Stories by Patty Wetli

Chicago’s Urban Birding Festival is back in 2025 with dozens of field trips designed to spotlight the city’s avian diversity. Registration closes this Sunday.

Mazon Creek is one of the most significant fossil sites in the world, and it’s in Chicago’s backyard. The Field Museum is behind a push to reinvigorate research at the site, with the help of community scientists.

Despite a long stretch of hot and humid days early in the month, August as a whole finished with below normal temperatures, according to the Chicago office of the National Weather Service.

It's the final weekend of the summer to enjoy swimming at Chicago's outdoor pools and lakefront beaches, which will close after Labor Day on Monday.

Locally foraged fungi — in all their fascinating, weird and beautiful-ugly forms — will take center stage Sunday at the Illinois Mycological Association’s annual mushroom show.

On Thursday, Brookfield Zoo announced that Amelia Gray, an 8-year-old female, will be making the move from the Oregon Zoo to Chicago’s suburbs, where she’ll also be paired up with 5-year-old Hudson.

Now in its third year, the Waterlily Weigh-Off has bulked up to more than 40 competitors across eight countries. The winner will be announced Aug. 28.

A new report explores how unprecedented levels of consumption by heavy water users — namely “hyperscale” data centers — could lead to conflicts over and even shortages of water, even in the Great Lakes.

63rd Street Beach sees heavy recreational use while also managing to support diverse wildlife.

A bright moon will make it harder than usual to see the meteors as they streak across the night sky. But experts say it’s still worth a try.

Chicago’s bungalows may be modest in size, but that doesn’t keep their owners from having grand ambitions when it comes to gardening.

The district's goal is to continue to provide Chicagoans with cooling options to the extent possible, even as many of its lifeguards head back to school.

The event will mark the first open water swim in the Chicago River in nearly 100 years, according to organizers.

On Saturday, people of all ages are invited to join the rodeo in Kane County and wrangle the rusty crayfish, an invasive species that's infiltrated local waterways.

Elizabeth Babcock comes to the Adler Planetarium following a short stint as the founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

On Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker announced the creation of a new endowment for Illinois state parks, with the intention of providing a permanent source of funds that can't be redirected or taken away.

A zoo in Denmark made headlines when it solicited donations of pets to feed to its predators. WTTW News asked Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo Chicago to share their policies regarding feed sources.

Armadillos have been making a slow but steady push north. At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll turn up in Chicago, according to one expert.

Ferris, one of three chicks hatched at Montrose in 2025, was killed by a red-tailed hawk midday Saturday, according to Chicago Piping Plovers.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires settled over Chicago Thursday, with air quality reaching “unhealthy” levels for everyone. Air quality was far worse in parts of Canada closer to the fires.

Saturday is the fourth annual Stationery Store Day, a big day for shoppers and an even bigger day for mom-and-pop stationers.

Amur leopards are critically endangered, with fewer than 100 estimated remaining in the wild.

The 66th Chicago Air & Water Show is set for Aug. 16-17 along the lakefront.

What does the Chicago Park District owe its community of volunteer natural area stewards? Some say a little respect, and maybe a heads up if the district is going to mow down acres of native plants.

Just as piping plover season was beginning to wind down, volunteer monitors in Waukegan have been called back into action, with four captive-reared chicks released on a Lake County beach earlier this week.

A Chicago City Council subject matter hearing reignited calls for an ordinance mandating bird-friendly building design requirements. “We know how to solve this, and for some reason we just haven’t,” said one speaker.