(Seney Natural History Association / Flickr)

Why the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum wants you to keep your eye out for baby turtles on the move.

(Courtesy of Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum)

We peek behind the scenes at an exotic butterfly sanctuary in Chicago, and learn how volunteers help scientists track butterfly populations.

(Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / Dan Nedrelo)

Spring serves as mating season for all sorts of animals found in Illinois, but no creature goes about it quite like the wood frog.

(Courtesy Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum)

A brightly colored moth rarely seen in the U.S. (and bigger than a human hand) emerged from its cocoon Friday at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – but you better get there fast if you want to see it.

Noah Strycker birding in California in 2014. (Bkpix / Wikimedia Commons)

In 2015, Noah Strycker became a birding legend after a yearlong journey across seven continents to see more than half the world’s 10,000-plus bird species. He speaks this month in Chicago about the adventure and his new book “Birding Without Borders.”

Noodle, an 18-year-old Hyacinth macaw, sits on the shoulder of Celeste Troon, director of living collections at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. (Alex Ruppenthal / Chicago Tonight)

A trio of tropical birds has landed in Chicago this winter to show off their vibrantly colored feathers and occasional dance moves – but they won’t be here for long.

(Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / Dan Nedrelo)

Life as an amphibian is no easy hop through the woods. Why Chicago scientists are measuring levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in Lake County frogs.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's alligator snapping turtle, Patsy McNasty, moved into a bigger tank Jan. 19. (Alex Ruppenthal / Chicago Tonight)

Alligator snapping turtle Patsy McNasty moved into a new 300-gallon tank this week at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, where visitors attended a “housewarming” event for the 14-pound turtle. 

A regal fritillary butterfly, a local species that’s classified as threatened in Illinois.

Over the course of its history, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has amassed a collection of about 390,000 animal specimens and artifacts. We get a close look at five of these rarely seen items.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is raising endangered turtles in captivity until they grow large enough to fend for themselves. (Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum)

Blanding's turtles, an endangered species in Illinois and a half-dozen other states, are getting a head start on survival at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Canada warbler. (Art Fox)

The long voyage of some migratory birds ends in Chicago. How photographer Art Fox is raising awareness of what's called "window kill" at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

The population of the monarch butterfly -- seen here in Chicago's Grant Park -- has declined by more than 80 percent over the past two decades. A 2016 study claims the decline of milkweed plants in the Midwest is a contributing factor. (Oriol Gascón i Cabestany / Flickr)

Their annual migration from North America to Mexico has been called “one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world,” but the monarch butterfly is not only in decline – it’s closer to extinction than previously thought, research shows.

(Courtesy of ReptileFest)

Reptiles, amphibians and the people who love them, or at least like them, come together this weekend for ReptileFest 2016. We get a preview of the event and meet some of the animals on display.

A new interactive exhibit on climate change at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum addresses “the defining issue of our time,” says Steve Sullivan, senior curator of ecology at the museum. 

(Art Fox)

The long voyage of many migratory birds sometimes ends in Chicago. What one photographer is doing to raise awareness of window kill and light disorientation.

An estimated 3,000 birds die or get injured from colliding with Chicago buildings each year. A new photography exhibition at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum aims to bring awareness to the issue.