Stories by Patty Wetli

While parts of the U.S. experienced record-breaking heat, July in Chicago was actually slightly cooler than normal.

After analyzing data from a community science project on urban milkweed patches, Field Museum researchers have identified common milkweed as the species most attractive to monarch butterflies. 

An eruption of solar particles is headed toward Earth and the impact could be strong enough to make the aurora borealis visible in the lower Midwest, including northern Illinois, through Thursday.

A male Grevy’s zebra foal arrived July 27, Brookfield Zoo announced. The newcomer is already off and running.

The not-so-little one — measuring 5 feet and weighing 105 pounds — arrived Wednesday night, the first beluga born at Shedd since 2020.

Something appears to be lurking in the water at Lincoln Park’s North Pond, and some swear it’s an alligator.

If the Bally’s hotel and casino on the Chicago River aren’t built with birds in mind, the question isn’t whether birds will die in collisions but how many. “It could rival the carnage at McCormick Place,” one advocate said.

After confirming several black bear sightings in southern Illinois in recent weeks, wildlife officials issued a reminder to residents in northern Illinois that furry guests might also pay a visit here.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $4.3 billion in funding Monday as part of its Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, and Illinois was a big winner, nabbing $430 million.

Several other areas also suffered damage from straight-line winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Say hello to Nagamo (Na-GA-mo), the sole surviving piping plover hatchling at Montrose Beach.

Chicago’s trees bore the brunt of damage caused by back-to-back storms July 14-15, which spawned a total of five tornadoes in the city.

Butterfly sculptures have landed at nearly 20 parks across Chicago as part of the ongoing Flight of the Butterflies exhibit that kicked off this spring.

The tally could continue to rise as survey crews are still in the field investigating damage at numerous additional sites across the region.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is asking voters to approve a 0.035% increase in property taxes when they head to the polls on Nov. 5.

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is planning an expansion that, over the next 15 years, will see traditional exhibit spaces transformed into multi-species “eco-regions” designed to mimic natural environments.

The National Weather Service has so far confirmed 11 tornadoes on Monday, and 17 total between Sunday and Monday.

Multiple tornado warnings were issued throughout the region, and the weather service will send out survey teams to confirm how many tornadoes actually touched down Monday. 

These are not your “ordinary run-of-the-mill winds,” the weather service said.

The chicks have seemed healthy, but then become lethargic. Necropsies have been performed to help determine the cause.

The 3.4 magnitude tremor struck just before 3 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Less than two weeks after celebrating the hatching of four endangered piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach, Chicago is mourning the loss of two of the little ones.

The swim had been planned for Sept. 22, billed as the first such event in nearly 100 years.

Bird-friendly window film is being installed on the convention center’s approximately two football fields’ worth of glass. Work on the $1.2 million project began in early June and is expected to take approximately three months.

The nearly 20-acre parcel will expand the existing Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve.

Chicago’s piping plover monitors are mourning the loss of one of the recently hatched chicks at Montrose Beach. Parents Imani and Searocket are watching over the remaining three.