Why Kane

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...
Jim Benes

Batavia Resident Takes People Back to 'Christmas Past'

​For decades, Jim Benes of Batavia has been taking the public on a nos...
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...
Meet Clippy!

Kane County Animal Control Pet of the Week

​“If only cats grew into kittens...
Overgrown grass is a common complaint

Kane County’s New Property Code Enforcement Division Strives for Cooperation in Complaint Resolution

​At a recent meeting of the Kane County Board's Development Committee,...
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...
Bliss/Main/Fabyan Intersection Ribbon Cutting (see more photos below).

Improved Bliss Road Opens in Kane County with New Roundabout

​​A two-year construction project to improve the alignment o...