Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

From rare blind salamanders to adorable red wolf pups, here’s our guide to the newest and most unique animals to visit in and around Chicago. 

The response by animal care specialists from Shedd and other institutions comes amid reports of an abnormally large number of sick adult California sea lions and malnourished pups. 

The disease known as sudden oak death has killed large numbers of oak trees and native plant species in California, Oregon and Europe. The pathogen behind it has now been identified in Illinois.

From hiking to kayaking and fishing to stargazing, here are 10 activities to try this summer in the good ol’ Land of Lincoln. 

The Environmental Protection Agency will soon begin removing up to 2 feet of contaminated soil from as many as 15 homes near a storage facility operated by S.H. Bell, which handles manganese and other industrial materials. 

Pollinating animals account for an estimated one out of every three bites of food humans eat. “Bees & Beyond” explains how the process works, traces its evolutionary history and demonstrates its impact on our daily lives.

Responding to increasing public concern over environmental health threats, researchers have published a guide designed to help residents of Great Lakes communities determine if air, water or soil contamination is affecting their health. 

Chicago and other U.S. cities could provide nearly one-third of the milkweed plant scientists estimate is needed to save monarch butterflies, whose populations have plummeted in recent decades. 

Public officials and environmental advocates are speaking out against the Trump administration’s rollback of an Obama-era effort to shift the U.S. away from coal-fired power plants. 

Organizers of Mamby on the Beach want to move the music festival to Montrose Beach, but conservationists are pushing back because of two endangered birds living at the site. 

Chicago-based Fairlife has been under fire since an animal welfare group released videos showing workers at the company's top dairy supplier abusing cows. 

A new pilot program will give Chicagoans another option for getting around the city. But will electric scooters help reduce transportation-related pollution? 

It’s a colorful sign of summer: brightly colored butterflies floating on the wind. From nature museums to forest preserves to beachfront parks, Chicago has plenty of spots to see these beautiful insects. Here are 10 of the best. 

An attractive yet potentially dangerous plant identified near the North Avenue Bridge will be removed this week, a spokesperson for Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation said Monday.

In the midst of a massive growth spurt that began in late winter, the century plant at Garfield Park Conservatory now hovers above the glass dome. We last visited the plant in March, when it stood a mere 17 feet tall.

Chicago summers are nature’s way of rewarding your winter survival skills. And now that warm weather is here, it’s time to get off the couch and actively embrace the season. Here are 10 fun, easy ways to do just that.

Records show the 67-acre site on the Far Southeast Side, used as a dumping ground for more than two decades by Republic Steel, is contaminated with lead, manganese, mercury and other toxins.

At 82.5 inches, Java is not only the tallest corpse flower to bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden, but the quickest among its type at the garden to re-bloom.

Both penguin chicks came from eggs laid by the same pair of penguins, Chile and Jr. The hatchlings are the second and third Magellanic penguins born and bred at Shedd Aquarium. 

The Illinois General Assembly has voted to repeal a decades-old law that prohibited the state from implementing its own restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

After 15 months of pregnancy, Lincoln Park Zoo rhinoceros Kapuki gave birth to a new calf Sunday. And just 53 minutes after birth, it was able to stand up on all four legs.

Dozens of environmental activists from across the Midwest rallied Tuesday outside Chase Tower in the Loop to protest the financing of fossil fuel projects by the country’s largest bank.

Doug McConnell has swam in New York’s Hudson River, the Boston Harbor and even the English Channel. Now he wants to make a splash in his own city.

Snowflake, a 16-year-old American alligator, is estimated to be one of just about 100 albino alligators in existence. 

After blooming for the first time in June 2017, Java, one of the dozen or so corpse flowers at the Chicago Botanic Garden, is preparing to bloom again. 

Mauyak, a 38-year-old beluga whale, is already mother to 6-year-old Kimalu and is expected to give birth again this summer.