Mourning Doves
From time to time at Hickory Knolls we hold a program called Superheroes of Nature. We look at how real-life turtles’ talents compare to those…
Read MoreFrom time to time at Hickory Knolls we hold a program called Superheroes of Nature. We look at how real-life turtles’ talents compare to those…
Read MoreLeeches as weather predictors? It could have happened, had George Merryweather of Yorkshire, England been more successful in marketing his Tempest Prognosticator, a fanciful, annelid-powered device. Good Natured: Leeches July 12, 2019 “Say Pam, how’s that leech of yours doing?” said no Good Natured reader, ever. But, just for conversation’s sake, let’s say someone did
Read MoreI can still remember my first dobsonfly. The date was July of 2002. The place, Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora. The insect was…
Read MoreThis week, in honor of fathers everywhere, let’s take a look at some of the most devoted papas our area has to offer. A word…
Read More“Aw, crud.” Those were the words I uttered a few days ago when I stepped outside my office to take the picture for this week’s…
Read More“Mew.” The sound was soft and, at first, easy to overlook. But the longer I spent along the tree line, listening as I walked, the…
Read MoreDo you remember the first time you saw a Baltimore oriole? For me the memory is clear as day. I was in the backyard of…
Read MoreTypically, when one encounters a spider outside in springtime, the creature is teensy. Or, to use the technical term, itsy bitsy. Small spiders weaving small…
Read MoreGrowing up in a family that loved to fish, I’ve seen my share of bird’s nests. And not the good kind. In fishing parlance, a…
Read MoreThroughout these many months of cold we have endured, I’ve tried to help my winter-weary friends stay positive. After every new dump of snow I’d…
Read MoreLast week when we related the discovery and subsequent identification of an awesome little beetle, Tricrania sanguinipennis, I promised that this week we’d dig deeper…
Read MoreNorth America is home to around 30,000 beetle species. Thirty. Thousand. Species. It’s no wonder that identifying them can be difficult. Some beetles, bless their…
Read MoreHave you ever found yourself faced with so many great choices that you can’t possibly choose just one? I have that problem when it comes…
Read MoreThere are a few things in this world that I’m absolutely nuts about. Snakes are one, puppies are another. And then there’s chocolate. As I…
Read MoreWe consider it a human rite of passage: Grow to a certain age, acquire important life skills, then leave home to take on the big…
Read MoreThis time of year, everyone’s chomping at the bit for spring. Whether it’s that little extra bit of daylight, the first glimpse of a woodland…
Read MoreRemember when Canada geese were a fly-by-night group? Back then, before our resident goose populations took hold, it was big news when these large, majestic…
Read MoreLast week we took a Good Natured look at the notion of dreams coming true, and how the aspirations of naturalists might veer a little…
Read MoreWe all have dreams, don’t we? I know I have several, including writing a book, hosting a talk show and making a perfect pie crust.…
Read MoreChances are, if you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, and/or if you watched the television show Little House on the Prairie, the name Walnut Grove…
Read MoreMake no mistake, love is in the air. Jewelers have stepped up their ads for diamond-crusted tokens of tenderness (“Every kiss begins with Kay!”) and…
Read MoreThis departure from the regular column is in response to the recent record-setting cold the National Weather Service described as “life threatening.” Our resident expert,…
Read MoreYou have a cavity.” For many of us, delivery of this statement evokes feelings of disappointment and maybe even gloom. Our dental hygiene regimen–all that…
Read MoreEvery family has one. You know what I’m talking about – that one relative who is gifted beyond belief with agility and coordination. In our…
Read MoreI guess you could say I have a history with frogs. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve chased after these guys, stalking…
Read MoreCitizens of Kane, beware: The butcher birds are back! That’s right folks-Lanius excubitor has returned to our fair land. But instead of running for cover,…
Read MoreThe day began pretty much like any other. We opened the building, we began some ecological restoration tasks, we found a skull. It sounds a…
Read MoreIf you’ve ever hosted a holiday feast, you know that leftovers are part of the deal. Some go gracefully, packed up in containers and sent…
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