Yellow-crowned night herons are listed as endangered in Illinois. Last summer at least one breeding pair nested in Rock Falls, IL, as evidenced by this photo of an immature YCNH taken by Good Natured readers Jan and Dean Zinanni. Good Natured: Yellow-crowned Night Heron March 10, 2023 One of the really great things about life
Bird, Endangered, Fly, Night Heron
Skunk cabbage is northern Illinois’ earliest blooming native wildflower, popping up in late winter in groundwater seeps, springs and fens.
Bloom, Season, Skunk Cabbage, Spring
Its ‘poofy pants’ clearly visible, a rough-legged hawk takes off from a weathered perch.
Bird, Fly, Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk
The reddish-brown pods of the Kentucky coffeetree contain seeds that were once used as a coffee substitute and, even further back, as food for Ice…
Kentucky Coffeetree, Pods, Tree
Bald-faced hornet nests, like this large one in St. Charles, are revealed when the leaves fall from the tree. The former residents, a type of…
Hornet, Hornet Nests, Nest, Wasp
Besides sharing the trait of being active in winter, these insects also share a common ancestor and are members of the insect infraorder Tipulomorpha. The…
Insect, Snow Fly, Winter Crane Fly
Rodent baits often have unintended consequences, traveling through food chains and accumulating in the bodies of higher-level consumers like this Cooper’s hawk. The bird was…
Chemical, Food Chain, Poison
