Deep in Barrington's horse country, a former equestrian farm is being restored to native wetland and grassland habitat. How's it going?

A newly released survey of the eastern monarch’s 2025-26 winter population in Mexico showed a 64% increase over 2024-25.

The bright daylight fireball was visible across a large swath of the U.S., from Illinois to Maryland to New York, at approximately 7:55 a.m. Central time.

It’s always summer in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s arid greenhouse, where the view is unlike anywhere else in the world.

Detectives are using all kinds of gizmos and gadgets to solve crimes these days, but they're overlooking the lowest of low-tech clues: moss. A Field Museum researcher wants to change that.

Chicagoans have been going gaga over a pair of snowy owls that have settled in at Montrose beach. Maybe a little too gaga.

The national Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a "severe" alert as solar particles speed toward Earth. The geomagnetic activity could produce auroras visible as far south as Alabama.

It's been 50 years since Sears traded in its sprawling headquarters campus on Chicago's West Side for a tower in the Loop. But the retail giant's legacy still looms large in North Lawndale.

Ever seen a tree that looks like its leaves have sprouted warts or are suffering from a really bad rash? Welcome to the wild, wonderful world of plant oddities known as galls.

Harrison Ford is one of the most famous people on the planet. David Willard has spent a career and his retirement cataloguing dead birds. Both will be recognized as conservation superstars during Octo...

Harrison Ford is one of the most famous people on the planet. David Willard has spent a career and his retirement cataloguing dead birds. Both will be recognized as conservation superstars during Octo...

The Chicago River has proven itself fit for swimming. But what about raising a family? No one’s ever tallied the number of larval fish in the waterway, until now.

The Chicago City Council could make it easier for people to keep organic waste out of landfill.

If your fall allergies have kicked in, ragweed is the likely culprit, but goldenrod often takes the blame.

Jeremie Fant, director of conservation at Chicago Botanic Garden, has spent 15 years experimenting with growing native plants in containers on his 10-foot by 5-foot Chicago condo balcony.

Mazon Creek is one of the most significant fossil sites in the world, and it’s in Chicago’s backyard. The Field Museum is behind a push to reinvigorate research at the site, with the help of community...

Now in its third year, the Waterlily Weigh-Off has bulked up to more than 40 competitors across eight countries. The winner will be announced Aug. 28.

On Saturday, people of all ages are invited to join the rodeo in Kane County and wrangle the rusty crayfish, an invasive species that's infiltrated local waterways.

The event will mark the first open water swim in the Chicago River in nearly 100 years, according to organizers.

Armadillos have been making a slow but steady push north. At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll turn up in Chicago, according to one expert.

What does the Chicago Park District owe its community of volunteer natural area stewards? Some say a little respect, and maybe a heads up if the district is going to mow down acres of native plants.

Newly exposed tracks and rail ties, excavated during construction, were part of what was once one of the world’s largest streetcar systems.

Only a small group of people have regular access to the enchanting rooftop sanctuary atop the Center on Halsted in Lakeview. Let's take a look.

A contest is now open to submit names for Imani and Searocket’s three offspring.

Father's Day took on extra meaning this year for Lake County's piping plover papa Pepper — he's a dad again, at least three times over.

Cook County Forest Preserves is on a mission to restore 30,000 acres of habitat to high-quality condition by the year 2030. There’s just one tiny little problem: a lack of native seed.

As part of its commitment to conserve the endangered southern California sea otter, Shedd Aquarium is a partner in a groundbreaking surrogate mom program.

Chicago was once a swamp. In some places, it still is. But will climate change undo wetland restoration efforts?

The community science program Plants of Concern is designed to keep Illinois’ rare plants from going extinct.

A proposed change to the United States’ Endangered Species Act could threaten not only to reverse decades of progress but accelerate the pace of loss, experts said.

Imani hatched at Montrose Beach in 2021. He has faithfully returned every year since, and last year he finally made a love connection.