Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Ken Gregie photographed this snapping turtle, which was living in a culvert in front of his house in west suburban Bloomingdale. “Went out to get the paper, and there she was, digging in and scraping away the sod and dirt, her shell as big as a dinner plate, and a pile of mud on her like a top hat!,” he emailed. “And in the middle of my suburban lawn, just inches away from my driveway!”
WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).
DALE’S MAILBAG
“I’m finally finding monarch eggs laid by the offspring of the migrants. ( I’ve been raising monarchs for more than 30 years.) Very few butterfly sightings, however. I only had eight of the migrant butterfly offspring to release, but this egg find is better news.” Barbara Van Diggelen, Park Ridge
A: I finally saw two on my wife’s flowers midweek last week, then dozens at Markham Prairie on Thursday, July 13.
DALE’S MAILBAG
“I’m finally finding monarch eggs laid by the offspring of the migrants. ( I’ve been raising monarchs for more than 30 years.) Very few butterfly sightings, however. I only had eight of the migrant butterfly offspring to release, but this egg find is better news.” Barbara Van Diggelen, Park Ridge
A: I’m envious. None spotted yet around my wife’s milkweed nor in any of my prairie rambles or hiking.
BIG NUMBER
10: Number of fish species in 1974 in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) when the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District began monitoring fish populations. By 2016, there was 76, of those 59 species were found since 2000. Click here for more.
LAST WORD
“The August Perseid meteor shower is rich and steady, from early August through the peak. Plus, the Perseid meteors are colorful. And they frequently leave persistent trains. All of these factors make the Perseid shower perhaps the most beloved meteor shower for the Northern Hemisphere.”
Earthsky.org, on the Perseid shower, which began July 14 and should peak on Aug. 13.
WILD TIMES
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, July 18: Chauncey Niziol, “The Science of Fishing,” Arlington Anglers, Poplar Creek Banquets, Hoffman Estates, 6:30 p.m.
HUNTER SAFETY
July 25, 27 & 29: Elmhurst, (773) 562-4856
Aug. 10 & 12: Mundelein, (847) 918-6145
PERMITS
Through Thursday, July 20: Applications, second lottery, free dove permits
Tuesday, July 11-Aug. 18: Third lottery, firearm or muzzleloader deer permits
WINGSHOOTING CLINICS
Aug. 5 & 6: Introductory clinics, Shabbona Lake SP, rakcarlson@comcast.net (815)757-2949, click here for information and to register