Every fall, nature lovers from around the state lace up their hiking boots and head out into the field for the annual Master Naturalist State Conference. The gathering is a chance for Illinois Extension staff and volunteers to share ideas and gain new skills, tools, and programs they can bring home...

Gardens are full of critters – insects, squirrels, alligators? Last month, a Decatur woman was watering her flowers when she discovered an unusual reptile...

Author’s Note:  In January of 2022, I embarked on a year of daily half-hour observations in my backyard. This essay is a partial accounting of what I discovered. There’s nothing special about my backyard.  It’s one of countless tracts surveyed and mapped into thousands of neat urban parcels in my...

From turkey hands made by schoolchildren to presidential pardons at the White House, November is turkey time. And while we may think we know a lot about these birds, here are a few things that might be new to you. Fast Turkey Facts Wild turkeys, (Meleagris gallopavo) are one of...

When people get excited about supporting wildlife on their property, they are usually referring to charismatic wildlife. The ones that bring us joy or whimsy or that serve a function such as pollination. Or even the ones that encroach on our lives the least. For most of us, that is in the form of...

Anyone who comes into contact with birds should be aware that avian influenza cases are on the rise in Illinois and around the Midwest. What is avian flu? Avian influenza is a highly contagious virus that spreads naturally among wild birds, sometimes without causing illness. However, avian...

In the spring, a remarkable migratory bird returns to the waters of the Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Complex which includes the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge. American white pelicans stop at the refuge to rest and refuel...

When I put my blog choice in for ladybugs versus lady beetles, I thought it was going to be an easy write-up. A piece about our native ladybugs and the seemingly invasive biological control animal I like to call the Terminator Lady Beetles. It would be a good guy versus bad guy story. Ladybugs,...

Spring is a mere 90 days away, and every year sightings of the first American Robin (Turdus migratorius) are hailed as the spring weather harbinger, but did you know we have...

When I sat down to write this blog, I didn’t have a clear topic in my mind. So, I did what I usually do when I want to think and looked out my office window. Through this window, I can see just the tops of three oak trees which today were covered with crows. I counted more than two dozen with more...

The email came in sometime in May of this year. A colleague in Northern Illinois contacted me with a wild bird concern. A woman had found a dead bird in her yard for a second day in a row and was wondering if something was wrong that she had not heard about.  I gave the standard answer:  If an...

Have you placed mesh material in your garden or around the outside of your home? Mesh, whether made from metal or plastic, or natural fibers, can be incredibly useful because it allows air, water, and plants to penetrate while keeping out larger objects. Some folks use it to keep birds off their...

We call anything an animal leaves behind a sign. It could be a broken branch, a footprint, a scrape on the ground or tree, a nest or other home, their own fur, or even animal parts from their last meal. Of all the signs scattered for our inquiry as to what or why, the scat is my favorite and a...

Vacuous dark eyes, scaly rat tail, 50 pointy teeth, and oh, that hiss! What is not to love about the opossum? North America’s only native marsupial gets little respect and often scares homeowners who stumble upon this nocturnal visitor snacking below the birdfeeder, rummaging through unsealed...

Many nature lovers take photos while they are out in the field. But not all of them come away with quality photographs. Why do some individuals always seem to get the best shots? And what are they doing that you might not be? Read more to discover five ways to bring new life to your photographs...

Spring has sprung! What nature-lover doesn't like to engage in a friendly little competition with their friends and family each year over who sees the first robin? Bird lovers often keep detailed notes year to year comparing when the first robin was seen and hypothesize why they were early or late...

Feral swine are also known as feral hogs, wild boar, wild pigs, or razorbacks and are defined by IL Admin Code Part 700 as populations or individual swine that are unrestrained and have adapted to living in a...

The cicadas are coming! In May 2021, Periodical Cicada Brood X (Brood 10) also known as the Great Eastern Brood is expected to emerge in four eastern Illinois counties - Vermilion, Edgar, Clark, and Crawford. But the broods that will affect most of Illinois are yet to come....

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...

“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...

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...

As part of nature ourselves, humans feel a connection with the natural world-a feeling I don’t have to explain to any of you. This connection has caused us to seek out nature or integrate more natural elements into our landscapes. Prior to the Landscape Parks Movement in the 1870’s, our urban...

The Beaver Moon was at its fullest this morning at 3:30 a.m. CDT. My unreasonable alarm, set for 3:15 a.m. to view it, was for nothing more than a drink of water. Here in northern Illinois it was overcast and only my faith in the moon’s existence was clear. However, as I peered half asleep at the...

Imagine you are five years old and playing in the tall grass, feeling the spongy wet soil beneath your feet, when suddenly the quiet is interrupted by shockingly loud, deep guttural calls all around you.   You are startled beyond your wits and leap out of the grass in a rush back to the house...