The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum will be open all summer, and you can find our current hours or make a reservation by using the QR code below or accessing our website at ben.edu/museum. We continue to create new exhibits and resources for visitors. Many of these resources are highlighted below…
The Discovery Box Loan Program provides specimens and educational materials covering a wide range of species and nature topics. This summer we are updating and adding duplicate boxes for many topics. We are also a repository for IDNR Resource Trunks. New boxes recently added share information on birds and insects.
Nature Rx wellness walks are offered every semester for anyone who would like to learn about and enjoy nature as we find it in the woods and areas around Lake Benedictine on the west side of campus. Come out to enjoy a 45 minute walk, narrated by an Illinois master naturalist, and see what is in bloom or who is inhabiting our woods today!
Nature Doodlers, the museum’s own nature journaling club, meets once a month at the museum at 10:00am on the last Saturday of the month. We have a 30-minute presentation on the monthly topic with time for discussion and practice afterwards. Draw from subject specimens in our collections, or take it outside on campus. A beginner’s nature journaling kit is free for all newcomers, but feel free to bring your own supplies. In June we are exploring plants, leaves, and basic botany, while in July we will be observing insects, arachnids and other arthropods. Come on out to learn, observe, and record your observations.
Next weekend, the museum director and volunteers will be out at the Morton Arboretum’s annual Nature Play for All Weekend. Bring your family out to hike and explore seeds, pond life, art, and more in the Arboretum’s Children’s Garden.
There will be more events coming throughout the year including our annual Life In The Pond turtle day in September and Creepy Critters – a Halloween wildlife celebration in October. More changes are also coming to our website, Discover-Nature.org with additional resource pages and museum information. You can sign up for our bi-monthly blog at https://discover-nature.org/
Thunder and heavy rain, soft rain and light wind, birds in the early morning, frogs in the evening, and maybe a coyote howl deep into the night are some of the sounds of spring. As cold temperatures ease into summer highs, walks through natural areas tend to be filled with many sights as well as opportunities to learn by being quiet and listening closely.
Calls and songs are used by many species for a variety of purposes. Thousands of birds are migrating through the area, especially on clear evenings, and calls help to keep birds together and establish who is the flight leader. Year-round species are re-establishing territories, using calls to warn intruders to stay away or warn family members of approaching threats. Frog species in particular are calling during evenings to find a mate, lay eggs, and begin the establishment of the next generation.
There are dozens of species active at this time of year, and as we have been taking nature walks on campus the last few days, here are some of the wildlife we are listening to (click on each picture to hear their call)…
Blue-headed vireo, Vireo solitarius, by Thomas Magarian, 2024
Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, by Miguel Opacic, Getty Images
Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, Sue Riffe, 2024
Bird songs have a structure and rhythm, and are repeated often to attract a mate, ward off rivals, or bond with a family member. Other calls give warning that danger is near, keep flocks together in flight, or create a pair bond, often between mother and chick.
Frogs and toads are mating and laying eggs in area ponds. Each species has its own distinctive call, used by the males to attract a mate, warn of potential danger, establish a territory, or to signal distress. Frog species being heard around campus at this time include the following (click on each picture to hear their call)…
American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus, by Mshake, Getty Images
American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus, by Thomas Margarian, 2024
Boreal chorus frog, Pseudacris maculata, by Derwyn, Getty Images
Boreal chorus frog, Pseudacris maculata, by Thomas Margarian, 2016
Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer by HuntImages, Getty Images Signature
Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer by Paul Marvin, 2012
Northern Leopard Frog, Lithobates pipiens, by Jennifer Seeman, Getty Images
Northern Leopard Frog, Lithobates pipiens, by Paul Marvin, 2015
Sometimes, coyote can be heard when walking in woodlands around campus late in the evening. There are a lot of different calls used by these canines to provide information to other individuals. You can listen below to a bark used to indicate a threat, a social call establishing an individual’s location, a begging call from a young one, and a howl audible over long distances to announce one’s presence. Other calls may include a woof to signal a low intensity threat, a yip to claim territory, a growl to threaten another animal, and a whine or yelp to show subservience to a more dominant individual.
Coyote, Canis latrans, barking by TakenPix, Getty Images
Coyote, Canis latrans, bark by Paul Marvin, 2018
Coyote, Canis latrans, begging, by Keith Szafranski, Getty Images Signature
Coyote, Canis latrans, begging call by Matthew L. Brady, 2025
Coyote, Canis latrans, social interaction by Michel Viard, Getty Images
Coyote, Canis latrans, social call by Flor Sangermano, 2023
Coyote, Canis latrans, howling, by Keith Szafranski, Getty Images Signature
Coyote, Canis latrans, howl by Paul Marvin, 2012
Additional wildlife sounds can be heard on campus around Lake Benedictine or in nearby forest preserves. Get out for a walk and be sure to listen throughout the day for bird species, and into the evening hours for frogs, toads, and coyotes.
