Wildlife Blogs

On one warm afternoon last June, I suddenly throttled down the boat as a barrage of silver carp leaped out of the water and pummeled my assistants and me, leaving a generous layer of slime on everything in the boat. Anyone who has been in a boat on the Illinois or Mississippi rivers during the...

When the Everyday Environment team started brainstorming wildlife as our season three topic, we got excited to talk to experts about different cool species that can be found across our state, like armadillos and bison. But when we started reaching out to invite folks to be guests, we learned that...

It’s July 19, 2023. Standing at a trailhead within Skokie Lagoons, I was armed with close-focus binoculars and a clipboard, about to embark on a leisurely walk. It was a pleasant summer day at 79°F, the sun brightly shining with just a couple of clouds dotting the sky, and feeling only the...

In late May, I toured an urban central Illinois woodland alongside my colleagues. Many of them have birding experience and noted birds as they appeared along the trail. We saw a red-tailed hawk, European starling, brown thrasher, northern cardinal, American robin, and house finch.Something I often...

In the underground world of any prairie, root systems crisscross and extend downward to create an underground maze. As the roots of grasses and flowers grow and search for nutrients, they may find themselves exposed and no longer surrounded by soil, but rather growing into an underground opening....

As our cities expand and natural habitats shrink, encounters with wildlife are becoming more frequent. Whether you are out in a local forest preserve or in your own backyard, there’s a chance you might stumble upon an injured, ill, or orphaned animal.Does this animal need help?Before intervening,...