Good Natured | Hickory Knolls Discovery Center

Snakes in Fall

We all have our dreams…a fancy house, a fast car, maybe fame or fortune. Mine, go figure, have to do with snakes. One of my earliest dreams dates back to the year I turned three. […]

I can remember every detail of the day I told my high school guidance counselor that I wanted to be a naturalist. First, there was the look on her face. A stern woman by nature, Mrs. Kobak pursed her lips and furrowed her brow–even more than usual–as she looked over the top of her glasses and stared a hole into my naïve, 16-year-old soul. […]

Flying Squirrels

Working as the park safety supervisor for the St. Charles Park District, patrolling our public lands late into the night, Tim Timberlake has had plenty of close encounters. But only recently did he come across a bona fide UFO. […]

Squirrels & Walnuts

We’ve all been there… That awkward moment when you realize there’s a poppy seed from your morning muffin wedged between your two front teeth. Or that you’re wearing a milk moustache from your lunchtime latte. Or when you find–as I have, more times than I care to count-that you have chocolate frosting […]

Turkey Vultures

Turkey vultures are the sorts of birds that command attention. For one, they’re VULTURES-dark-feathered and hunchbacked, they look vaguely creepy even under the best of circumstances. For another, they’re big-their 6-ft. wingspan rivals that of the bald eagle and makes them hard to miss […]

Young Redtail Hawks

Certain signs of fall are unmistakable. The changing colors of the leaves, the masses of migratory geese. And the persistent, almost petulant, calls of young red-tailed hawks being asked-more like told-to leave the family territory and strike out on their own. […]

Micrathena Spiders

When was the last time you got a face-ful of spider web? If you live in northern Illinois, and have walked outside recently, particularly in the early morning, I’d imagine you could measure that interval in hours or maybe even minutes. […]

White Snakeroot

Usually when people write about wildflowers they use words like beautiful to describe the blossoms. Or terms like vigorous or conservative to describe the growth habits. But this past week, when I found a wildflower growing in my yard that I know I didn’t plant, only one word came to mind: Notorious.

Argiope Spiders

“Let me show you something hideous!” My friend Mrs. Janet was pretty emphatic as she pulled her phone from her purse. Knowing that Janet works with kids, and having heard some of her war stories of what can emit from those little bodies-especially […]

Cicada Killers

Full disclosure: This column originally ran in August 2012. I’d intended to run it again last week, as it seemed like it was time to revisit the topic–especially given the murder hornet hyperbole that erupted this past spring. Wasps need advocates and in reviewing the species in our area cicada killers are certainly among the largest and most obvious. […]

‹1 2 3 4 ›»