Good Natured | A warm-hearted naturalist's view of Illinois flora & fauna!

The Long Goodbye Part 2

A cabin in the Northwoods, amid a mixed conifer-hardwood forest, is the perfect place to attempt a variety of retirement pursuits. At the top of…

The Long Goodbye Part 1

The return of bald eagles to Kane County was one of several nature news events that occurred over the last 25 years.

Oriental Bittersweet

Oriental bittersweet’s large quantities of fruit grow from the leaf axils of the vine and are strung out along the stems. Remembering the phrase, ‘Strung…

Woodpeckers Rapping

Where woodpeckers excavate on houses depends on a number of factors: the condition of the wood; if insects are present; whether cracks, crevices or knotholes…

The Cooper’s hawk, left, and sharp-shinned hawk look very similar but, it turns out, are not as closely related as once thought. Cooper’s hawk photo by M. Leonard Photography; sharp-shinned photo by mirceax. November 22, 2024 I remember exactly where I was when I read the news. I was sitting in the waiting room at

Fall Kinglets

Less boldly marked than their golden-crowned cousins, the ruby-crowned kinglet does have a noticeable white eye ring and wing bar. However only males bear the…

Asian Ladybugs

Native to eastern Asia, multicolored Asian lady beetles were introduced in the United States as a means of biological insect control. These days they can…

Certified Naturalists

Kane County Certified Naturalist Sue Mikowski takes an up-close look at the keeled scales of a water snake during a KCCN field trip.

Potter Wasps

This earthen pot, smaller than a dime, is the work of a Eumenes potter wasp. The open hole indicates this nest is empty; a nest…

TV Dinners

A turkey vulture–TV for short–warily guards its dinner. The bird’s nearly naked head is an adaptation to its diet, which consists mainly of carrion.

Cormorants

Tasked with hunting aquatic prey yet lacking water-repellent feathers, cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying off after feeding. Adults are brown-black while immature…

Chimney Swifts

As dusk sets in, thousands of swifts, Chaetura pelagica, make their way into an uncapped, unlined chimney in Geneva, IL.

Owl Rescue

The recent Friday the 13th started off unlucky for this great horned owl, but got better when rescuers arrived. The owl’s third eyelid is visible…

Turtle Rescue

Although large, even snapping turtles like this one—which is the size and color of a large watermelon—can fall victim to fishing line.

Mourning Cloak

The mourning cloak butterfly’s common name refers to its dark coloration, but provides few clues to its unique survival strategy.

Young Raptors

With daylight fading, a young red-tailed hawk watches and waits for a meal that never came.

Katydids

Female common true katydids, like the one pictured here, are all green with a curved ovipositor or egg-laying organ, at the hind end; males are…

Sound of Silence

The landscape at this Delnor Woods pond was lush, but the soundscape was hushed. Nary a chirp could be heard in the early morning air.

Ghost Pipes

Although they lack chlorophyll, ghost pipes are bona-fide plants. Their roots draw nourishment from nearby fungi in the soil and their nodding flowers are pollinated…

Dragon Wheels

Rather than round, the wheel formation of these mating damselflies is nearly heart shaped.

Green Darners

Like a fighter pilot on patrol, this green darner dragonfly scans his territory for prey as well as rival males.

Baby Pictures

Just like human babies, insect babies–also known as larvae–sometimes bear little resemblance to the adults they become.

European Earwigs

Hello in there! Earwig droppings contain an aggregation pheromone that attracts both adults and nymphs, resulting in earwig clusters like this one inside some milkweed…