The Buzz

If you rely on the myth that moss only grows on the north side of trees to guide you through a forest, you're likely to get lost. 

The next time you order a drink from a restaurant, think twice before you unwrap the straw. Americans use millions of straws a day, and many of them end up as litter, eventually making their way into ours lakes and rivers. National Skip the Straw Day, held every February, aims to change that. 

The American badger isn't as well-known as many of the other mammals that call Will County home, but these fascinating creatures are exceptional diggers that are known to work alongside coyotes to hunt. 

Can you ace this 10-question quiz?

Don't feed the animals. We hear it all the time. Yet many of us make a habit of feeding wild birds. Why are birds any different than other wildlife?

For marsupials, only adult females have pouches, and they serve an important role in the reproductive process. 

A walk in the woods or a walk in the forest? Is there even a difference?

Downy woodpeckers are the smallest woodpecker in North America. Learn more about these birds in this creature feature.

This is easily the cutest thing you'll see today: A playful coyote waiting for its badger buddy before continuing on its way through a wildlife crossing under a highway in California.

Toads and frogs can give you warts? Think again. Warts are caused by a human virus, and you won't get them from handling an animal. 

The little owl in England had become anything but little after gorging itself on mice and voles in a field.

Groundhogs get a lot of credit as weather prognosticators at this time of year, but there's no science to back up their predictions. If you really want to know what the weather holds, look for these clues from the natural world.

Even so, when given the choice, most of us choose to spend most of our time indoors. Animals, though, don't exactly have a choice. 

Find out by answering these 10 questions.

Woolly bear caterpillars can't predict how bad winter will be, but they do have a pretty cool way to survive even the coldest of temperatures.