Thousands of Aztec marigolds grown in the University of Illinois Chicago’s research garden will play an integral role in Saturday’s Day of the Dead celebration on Chicago’s lakefront. 

Once eligibility is confirmed, city staff will deliver a free compost bin to residents’ homes, according to a news release announcing the initiative. Each ward will receive an initial allocation of 20 bins.

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside, here come the ladybug swarms.

Stink bugs — officially, brown marmorated stink bugs — aren’t fans of the cooler fall temperatures and have started heading indoors to over-winter. Don’t freak out, experts said.

The Great Lakes are likely to see more precipitation this winter, according to a newly released seasonal outlook from the Climate Prediction Center.

Two bison calves were born at Midewin in recent weeks, coming as quite a surprise considering that female bison typically give birth between April and June.

The South Side community experiences a large amount of flooding made greater than its counterparts on the North Side because of a lack of preventative infrastructure, which can cause significant damage to homes and businesses.

The planting of a non-native milkweed and the practice of captive-rearing monarch caterpillars have been identified as two possible sources of monarchs failure to survive their fall migration.  

Authorities are searching for an exotic, wild caracal cat on the loose in suburban Hoffman Estates, with officials warning residents to give the animal wide berth if they come across it.

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS is one of the brightest in years. We've got tips on how to view this visitor from the outer solar system, even in Chicago.

The Space Weather Prediction Center absolutely nailed its forecast for Thursday night, with a spectacular display of the northern lights dazzling sky watchers across the U.S. from the Florida Keys to New York City’s Central Park. Or not.

This weekend’s picks of outdoor adventures will take you on a time-traveling tour of the region's natural history — from 400-million-year-old rock to an Ice Age “mountain” to more recent remnants of the Atomic Age.

A severe geomagnetic storm is heading toward Earth, likely to hit Thursday, and what that means for Chicagoans is conditions are ripe for another spectacular display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) in our neck of the woods.

The students behind efforts to name the Calvatia gigantea the state mushroom of Illinois had an opportunity to learn more about the “giant puffball” at the Field Museum.

“This has been kind of an extreme and somewhat stressful year for a lot of plants,” said Tom Tiddens, supervisor of plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Forest preserve districts in DuPage, Kane and Lake counties, along with the McHenry County Conservation District, are all asking either for tax increases or the ability to issue bonds to pay for land acquisition, habitat restoration and ongoing maintenance.