Sometimes the best plan is to have no plans. Take last weekend, for example. My friend Jessi and I had “planned”—as much as we ever plan anything—to head out for a hike at White Pines State Park in Oregon, IL. Neither of us had been there in a long time, the trails there are nice,
Franklin Creek, Hiking, ParkSt. Charles Park District Nature News – January 1 It’s the day after New Year’s, and boy is my head spinning. Like a lot of other people around the TriCities, I’m completely responsible for my condition. But unlike those other folks, I’m hoping my current state sticks around awhile—the longer the better, in fact. Thankfully,
Cards, Gift, Knowledge
Knock knock. Who’s there? For those of you who live in houses with certain types of wooden siding, your visitor may be a woodpecker. Those same shingles/shakes/clapboards that caught your eye as a home buyer can prove irresistible to your industrious neighbors the Downies, Hairies, Red-Bellieds and Flickers. This time of year, woodpeckers are in
Bird, Fly, Woodpecker
I watched in amazement the other day as my buddy Arthur wolfed down his plate of sweet potatoes. They were made just the way he likes them—baked, no butter, with just a bit of the skin left on. And as he gulped down bite after bite I thought, “My goodness, it’s like he hadn’t eaten
Box Turtle, Reptile, Turtle
Sometimes, when you write a nature column, you just don’t know when inspiration is going to strike. Ideas for columns have come while walking to work, while working in the yard and once, memorably, when I stepped in something icky. But this week was different. I wasn’t anywhere near the outdoors and, in fact, was
Black Squirrel, Critter, SquirrelAnyone care for a little coffee? Kentucky coffee tree, that is? These unusual trees, with their sparse branches and chunky seed pods, are a fairly common site in parks and along streets in St. Charles and other suburban communities. They’re planted with regularity, thanks to their tolerance of both dry conditions and poor soils, as
Kentucky Coffee Tree, Plant, TreeMake no mistake, I’m a big fan of our local natural areas. Scenic vistas? We got ’em. (Sunset at Nelson Lake in Batavia is a personal favorite.) Cool plants? You betcha. (Not one but two rare orchids were found this summer in wetlands within the St. Charles Park District.) And wildlife viewing opportunities abound. (Did
Barker Lake, Lake, Lodge
We had a Little Miss Muffet Moment the other day here at the Pottawatomie Community Center. No, it didn’t involve a tuffet (which I understand is some sort of footstool), nor were there any curds or whey. But there was a spider. Man, was there a spider. It showed up, quite unannounced, in Multipurpose Room
Arachnid, Spider, Wolf SpiderSo this week I was going to write about the amazing wildlife I saw while on vacation last week in Wisconsin’s Northwoods葉ales of places where grouse hunters roam, and deer and otters play耀hoot, there was even a bear in a grocery store’s beer cooler. But those stories will have to wait, because here on the
Asian Beetle, Bug, Insect
