Good Natured

Woodpeckers

With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, I offer you the following recap of my Thanksgiving weekend: While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a…

Birds of Prey

Remember The Far Side, those classic bits of natural history humor by cartoonist Gary Larson? One in particular showed three hawks in a tree. All…

Black Squirrels – Part 2

Last week we embarked on a story of Kane County squirrels-specifically black squirrels, which are a dark form of our common gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis-and…

Kane County Certified Naturalists

Josh Libman, naturalist with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, describes an ecological process during a KCCN field trip to Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve in Elburn. Good Natured: Kane County Certified Naturalists November 27, 2019 Well, it’s that time of year again. The temperatures have dropped, the leaves have fallen, and the long,

Black Squirrels – Part 1

They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. But I wonder, is the same true of cars? And what about squirrels? These questions…

Pumpkin Spider

Pumpkins at this time of year usually look one of two ways: Plump and firm, or soft and saggy. At my house, I’ve got one…

Honey Locusts

Last week as I strolled with my dogs Joey and Kit around our neighborhood in St. Charles, we came upon a honey locust tree and…

Dark-Eyed Juncos

Every year, in early spring, someone notices an American robin, and people rejoice. “Spring is here!” they exclaim, even though we might still have temperatures…

Whaoo Shrub

Wahoo! Fall color is at its peak here in the TriCities! The leafy fireworks are a little later in arriving this year, perhaps due to…

Birds of a Feather

As fall migration continues, it’s time once again to play that favorite game of birdwatchers and Sesame Street watchers alike: One of These Things (Is…

Marsh Wrens

When was the last time you got scolded? I can recall, as a kid, how pretty much every Great Idea my friends and I had…

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…

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;…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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