House Centipedes
It was an “Eek!” heard round the world. Or at least in every corner of our humble campus apartment. My college roommate Alisan, one of…
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Momma D. the Fishing Spider
Every year when Mother’s Day rolls around, Hallmark reminds us just how many animals are great moms. We see cards with dogs and their puppies;…
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Becoming a Moth-er
Some of you might be aware, I’ve been a naturalist my whole life. But it’s only been a career since the year 2000. Prior to…
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Nature Embassy
Some of you have noticed, and a few have even called to comment on the fact that my role at the St. Charles Park District…
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Boom & Bust Cycles of Acorn Production
It’s a nature fact we all learn pretty early in life: Oak trees produce acorns. Except…sometimes they don’t. Now by this I don’t mean they…
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Braconid Wasps
Judging by the yields in the community garden plots at James O. Breen Community Park in St. Charles, 2019 is a big year for local…
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Crane Flies
The other night a large, mosquito-like insect was flying around the kitchen. I waited until it landed, then let it outside. Not five minutes later,…
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Chimney Swifts – Part 2
Last week we relayed the story of two young chimney swifts who found themselves in a spot of trouble, and the people who came to…
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Chimney Swifts
The other night around 8:30 my phone started blowing up with texts that, at that moment, were going to have to go unanswered. I was…
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Stag Beetles
The heady aroma of fine cigars. The rise and fall of male voices, punctuated with deep, booming laughter. It didn’t take a girl popping out…
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The Jumper and the Pollinators
Location, location, location. It’s a cardinal rule for real estate, and for spider webs. Think about it. Where are the thickest, juiciest spiders? In webs…
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Mourning Doves
From time to time at Hickory Knolls we hold a program called Superheroes of Nature. We look at how real-life turtles’ talents compare to those…
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Leeches
Leeches as weather predictors? It could have happened, had George Merryweather of Yorkshire, England been more successful in marketing his Tempest Prognosticator, a fanciful, annelid-powered device. Good Natured: Leeches July 12, 2019 “Say Pam, how’s that leech of yours doing?” said no Good Natured reader, ever. But, just for conversation’s sake, let’s say someone did
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Dobsonflies
I can still remember my first dobsonfly. The date was July of 2002. The place, Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora. The insect was…
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Male Fish Pitch In
This week, in honor of fathers everywhere, let’s take a look at some of the most devoted papas our area has to offer. A word…
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American Robins
“Aw, crud.” Those were the words I uttered a few days ago when I stepped outside my office to take the picture for this week’s…
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Grey Catbirds
“Mew.” The sound was soft and, at first, easy to overlook. But the longer I spent along the tree line, listening as I walked, the…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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