Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries. And thank goodness. Because here at Hickory Knolls, solving mysteries is all in a day’s work. Take, for instance, the months preceding our grand opening in 2011. Back then we were faced with all sorts of new-construction puzzlers, like The
Bee, Beehive, Bug, Honeybee, Insect
When I think of the word gypsy, two images come to mind. One is ca. 1972 and features the stage at Wheaton’s Longfellow School—my alma mater. I was auditioning for the school play, of a title I can’t remember, and I had to read the line, “I can dance the tarantella.” My acting skills being
Gypsy Moth, Insect, MothApril 22, 2016 Gigantic Caddisfly This week’s column actually had its beginnings last summer, though I didn’t know it at the time. I can still picture it: The warm July sun streaming down, the flowers shimmering in the bright light. I could feel the heat beginning to build even though it was barely 8 a.m.
Bug, Caddisfly, Gigantic Caddisfly, InsectMarch 18, 2016 Chinese Mantids Everyone knows that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. But what I need to remember is to also not put them all in one tennis ball canister, nor leave them all on one desk. Or any desk, actually. Our current situation got its start about a month
Bug, Chinese Mantids, Insect, Praying Mantis
Last year we took a Good Natured look at the mayfly, one of a cast of assorted characters often lumped together under the generic term “river bugs.” We talked about the delicate beauty of the adults; the fleeting nature of that final life phase; and the insect’s vital role in local food chains. We also
Bug, Insect, Mayfly
August 7, 2015 The Wool-Carder Bee A male European wool-carder bee takes a break from buzzing and surveys his territory from a prominent post—a lambs ear flower. I got quite the buzz while working in the garden the other day. No, I’m not growing anything illegal. And there weren’t any adult beverages involved either. I
Bee, Bug, Insect, Wool Carder Bee
February 27, 2015 Bird Tracks 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 contained within a two-quart Tupperware bowl–with holes poked in the lid for ventilation. The woman carrying it clearly was unsettled, her voice quavering as she
Bug, Dobsonfly, Insect
May 15, 2015 Hoppers I’m not sure who started the trend, or when. But over the past year or so, primarily on Facebook and other social media, I’ve seen several instances of adults recreating the photos they posed in as children. Some are better than others; in fact there are a few–like the three brothers
Bug, Cricket, Hoppers, Insect
April 24, 2015 Click Beetle Ampedus nigricollis is just one of several species of click beetle present in Kane County. The insects belong to the family Elateridae, a name derived from the Greek word elat.r meaning ‘driver, or hurler’, a reference to the beetles’ way of hurling into the air when they click. Did you
Bug, Click Beetle, Insect
April 3, 2015 Polyphemus The large, feathery antennae of this polyphemus moth identify it as a male. These delicate and sensitive structures can detect a single molecule of female moth pheromone from miles away. Let this be a lesson to you all: The next time someone brings you a cocoon and you promise to store
Insect, Moth, Polyphemus