It's mating season for deer, which means more are on the move at dawn and dusk — prime time for deer-vehicle collisions. Cook County led the state in 2019 with 472 crashes.

Adam Hollingsworth, the man known as the “Dreadhead Cowboy,” has not yet entered a plea on a felony animal abuse charge, but the condition of the horse he rode for more than 7 miles during rush hour is reportedly improving.

It’s Fat Bear Week. No, we’re not mocking Matt Nagy’s squad, we’re talking about the annual competition to crown the beefiest brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Here’s how to get in on the action.

Protesters lined the corner of Austin Boulevard and Fullerton Avenue on Sunday, holding signs linking animals to viral outbreaks, like Ebola and COVID-19. One sign simply read: “We are one pandemic away from collapse.”

“Would I do it again? Yes I’d do it again,” said Adam Hollingsworth, also known as the “Dreadhead Cowboy,” when asked about his protest ride on the expressway Monday. He now faces criminal charges and prosecutors say his horse may not survive.

The horse ridden on the Dan Ryan Expressway during an impromptu protest Monday by a man known as the “Dreadhead Cowboy” would not have survived without immediate treatment and may still be euthanized, according to prosecutors.

Join a hike Sunday in Will County, where a flock of American white pelicans, one of North America’s largest birds, is hanging out during its annual fall migration.

Chicagoans are raising chickens, growing food and experimenting with all sorts of sustainable-living practices — all in their urban backyards. See how it’s done during this weekend’s annual Windy City Coop and Eco-Yards Tour. 

Matt Sparapani and Alison Newberry weren’t planning to be in Chicago this summer. But like many of us, they had to rethink their plans. What the local teachers have learned about the natural areas of Chicago.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is proposing the creation of a modern-day Civilian Conservation Corps as a way to put Americans to work while also directing resources toward the nation’s long neglected conservation projects.

Of Illinois’ 183 native tree species, nearly 140 are represented on the Illinois Big Tree Register as a state “champ,” leaving 46 species still in need of a big discovery. Here’s how to nominate a tree for inclusion on the list.

Everyone could use a little sunshine in their life right now, so a Wisconsin farmer decided that’s what he was going to do, and planted more than 2 million sunflowers in his fields.

Chicago’s bright lights lure birds from their migratory path. With hundreds of thousands of birds passing overhead this weekend, the city needs to dim its glow. 

The conservatory has transformed its Artist’s Garden into a reflection of Monet’s vision, featuring plants that inspired some of Impressionism’s most memorable paintings. The exhibit opens Saturday in tandem with “Monet and Chicago” at the Art Institute. 

The pandemic has led many cooped-up city dwellers to seek out the companionship of a pet. It’s kept rescue organizations busier than usual — and has led to some unexpected benefits as adoptions go virtual.

The Shedd announced the birth of a baby boy beluga, and is expecting a second beluga arrival any day. A Pacific white-sided dolphin is also due to give birth.