Tourism

Never shy about helping themselves to free food, European starlings have made themselves at home in every one of the lower 48 states as well as southern Alaska and Canada.

Good Natured: Andrini Starling

​Depending on how your holiday season played out, you may have, in the...
If you've got a naturalist on your gift list, there's still time to track down some of these tried-and-true favorites, including pants with pockets, lip balm and multitools.

Good Natured: Gift Ideas for the Naturalist

​With the ho-ho-holiday gift-giving deadline just around the corner, I...
The "fluff" in this photo is milkweed floss, carried up to a vacated bird nest by an industrious mouse.  Buoyant, soft and water resistant, milkweed floss is a material with many desirable characteristics.

Good Natured: Milkweed Floss

​Let's take a moment, shall we, during this festive time of year, to c...
There are several unique places for Christmas trees in Kane County.

Christmas Tree Cheer in Kane County

​There are several unique places to find a holiday tree in Kane C...
Round galls on the stems of goldenrod are the work of the goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta Solidaginis, while elliptical galls are created by a moth, Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis.

Good Natured: Goldenrod Galls Host a Diversity of Life

​Last week we took a look into the life and times of little Eurosta so...
Inside this gumball-sized sphere, a goldenrod gall fly larva will spend the winter in diapause- insects' version of hibernation.  Photo by Chris Gingrich

Good Natured: Goldenrod Galls

​Longtime Good Natured readers might recall an old column (a 6-year-ol...
Mature Cooper's hawks are blue-gray above with orangish bars across the breast and a prominent 'Cooper's cap' of darker feathers on top of the head.  Photo by Larry Lenard.

Good Natured: Cooper's Hawk

​If you're sitting down to a turkey dinner this week, count yourself i...
The Kane County Certified Naturalist program attracts adult learners from all walks of life.

Good Natured: Kane County Certified Naturalist Program

​We couldn't believe our eyes...
Some Kane County communities have established new Trick or Treating hours this year.

Hours for Trick or Treating in Kane County

​Kane County communities are gearing up for Halloween, and some have c...
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 they were dead.' Photo credit:  Louis Vannatta.

Good Natured: Jack-o'-Lantern Mushroom

​With Halloween just around the corner, it seems fitting that we turn ...
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 warm temperatures return.

Good Natured: Caterpillar Discoveries

​On the surface, it might seem as though a polyphemus caterpillar's da...