Spring is the season of new beginnings. Wildlife baby season in Illinois starts as early as February when great horned owls lay their eggs and frogs begin to call. Coyote pups are born in March and soon a flurry of animals continue courting, mating, and preparing for what will be the next...
Vickie Hansen knew that when she retired, she didn’t want to “retire.”
She had heard the stories. A person retired, didn’t have a plan on what to do with the time, and quickly wasted away. And she knew the science. Continued mental stimulation and problem solving are good for maintaining thinking...
“Forty-two pounds of Edible Fungus
In the Wilderness a-growin’
Saved the Settlers from Starvation,
Helped the founding of this Nation.”- Robert McCloskey, 1943
While this song telling of the miraculous feats of edible mushrooms was part of a...
Illinois is world famous for its snakes. This week, a road in Southern Illinois – Snake Road to be exact – closes to vehicles as it does every year so migrating reptiles and amphibians can safely cross.
But as...
Garlic mustard, just two little words can bring a groan from naturalists across the Eastern United States. But garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, also known as Poor Man’s Mustard, Hedge Garlic, Garlic Root...
By the time February rolls around, many of us are longing for springtime. Spring brings a renewal of plant life in our forests, the arrival of the first batch of neotropical birds migrating back from their southern winter homes, and the awakening of reptiles and amphibians that have been long...
When we think of the bawdy, overbearing characteristics of alien invasive species, often what first comes to my mind is their early-to-rise, late-to-bed season of growth. By emerging earlier than our natives, invasive species leaf out, scoop up all that precious sunlight and moisture, then quickly...
A couple of months ago, a Master Naturalist sent in an interesting photo of a bird. It was dark brown on the back with a reddish-brown belly but with white discoloration all over its body. Almost like nature’s printer was having ink issues as our bird was printed. Upon closer inspection, our Master...
Have you heard about the celebration of the whistle pig? Maybe its more common name, Groundhog Day, rings a bell.
Every year, Punxsutawney Phil’s appearance on February 2 is a reminder we are halfway through winter and – shadow or no shadow – spring is on its way.
Groundhogs are Illinois’ largest...
I distinctly remember being in a car with my parents one early morning. My father, an agronomist, knew endless amounts of nature information. He knew more than just everything about soil and creating high bushel numbers for our local farmers. He knew secrets, at least that is what I believed, and...
