A-ha! Native plants attract native pollinators and a host of other wildlife. Here a silver-spotted skipper sips nectar from blazing star, a prairie plant that…
Plant Native!
Horned Spanworm
Looking very much like a creature from a Dr. Seuss story, the horned spanworm features odd structures known in entomological terms as ‘eversible tentacles.’
Icarus’s Road to Recovery
Sporting bare shafts where feathers once grew, Icarus the red-tailed hawk is in the process of recovering from a near-fatal encounter with a landfill flare. He is under the care of KARE, Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife, a rescue that has treated birds with similar injuries in the past. Good Natured: Icarus’s Road
Landfill Flares Burn Birds
This temporarily flightless male red-tailed hawk, which last fall encountered a landfill flare, displays what’s left of his tail. He is currently receiving care via KARE, Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife, in St. Charles. Good Natured: Landfill Flares Burn Birds April 28, 2023 Alrighty Good Natured readers, show of hands: As a child
Peaceable Pollinators
People can observe a wide variety of native bees without fear of being stung. Good Natured: Peaceable Pollinators April 21, 2023 Last week when we explored the life of Colletes, or cellophane bees, we saw how they are some of our area’s most beneficial insects. But there are many, many more. Somewhere between 400 and
Cellophane Bees
Cellophane bee tunnels resemble ant hills, but the hole is larger, about the diameter of a pencil. Here a bee is seen exiting her excavation; a 2 5/8th-in. lip balm tube was used for scale. Good Natured: Cellophane Bees April 14, 2023 The other day I was at Delnor Woods Park in St. Charles, setting
Hosting Purple Martins
As social birds that are aerial insectivores, purple martins require treeless open space around their housing. Good Natured: Hosting Purple Martins April 7, 2023 According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, North America is home to 2,059 species of birds. Of these, 2,058 are pretty self sufficient. Sure, they could do without humans’ constant interference,
Turtles Waking
As the days get longer and the sunshine gets stronger, aquatic turtles will be rousing from brumation—a cold-blooded creature’s equivalent of hibernation—and rising to the…
Mink-n-Eggs
With egg-laying season just around the corner, American mink will be out and about, hunting for active waterfowl nests. Good Natured: Mink-n-Eggs March 24, 2023 Next weekend, April 1, the St. Charles Park District will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt at Pottawatomie Park. Thousands of eggs, hundreds of kids. A sugar-fueled good time will
Make Mine Chocolate
Mopsy is one of Hickory Knolls Discovery Center’s resident rabbits. She helps educate visitors about pet bunnies’ complex care requirements.