A suburban Chicago ecosystem
Native Plant and Wildlife Discoveries
A look at native plants and wildlife found in a suburban Chicago ecosystem
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Species Sightings by Location
Ruth Macintyre Conservation Area
Birds: 138 species
Butterflies and Moths: 24 species
Dragonflies and Damselflies: 28 species
Bees, Wasps, and Flies: 7 species
Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets: 3 species
Other Insects, Spiders, and Bugs: 6 species
Mammals: 9 species
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish: 7 species
Forbs: 30 species
Woodland Flowering Plants: 1 species
Grasses and Sedges: 1 species
Shrubs and Trees: 8 species
Visits: 717
Backyard and Home
Birds: 59 species
Butterflies and Moths: 31 species
Dragonflies and Damselflies: 10 species
Bees, Wasps, and Flies: 27 species
Other Insects, Spiders, and Bugs: 17 species
Mammals: 8 species
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish: 2 species
Forbs: 61 species
Woodland Flowering Plants: 6 species
Grasses and Sedges: 2 species
Shrubs and Trees: 9 species
Other Plants: 1 species
Visits: 396
Crabtree Nature Center
Birds: 117 species
Butterflies and Moths: 26 species
Dragonflies and Damselflies: 6 species
Bees, Wasps, and Flies: 6 species
Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets: 2 species
Other Insects, Spiders, and Bugs: 6 species
Mammals: 11 species
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish: 5 species
Forbs: 30 species
Woodland Flowering Plants: 2 species
Grasses and Sedges: 1 species
Shrubs and Trees: 5 species
Vines: 1 species
Visits: 105
Images of the Day
July 17, 2026
Latest Image Series
2023 May Bird-A-Day Challenge
It is time for the May Bird-A-Day Challenge, a challenge hosted by the Backyard Bird and Wildlife Lovers Facebook Group. The goal is to spot a different species each day of the month. Once a species has been used, it cannot be used again, and the species for that day cannot be changed once it is finalized.
October 2022 Wildlife Challenge
This challenge includes all wildlife, but I try to stick to the birds.
Latest Entries in the Discovery Journal
Native Suburbia Update
Posted Vonda on July 19, 2026, 12:50 p.m.
I just wanted to pop back in to update you on what I have been doing lately.
You will notice, I haven’t created a blog post since February 2023, more than three years ago. In March of 2023, I attended a Woodcock Walk event hosted by Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington, IL. They host a few of those events every year and I highly recommend attending one if you get a chance. At that event, I happened to meet the volunteer workday leader for Crabtree Nature Center, and she was recruiting volunteers. As I had just left a volunteer position with a nonprofit that kept me behind a desk for 60 hours a week, I was looking for volunteer work that would keep me connected to the outdoors.
Worth a Read: Beautiful Flowers that Bees Can’t Use.
Posted Vonda on Feb. 23, 2023, 9:24 a.m.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230222-the-beautiful-flowers-that-bees-cant-use
This piece describes the benefits of using native plants and explains why the big showy flowers developed by the horticultural industry may be useless to bees and the ecosystem.
New Feature: On This Day.
Posted Vonda on Feb. 1, 2023
The On This Day page in the Gallery menu now displays all photos taken on the current day (month and day) in history.
New in the Gallery
About Us
Native Suburbia provides a glimpse at the diverse native plants and wildlife that can be found in a Chicago Suburban ecosystem. Our Discovery Journal and Gallery feature photos of native plants and wildlife found in a suburban backyard or suburban conservation area setting. We look at the relationship between wildlife and native plants and the restorative effects that planting native plants can have on the health of the local ecosystem.
Our Mission
To share an appreciation for all life in the local ecosystem and to demonstrate the immense changes and increased diversity that adding native plantings can have on that ecosystem, even in an environment as small as a suburban backyard. We hope that one day a more natural landscaping will be favored over a sterile lawn for the betterment of our planet and all life living on it.
To document our observations and findings regarding native plants and wildlife in the Chicago suburban area.
To maintain a database of observations and photos for plant and animal species observed.