Crows are recognizable as big, black, noisy birds. They have lots of interesting quirks, like eating basically anything, having the...

Have you ever wished that you could have a superpower? Maybe you want to fly, run like a flash or be invisible. Well, the fishing spider...

Butterflies and moths flutter around us all summer, but we don’t always know what kind of winged creature it is flying by. Not so with...

“How much do you know about snakes?” someone asked recently when calling Plum Creek Nature Center. Answering the phones at a nature...

The bold jumping spider is one of the most common jumping spiders in North America. They are found in forests, prairies, farmland, yards,...

If you’ve ever seen a cottontail rabbit, you can probably guess how it got its name. Their tails look just like cotton balls. Aside from...

Have you ever gone netting in a river or a pond, looking for tadpoles and minnows, only to scoop out a tiny catfish? You didn’t even have...

Have you ever woken up late at night and heard an eerie howl? Or have you been outside at dusk and a yip, yip, yiiiip broke through the...

The American badger is an always present but not often seen animal across Will County and much of Illinois. They are mostly nocturnal,...

If you are a hummingbird lover, you’re going to love the clearwing sphinx moths too. These critters look like a hummingbird, sound like a...

Did you know dragonflies swim? Not the adults – they’re the colorful flyers who zip around. We’re talking about younger dragonflies. They...

Chances are, if you’ve seen a snake in your yard it was a garter snake. That’s because the garter snake is the most common snake in...

Have you ever walked along the trail or in your own garden and noticed a big glob of spit on a plant? Well, it wasn’t left by a human; it...

The bluegill is the state fish of Illinois. It is one of the most common fish in our rivers, lakes and ponds. They are also a popular...

Blue isn’t a very popular color in the animal kingdom. When we think of blue animals, a few birds usually come to mind: blue jays, great...

Bobcats live throughout our state, although they are much more common in the southern counties of Illinois. No matter where they live,...

Illinois was once home to one of the most interesting and confusing animals — the Tullimonstrum gregarium, known as the Tully monster....

The striped skunk is one of the most recognizable mammals in our area. They are known for their signature black and white stripes and...

Springtime brings in new life all around. Frogs call out from the wetlands, songbirds sing from the treetops and wildflowers break...

There are many signs that spring has sprung, and one of the loudest is a tiny little frog known as the spring peeper. This frog is very...