What happens when an endangered bird nests in a hayfield set to be harvested? A great debate has been swirling in Northwest Indiana.
Stories by Patty Wetli
Chicago Sets Record-High Temp as Heat Wave Continues, But It's the Water That's Proving Deadly
Multiple people have drowned in recent days as Chicagoans head to Lake Michigan to beat the heat.
Expectations Higher for Piping Plover Success With 4 Eggs Now Reported at Montrose Beach
Only one egg had initially been reported at the end of May, but now monitors say Imani and Sea Rocket are incubating a full clutch of four eggs.
Mayor Brandon Johnson Taps Law Department Veteran Carla Kupe as City’s New Chief Equity Officer
“I am humbled and grateful to participate in further advancing Chicago as a role model in forming equitable cities,” Kupe said in a statement.
Chicago’s Outdoor and Indoor Pools Opening Monday, Just in Time to Help Beat the Heat Wave
All of the Chicago Park District’s 77 outdoor and indoor pools are expected to be open six days a week from June 17 through Sept. 2. Beaches are also open.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Wildest Residents Are a Colony of Free-Range Night Herons Who Like Having Wolves for Bodyguards
The endangered black-crowned night herons aren’t captive, they just happened to build their nests on the grounds of Lincoln Park Zoo. Why? Because they like having bodyguards.
Riot Fest Leaving Douglass Park and Moving to Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium
Riot Fest has announced it’s leaving its longtime home in Chicago’s Douglass Park and is setting up RiotLand in Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium for the 2024 event, set for Sept. 20-22.
NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race Gets the Blues, Adds Buddy Guy to Music Lineup
Guy joins a previously announced list music lineup for NASCAR weekend, which includes the Black Keys and Keith Urban.
Cicada-Induced Vitamin Deficiency Linked to Mystery Disease in Illinois Birds
All signs point to a cicada-induced vitamin deficiency as the cause of a mystery disease that affected some birds during a 2021 emergence and now again in 2024.
Chicago Receives $3M Grant to Inventory Its Trees and Create Plan to Manage City’s Urban Forest
The Chicago Park District also received nearly $1.5 million to conduct an inventory. Morton Arboretum's Chicago Region Trees Initiative is administering the grants on behalf of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Chicago Archaeopteryx About to Go Off Display for the Summer, Catch It Before Hiatus at Dinopalooza
After Saturday, the Field Museum’s newest dinosaur fossil will be off display until fall while staff works on building a permanent exhibit for the Chicago Archaeopteryx.
Got Piles of Dead, Stinking Cicadas and Don’t Know What to Do? Treat Them Like Fallen Leaves, Expert Says
Members of the first wave of cicadas have done their thing: They came, they molted, they screamed, they bred, and now they’re dying.
60 Chicago Parks to Offer Free Public Internet Access, Officials Say Wi-Fi is ‘Truly a Human Right’
Rosa Escareño, Chicago Park District general superintendent and CEO, announced an $8 million investment in broadband infrastructure that will provide free, public internet service at 60 of the city’s parks on the South and West sides.
What’s New With Cicadas? Field Museum Heads Downstate in Search of Specimens in Convergence Region
The Field Museum has more than 10 million specimens in its insect collection and — believe it or not — not a single 13-year periodical cicada among them. So what better time than now to fill that gap?
Openlands Calls Bears Stadium Proposal a ‘Commercial District in a Public Park,’ Highlights Lakefront Protection Ordinance
While financing for the Chicago Bears’ proposed new lakefront stadium remains in doubt, opponents of the plan have sent an unequivocal “hands off” message regarding any use of lakefront property for private interests.
Can You Eat Cicadas? Yes. But Should You? Here’s Food for Thought From Experts
If you wouldn’t eat a vegetable grown in that soil, don’t eat a cicada.
Cicadas Week 2: What’s New? For Starters, Chicagoans Have FOMO
Some of the early “They’re here!” excitement has definitely given way to “Wait, they’re staying for how long?” At the opposite end of the spectrum, Chicagoans are wondering why they got left out of the great 2024 emergence.
Think Cicadas Are Strange? Meet the Foam-Farting Spittlebug
The tiny critters are almost impossible to spot, but you can’t miss their bubbles.
More Piping Plovers Have Arrived at Montrose, as the Mating Plot Thickens
Chicago’s own Imani has been joined by at least two other plovers, one believed to be a female. Let the mating games begin.
It’s World Turtle Day, Let’s Shellebrate Illinois’ Homegrown Species
May 23 is World Turtle Day. Sure, it’s a fake holiday, but it’s a good reason to take a closer look at the many species that make their home in northern Illinois.
WTTW News Explains: Why Will There Be So Many Cicadas in Illinois This Year?
In case you haven’t heard, the cicadas are coming, and things are about to get loud. WTTW News explains.
Cicadas Have a Clever Way of Counting Years, But Climate Change is Throwing a Wrench in the System
Periodical cicadas use trees’ lifecycles to “count” years. But when trees get duped by climate change, so do the insects. Could it lead to new broods?
Illinois Wants … Your Cicada-Themed Art for a State Fair Exhibit
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has announced its plan to host a cicada-themed art show during the Illinois State Fair and is seeking entries from the public, looking for interpretations of cicadas or broods.
The Cicadas Are Here, Now What?
The massive emergence of 17-year cicadas has started in Chicago and the surrounding region. Here's what to look for next.
Your Guide to All Things Cicada: How Loud Will It Get? How Bad Will It Smell? And Everything You Didn’t Know to Ask
In 2024, Illinois can’t be beat for periodical cicadas. Here’s everything you need to know about these fascinating creatures, and what to expect between now and July.
‘We Were Not Dropping Acid’: The Story Behind the Making of DuPage Forest Preserve’s Viral Cicada Video
“Nature education is a big part of what we do here, but you gotta find a way to make it interesting so that people actually watch it,” said Jonathan Mullen, part of the team behind the viral video.
