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Weather

The mourning cloak butterfly's common name refers to its dark coloration, but provides few clues to its unique survival strategy.

Good Natured: Mourning Cloak Butterfly

​I bumped into an old friend the other day, in a most unexpected spot...
WIth daylight fading, a young red-tailed hawk watches and waits for a meal that never came.

Good Natured: Young Birds Leave the Nest

​There's no denying it: Summer is winding down...
Female common true katydids, like the one pictured here, are all green with a curved ovipositor or egg-laying organ, at the hind end; males are mostly green but have a brown patch known as the stridulatory field just behind the head.

Good Natured: Katydids

​Among insect folk tales one story stands out...
Kane County Division of Transportation is ready for winter.

Kane County Already Preparing for Winter's Return

​​Although summer hasn't officially ended yet, the Kane Coun...
Although they lack chlorophyll, ghost pipes are bona-fide plants. Their roots draw nourishment from nearby fungi in the soil and their nodding flowers are pollinated by bees, flies and ants.

Good Natured: Ghost Pipes

​A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to head north, to the forested ...
Rather than round, the wheel formation of these mating damselflies is nearly heart shaped.

Good Natured: Dragonfly and Damselfly Mating Rituals

​It's been said, by more than one starry-eyed romantic, on more than o...
Just like human babies, insect babies-- also known as larvae- sometimes bear little resemblance to the adults they become.

Good Natured: Insect Babies

​Have you ever tried to match a picture of a baby to what s/he looks l...
Earwig droppings contain an aggregation pheromone that attracts both adults and nymphs, resulting in earwig clusters like this one inside some milkweed leaves. This plant was the only one among six milkweeds to host such a gathering.

Good Natured: Earwig Boom

​The other day, just for kicks, I tossed out the word “earwig&quo...
The translucent 'balloons' on this sprig of bladderwort take in nutrients in the form of tiny arthropods. The other animals in the picture, such as the aquatic sowbug (right) and the beetle (below) are too large for the carnivourous plant to capture.

Good Natured: Carnivorous Bladderwort

​Mention the word carnivore and folks tend to picture creatures known ...
Doesn't this milkshake look good!

Community Scoop: Kane County Shares Favorite Ice Cream Spots

​This summer, Kane County Connects invited residents to share their fa...
Perched atop a small hackberry tree, a male red-winged blackbird eyes a curious naturalist walking along the Fox River Trail in Geneva.

Good Natured: Red-Winged Blackbird Season

​Every year about this time, certain wild neighbors start making headl...
Kane County staff and Board members enjoy Swedish Days.

Kane County Joins in Swedish Days Parade

​Kane County staff and Board members enjoyed walking in the Grand Para...
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