The calendar says spring is still two weeks away, but nature’s signs are unmistakable. For one, tiger salamanders are on the move, making their annual…
Signs of Spring
Phenology
Skunk cabbage is northern Illinois’ earliest blooming native wildflower, popping up in late winter in groundwater seeps, springs and fens.
Fall Colors
Thanks to warmer-than-usual temperatures, many trees held onto their green color–that is, their chlorophyll–until late October this year.
Overwintering Butterflies
Butterflies are easy. It’s a statement that naturalists make from time to time, and it refers to the fact that we don’t have to work…
Robins — In Winter?!
Okay folks, show of hands. How many of you were raised to believe that robins are the first signs of spring? I know I was.…
Bird Tracking
Every year about this time, the Good Natured World Headquarters staff starts fielding questions about tracks in the snow. And every other year or so…
Coyote Territory Time
The other day as I was walking to work, taking in the sights and sounds of a warm-ish winter morning, I noticed that the neighborhood…
Snakes in Fall
Blotchy and big-adults average over 4 ft. in length-nonvenomous fox snakes are our area’s longest native constrictors. This time of year, they are heading for hibernacula, areas that might include garages, crawlspaces and basements. Good Natured: Snakes in Fall November 6, 2020 We all have our dreams…a fancy house, a fast car, maybe fame
Tracking Oddities
Over the past several weeks, we’ve taken a Good Natured look at the tracks and signs of many of our area’s most common mammals, from…
Tracking – Cats
Several years ago we received an email from a St. Charles resident who had found the remains of a feline beneath a pine tree on…