Most people who can tell the difference between tree species in the summer have difficulty in winter because they’re naked — the trees, that is, not the people. The goal of the winter tree identification hike at Allerton Park goal was to teach participants other cues to tell them apart.

The “skunk cabbage,” is a plant that lives up to its name, giving off a distinct, skunk-like odor. But this distinct early spring flower also distinguishes itself from all other plants native to Illinois by the fact that it generates heat--enough so that its flower can remain 36 degrees F warmer than the surrounding air for a period of about two weeks.

You’ve probably had about enough of winter by now. But other mammals have to find ways of coping with winter as well - from hibernation to energy storage to huddling together for warmth and to save energy.