Past Blogs

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Blogs by Month

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Discovery Boxes

Over the past summer, Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum staff & volunteers revamped many of its Discovery Boxes.  Each Discovery Box contain specimens, books, educational materials, and suggested activities to inspire K-12 students to have a deeper…

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Turtles in Illinois

Of the more than 250 species of turtles in the world, 17 of them are native to Illinois.  Some Illinois turtle species are found only in specific habitats, whereas others thrive in a variety of…

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Common Milkweed

Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, grows best in disturbed, open, sunny habitats including fields, roadsides, pastures, and gardens.  There are 150 milkweed species worldwide, mostly found in the Western hemisphere with 22 in the United States. …

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Underfoot

Walking in a woodland can be an exciting adventure with many plants and animals to see, and as a naturalist, I like to observe and learn about all of the connections between the different species. …

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Night Hunters

Nocturnal animals are most active at night.  These animals have developed senses, abilities, and hunting strategies over millennia to exploit the nighttime hours, living and hunting in the same habitats as daytime species.  Many nocturnal…

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Night Light

Among the millions of species in the world, there are many organisms that are active at night, and a few of these create their own light.  Bioluminescence is a term that refers to the light…

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Hippo!

The hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, is the only surviving member of a family of heavy-bodied, four-legged mammals that share a common ancestor with whales.  The other species went extinct between three and five million years ago. …

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Marsupial

Marsupials are one of three groups of mammals defined by their method of reproduction.  Babies are called joeys and are born live after a short gestation period.  Monotremes are egg-laying mammals, and eutherians are live…

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Egg-Laying Mammals

Mammals are endotherms, animals that maintain their own internal body temperature, and they have three unique traits: they are covered with fur or hair; the young are fed milk from the mother’s mammary glands; and…

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Camels

Camels, known as the “ships of the desert” for the many unique attributes that allow them to live in a harsh environment, originated 40 million years ago in North America, but are no longer found…

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