Oaks are very popular in the small vertebrate world. A mature oak may produce up to 10,000 acorns in a single year. This is a major source of food for over 100 species of vertebrates, which is why it takes so many acorns for even one to germinate and produce another...
Sugar alone cannot sustain a Monarch. They also need a little spice in the form of minerals. They supplement their nectar diet by occasionally sipping from mud puddles, which are rich in minerals and salt.
Deer are the only animals that can regenerate bone—their antlers. The horns of other animals like goats and sheep do not fall off. They grow throughout the animal’s life. Deer shed their antlers, and then grow them...
Illinois Monarchs are only here on temporary visas, but they stay for generations! There are 4 generations of Monarchs each year. The first 3 generations live for 2 to 6 weeks. The last generation is the one that migrates back to Mexico, where it lives 6 to 8...
A male cardinal (the bird, not the priest) is very much like a Glencoe dad. He shares duties of parenthood; takes care of mom during the incubation period; and helps protect and care for the little ones until they leave the nest. Even then, the young follow him around...
Don’t eat a Monarch! The Monarch butterfly stores a poison called cardiac glycosides that they ingest when feeding on the leaves of the milkweed foliage as caterpillars. The poison protects them from vertebrate animals like birds, frogs and lizards, but not...
Oak trees are slow to reach puberty. So, if the oak in your yard drops acorns on your lawn, it has to be at least 50 years old. If you just planted one, be patient.
Tooltip TextRabbits don’t like to be called mom and dad. They prefer to be addressed as does and bucks. And they call their young children kittens or kits. Their long ears can hear a sound up to 2 miles away. And their front teeth never stop...
