The Long Goodbye Part 2
A cabin in the Northwoods, amid a mixed conifer-hardwood forest, is the perfect place to attempt a variety of retirement pursuits. At the top of…
Read MoreA cabin in the Northwoods, amid a mixed conifer-hardwood forest, is the perfect place to attempt a variety of retirement pursuits. At the top of…
Read MoreThe return of bald eagles to Kane County was one of several nature news events that occurred over the last 25 years.
Read MoreOriental bittersweet’s large quantities of fruit grow from the leaf axils of the vine and are strung out along the stems. Remembering the phrase, ‘Strung…
Read MoreWhere woodpeckers excavate on houses depends on a number of factors: the condition of the wood; if insects are present; whether cracks, crevices or knotholes…
Read MoreThe Cooper’s hawk, left, and sharp-shinned hawk look very similar but, it turns out, are not as closely related as once thought. Cooper’s hawk photo by M. Leonard Photography; sharp-shinned photo by mirceax. November 22, 2024 I remember exactly where I was when I read the news. I was sitting in the waiting room at
Read MoreLess boldly marked than their golden-crowned cousins, the ruby-crowned kinglet does have a noticeable white eye ring and wing bar. However only males bear the…
Read MoreNative to eastern Asia, multicolored Asian lady beetles were introduced in the United States as a means of biological insect control. These days they can…
Read MoreKane County Certified Naturalist Sue Mikowski takes an up-close look at the keeled scales of a water snake during a KCCN field trip.
Read MoreThis earthen pot, smaller than a dime, is the work of a Eumenes potter wasp. The open hole indicates this nest is empty; a nest…
Read MoreA turkey vulture–TV for short–warily guards its dinner. The bird’s nearly naked head is an adaptation to its diet, which consists mainly of carrion.
Read MoreTasked with hunting aquatic prey yet lacking water-repellent feathers, cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying off after feeding. Adults are brown-black while immature…
Read MoreAs dusk sets in, thousands of swifts, Chaetura pelagica, make their way into an uncapped, unlined chimney in Geneva, IL.
Read MoreThe recent Friday the 13th started off unlucky for this great horned owl, but got better when rescuers arrived. The owl’s third eyelid is visible…
Read MoreAlthough large, even snapping turtles like this one—which is the size and color of a large watermelon—can fall victim to fishing line.
Read MoreThe mourning cloak butterfly’s common name refers to its dark coloration, but provides few clues to its unique survival strategy.
Read MoreWith daylight fading, a young red-tailed hawk watches and waits for a meal that never came.
Read MoreThe landscape at this Delnor Woods pond was lush, but the soundscape was hushed. Nary a chirp could be heard in the early morning air.
Read MoreAlthough they lack chlorophyll, ghost pipes are bona-fide plants. Their roots draw nourishment from nearby fungi in the soil and their nodding flowers are pollinated…
Read MoreRather than round, the wheel formation of these mating damselflies is nearly heart shaped.
Read MoreLike a fighter pilot on patrol, this green darner dragonfly scans his territory for prey as well as rival males.
Read MoreJust like human babies, insect babies–also known as larvae–sometimes bear little resemblance to the adults they become.
Read MoreHello in there! Earwig droppings contain an aggregation pheromone that attracts both adults and nymphs, resulting in earwig clusters like this one inside some milkweed…
Read MoreRolling hills and wide-open spaces characterize the landscape of downstate Menard County IL.
Read MoreThe translucent ‘balloons’ on this sprig of bladderwort take in nutrients in the form of tiny arthropods. The other animals in the picture, such as…
Read MorePerched atop a small hackberry tree, a male red-winged blackbird eyes a curious naturalist walking along the Fox River Trail in Geneva.
Read MoreMiles from home, a displaced cicada sits, silently, as his next adventure awaits.
Read MoreNeither bumble bees nor naturalists can resist the sweet smell of Tilia blossoms; the aromas are equally alluring-and perhaps even more so-at night.
Read MoreA newly emerged male polyphemus moth rests after his recent emergence from his home of seven months, the cocoon on the right.
Read MoreA newly emerged male polyphemus moth rests after his recent emergence from his home of seven months, the cocoon on the right.
Read More