a few weeks. But will their appearance live up to all the hype?
Oregon officially is a Tree City USA. On April 23, City Manager Darin DeHaan presented Mayor Ken Williams with a plaque honoring the city’s designation, which was received last month.
Migratory Bird Days will be celebrated in the McHenry County area with events starting April 27.
The event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 and feature live farm animals to observe and pet, hayrides, barrel train rides, farm demonstrations, food and more.
Tulips are peaking at Richardson Adventure Farm near Spring Grove during the annual tulip festival with hundreds of thousands in bloom.
Give this community science effort a try! Entomologists working to sort out the intricacies of butterfly life cycles will thank you for it.
By tapping holes in trees in springtime, when the sap is rising, these birds help ensure that many other creatures also gain access to the sweet elixir.
A better understanding of life’s complexities actually is made possible by fish alarm chemicals.
The Nature Foundation of Will County’s annual online native plant sale begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and runs through 4 p.m. April 27.
Trillions of evolution’s bizarro wonders, red-eyed periodical cicadas that have pumps in their heads and jet-like muscles in their rears, are about to emerge in numbers not seen in decades and possibly centuries.
Pet rabbits make lousy Easter gifts, and don’t belong in the wild.
Led by environmental experts, this University of Illinois Extension program explores a new natural resource topic each month and provides small and meaningful ways to connect with nature.
For a few weeks in late winter and early spring, the usually underground tiger salamanders come to the surface and hit the trail.
Here are ways to control odorous house ants without using harsh chemicals or hiring an exterminator.
Learn about the history of bobcats in our state, recent bobcat recolonization of northern Illinois, and bobcat ecology during a Thursday, April 11 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Petite, resilient and stinky are only a small sampling of the odorous house ant’s many fascinating traits.
A gaggle of birders, scanning the Canada geese in and around a man-made pond, noted that one of the birds was not like the others.
Here are five fun things to do in Kane County this weekend.
Timo Wayman, an entomology graduate student at University of Illinois, is interested in native bee conservation and bee parasites and is conducting a research project on bee hotels in Illinois.
I was just about to throw in the towel, when I found out I’m not alone in this sea of color confusion.
The warmer weather we’ve experienced recently has caused some arthropods, aka woodpecker food, to start moving around.
As casual observers, we have no way of knowing for sure whether our winter robins are year-round residents or visitors from farther north.