With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, I offer you the following recap of my Thanksgiving weekend: While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping near my chamber door. “‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping near my chamber door- Only this and nothing more.”
Read More
Remember The Far Side, those classic bits of natural history humor by cartoonist Gary Larson? One in particular showed three hawks in a tree. All had sunglasses on; one even was wearing headphones and clutching a Walkman in his talons. […]
Read More
Last week we embarked on a story of Kane County squirrels-specifically black squirrels, which are a dark form of our common gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis-and even more precisely, two taxidermy mounts of black squirrels held in the collections at Hickory Knolls. […]
Read More
They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. But I wonder, is the same true of cars? And what about squirrels? These questions have been rolling around in my head for several weeks now, and actually have their beginnings in a gift we received several months ago: a taxidermy mount of a beautiful black squirrel. […]
Read More
They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. But I wonder, is the same true of cars? And what about squirrels? These questions have been rolling around in my head for several weeks now, and actually have their beginnings in a gift we received several months ago: a taxidermy mount of a beautiful black squirrel. […]
Read More
Pumpkins at this time of year usually look one of two ways: Plump and firm, or soft and saggy. At my house, I’ve got one of each. The firm one will probably go outside soon so it can become squirrel food. And the saggy one? Well, she’s going to stay right where she is, on the kitchen counter. […]
Read More
Last week as I strolled with my dogs Joey and Kit around our neighborhood in St. Charles, we came upon a honey locust tree and decided to give it a look. Now, hear me out on this. Given that honey locusts are one of the most popular tree species, planted by homeowners […]
Read More
Every year, in early spring, someone notices an American robin, and people rejoice. “Spring is here!” they exclaim, even though we might still have temperatures in the 30s and snow in the forecast. (And despite the fact that more and more robins are choosing to overwinter right here in northern Illinois […]
Read More
Wahoo! Fall color is at its peak here in the TriCities! The leafy fireworks are a little later in arriving this year, perhaps due to the number of cloudy and/or rainy days we’ve endured these past few weeks. But now that the trees have begun to cut back on the production […]
Read More
As fall migration continues, it’s time once again to play that favorite game of birdwatchers and Sesame Street watchers alike: One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others). During the summer breeding season, many birds in our area stay with their family units. […]
Read More