The Buzz

The garter snake is the most common snake in the United States, living from coast to coast. But these snakes are still interesting creatures, despite being ubiquitous. 

Sometimes, the things we come to love are the things that surprise us. Learning the six-lined racerunner lives in Will County is what made interpretive naturalist Erin Ward fall in love with them.

You woke up to a blanket of fog covering the neighborhood, but where did it come from? 

The blooms of spring wildflowers can be fleeting, and that's certainly true of the mayapple. But what makes this plant all the more special is that its flowers hide under umbrella-like leaves, making them even harder to catch a glimpse of. 

Test your knowledge with this 10-question quiz.

Not all moths and butterflies should be treasured. Some, like the gypsy moth, are invasive and are harming local habitats. 

Raccoons have a well-earned reputation for being trash bandits, but they deserve our respect too. 

Spring wildflowers are beautiful but fleeting. Keep your eyes trained to the ground when out for a walk to see if you can spot bloodroot, a fascinating ephemeral. 

Lightning can — and will — strike the same place twice, so always head indoors when thunder roars. 

Spring is spawning season for crappies, which offers an opportunity to get a good look at these fish. 

Have you ever seen a blue-spotted salamander? Most people haven't, but they do live in Will County. Finding one is a matter of knowing where to look. 

Is that snake you saw a dangerous eastern massasauga rattlesnake or a nonvenomous fox snake? If you saw it in Will County, it was a fox snake. The massasauga does not live in Will County. In fact, no venomous snakes do.

Invasion of the jumping worms isn't the next box-office thriller. These invasive worms are becoming widespread in Illinois, destroying the soil quality wherever they are. 

Lichens are little known and not well understood, but they deserve our appreciation.

When it comes to salamanders, a big part of the thrill is the hunt.