Good Natured

Baltimore Oriole

Do you remember the first time you saw a Baltimore oriole? For me the memory is clear as day. I was in the backyard of…

Furrow Spider

Typically, when one encounters a spider outside in springtime, the creature is teensy. Or, to use the technical term, itsy bitsy. Small spiders weaving small…

Fishing Line & Bird Nests

Growing up in a family that loved to fish, I’ve seen my share of bird’s nests. And not the good kind. In fishing parlance, a…

Eastern Phoebe

Throughout these many months of cold we have endured, I’ve tried to help my winter-weary friends stay positive. After every new dump of snow I’d…

Ground Bees and Beetles — Part 2

Last week when we related the discovery and subsequent identification of an awesome little beetle, Tricrania sanguinipennis, I promised that this week we’d dig deeper…

Ground Bees and Beetles

North America is home to around 30,000 beetle species. Thirty. Thousand. Species. It’s no wonder that identifying them can be difficult. Some beetles, bless their…

Local Nature Anecdotes

Have you ever found yourself faced with so many great choices that you can’t possibly choose just one? I have that problem when it comes…

Make Mine Chocolate

There are a few things in this world that I’m absolutely nuts about. Snakes are one, puppies are another. And then there’s chocolate. As I…

Muskrat Rites

We consider it a human rite of passage: Grow to a certain age, acquire important life skills, then leave home to take on the big…

Bird Nests

This time of year, everyone’s chomping at the bit for spring. Whether it’s that little extra bit of daylight, the first glimpse of a woodland…

Canada Geese

Remember when Canada geese were a fly-by-night group? Back then, before our resident goose populations took hold, it was big news when these large, majestic…

The Carcass Cam

Last week we took a Good Natured look at the notion of dreams coming true, and how the aspirations of naturalists might veer a little…

Wildlife & Feeding in Winter

We all have dreams, don’t we? I know I have several, including writing a book, hosting a talk show and making a perfect pie crust.…

Walnut Groves

Chances are, if you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, and/or if you watched the television show Little House on the Prairie, the name Walnut Grove…

Winter Stoneflies

Make no mistake, love is in the air. Jewelers have stepped up their ads for diamond-crusted tokens of tenderness (“Every kiss begins with Kay!”) and…

Animals in Extreme Cold

This departure from the regular column is in response to the recent record-setting cold the National Weather Service described as “life threatening.” Our resident expert,…

Tree Cavities

You have a cavity.” For many of us, delivery of this statement evokes feelings of disappointment and maybe even gloom. Our dental hygiene regimen–all that…

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Every family has one. You know what I’m talking about – that one relative who is gifted beyond belief with agility and coordination. In our…

Hop to It! Become a Frog Monitor

I guess you could say I have a history with frogs. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve chased after these guys, stalking…

Northern Shrike

Citizens of Kane, beware: The butcher birds are back! That’s right folks-Lanius excubitor has returned to our fair land. But instead of running for cover,…

Circle of Life – Mystery Skull

The day began pretty much like any other. We opened the building, we began some ecological restoration tasks, we found a skull. It sounds a…

Nature’s Leftovers

If you’ve ever hosted a holiday feast, you know that leftovers are part of the deal. Some go gracefully, packed up in containers and sent…

The Joys of a Heated Birdbath

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. For years I’ve touted the benefits of winter water sources for wildlife. And while we’ve…

Fox vs. Coyote

The snow swirled down in big, heavy flakes-like the kind you see in a snow globe, only real. As I walked through the Hickory Knolls…

Hairy Woodpeckers

Although the word “hairy” isn’t itself inherently bad, it’s often used to describe something that is less than ideal. A hairy situation typically is one…

Kane County Certified Naturalists

Ready, set, net! Learn about local streams as well as other area ecosystems during the year-long nature education program for adults, Kane County Certified Naturalists. Good Natured: Kane County Certified Naturalists November 30, 2018 When was the last time you looked-I mean realllllly looked-at the shape and size of a tree bud? Or paused to