Weather

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...
Miles from home, a displaced cicada sits, silently, as his next adventure awaits.

Good Natured: Cicadas Under Pressure

​The other day I was puttering in the garage and listening, as I often...
Neither bumble bees nor naturalists can resist the sweet smell of Tilia blossoms; the aromas are equally alluring- and perhaps even more so- at night.

Good Natured: Basswoods in Bloom

​I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure St...
Kane County staff volunteers developed and maintain the 24-by-24-foot garden plot on the Geneva campus.

Third Annual Kane County Government Garden Growing Goodwill

​The third annual Kane County Volunteer Garden is already taking ...
Poly Mothman, a polyphemus moth, used chemistry and mechanical means to make his way out of his sturdy cocoon.

Good Natured: Polyphemus Moth and Cocoon Part Two

​Last week we spent some time getting to know Poly Pupa, the cocoon pr...
A handsome hover fly, which developed from a larva known as a rat-tailed maggot (or 'mousie' to ice fisher people) pauses on top of a flower. Photo credit:  iStock

Good Natured: Rat-Tailed Maggots

​As a little kid, I was really lucky...
Eastern phoebes show a preference for nesting in sheltered locations.  They'll also refurbish and reuse their nests, often returning to the same site year after year.  Credit:  iStock/Carol Hamilton

Good Natured: Eastern Phoebes

​Last month the St...
In preparation for the performance of its life, a periodical cicada emerges from its nymphal exoskeleton.  The dark spots behind the eyes are clusters of pigment that will spread across the body as the insect ages.  Photo credit:  Don Cornett/iStock

Good Natured: Cicadas' Performance of a Lifetime

​If you've ever attended a theater production, you're probably familia...
Cicadas are clumsy flyers that travel only short distances.  To figure out whether you should expect Brood XIII periodical cicadas in your neighborhood this year, look back to 2007.  If none existed then, they won't be there now either.  Credit: V. Blaine

Good Natured: History of Periodical Cicadas Will Repeat Itself

​Perhaps you've heard the adage, “Never let the truth get in the way o...
Periodical cicadas are predicted to emerge throughout northern Illinois in just a few weeks.  But will their appearance live up to all the hype?  Credit: Valerie Blaine

Good Natured: Periodical Cicadas

​In just a few weeks, one of the year's biggest natural phenomena will...
2024 Earth Day celebrations are being held throughout Kane County.

Earth Day Celebrations in Kane County

​Earth Day celebrations are taking place in a number of Kane County co...
Its wings angled toward the afternoon sun, a red admiral soaks up some warming rays at Delnor Woods Park in St. Charles

Good Natured: Red Admirals

​I don't think of admirals often (you can blame my family's Army herit...