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

Jack-o’-lantern Fungi

Jack-o’-lantern mushrooms have many fine qualities, but edibility isn’t one of them. While not deadly, the symptoms it induces are described as ‘making one wish…

Polyphemus Caterpillar

Polyphemus caterpillars-as well as the caterpillars of many other moth and butterfly species-spend the winter among downed leaves-a great reason to “leave the leaves” until…

Icarus Flies Free

Icarus the red-tailed hawk, rendered flightless and nearly featherless by a landfill flame, today is fully recovered and flying free.

45 Years of Artie

This Monday, Columbus Day, marks 45 years that Arthur the ornate box turtle has lived as a pet. His longevity, as well as improved conservation…

Mast Year

If you think you’re seeing more nuts than usual this year, you’re not alone. Our region is experiencing an abundance of mast, or tree fruit,…

Migrating Dragonflies

The green darner, Anax junius, is the largest dragonfly in our area. Adults migrate to the warm South in winter; a new generation arrives back…

Itsy Bitsy Wolf Spiders

Briefly detained in the name of science, this female wolf spider displays a distinctive Lycosidae behavior: carrying her brood upon her back.

Measuring an inch or so in diameter, wild American plums are smaller than commercial varieties but packed with flavor. This native species also provides many benefits to local wildlife. Good Natured: American Plums September 8, 2023 A few weeks ago, on a very warm and very sunny afternoon, I set out to prepare for an

Farewell Monkey House

Look carefully at this photo and you’ll see the remains of the Monkey House, a structure that stood for more than a century in what…

Stoneflies

Stoneflies, even the common species, are increasingly hard to find these days. This stonefly nymph was found in Ferson Creek at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve…

Mayflies

A large mayfly rests next to its freshly cast skin. Mayflies are the only insects that experience a subimago, or sub adult, life stage in…

Caddisflies

Also known as River Bugs, caddisflies periodically emerge en masse from the Fox River and its tributaries. Their larvae live underwater for up to a…

Hummingbirds! Part 2

Mother Nature makes it best: A ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) samples the nectar at a butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) also known as butterflyweed.

Hummingbirds!

A male ruby-throated hummingbird flies through the air, on a quest for…insects?

Teasel

Two species of teasel occur in Illinois, Dipsacus fullonum and D. laciniatus, and both are equally invasive. The plants were bought to the United States…

Diurnal Fireflies

Not flashy but fascinating just the same, diurnal fireflies fly during the daytime and inhabit moist fields and woodlands throughout our area.

Fireflies

At night male fireflies take to the air while females watch from prominent posts, but during the daytime both sexes rest amid foliage.

Gray Catbird

Perched in a silver maple, a male catbird pauses in between long phrases of song.

Bobbi the Bee

‘Bobbi,’ an Andrena, or mining, bee took the long way home (another great road trip song!) the other day while out foraging for pollen and…

Two-eyed Click Beetle

Measuring up to 1 3/4 in. and marked with prominent ‘eyes,’ the eyed click beetle can be found in mature oak woodlands throughout our area.…

House Wrens

Cherished by humans for its delightful songs and perky ways, the house wren has another side to its breeding-season behaviors. Photo by Carol Hamilton

Beautiful Birdsong

Beautiful Songs (with wood thrush photo) and this caption: Often heard but seldom seen, the wood thrush is known for its melodious song of lilting,…

Sharp-dressed Men

Sharp dressed in red and black, male scarlet tanager pauses for his closeup before resuming his foraging activities. Photo by Nikki Dahlin.

Plant Native!

A-ha! Native plants attract native pollinators and a host of other wildlife. Here a silver-spotted skipper sips nectar from blazing star, a prairie plant that…

Horned Spanworm

Looking very much like a creature from a Dr. Seuss story, the horned spanworm features odd structures known in entomological terms as ‘eversible tentacles.’

Icarus’s Road to Recovery

Sporting bare shafts where feathers once grew, Icarus the red-tailed hawk is in the process of recovering from a near-fatal encounter with a landfill flare. He is under the care of KARE, Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife, a rescue that has treated birds with similar injuries in the past. Good Natured: Icarus’s Road

Landfill Flares Burn Birds

This temporarily flightless male red-tailed hawk, which last fall encountered a landfill flare, displays what’s left of his tail. He is currently receiving care via KARE, Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife, in St. Charles. Good Natured: Landfill Flares Burn Birds April 28, 2023 Alrighty Good Natured readers, show of hands: As a child

Peaceable Pollinators

People can observe a wide variety of native bees without fear of being stung. Good Natured: Peaceable Pollinators April 21, 2023 Last week when we explored the life of Colletes, or cellophane bees, we saw how they are some of our area’s most beneficial insects. But there are many, many more. Somewhere between 400 and

Cellophane Bees

Cellophane bee tunnels resemble ant hills, but the hole is larger, about the diameter of a pencil. Here a bee is seen exiting her excavation; a 2 5/8th-in. lip balm tube was used for scale. Good Natured: Cellophane Bees April 14, 2023 The other day I was at Delnor Woods Park in St. Charles, setting

Hosting Purple Martins

As social birds that are aerial insectivores, purple martins require treeless open space around their housing. Good Natured: Hosting Purple Martins April 7, 2023 According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, North America is home to 2,059 species of birds. Of these, 2,058 are pretty self sufficient. Sure, they could do without humans’ constant interference,

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Pam Otto