After a late start to spring, the bluebells finally bloom, and the waiting bumblebees have some catching up to do.

Even before spring arrives in northern Illinois, the remarkable skunk cabbage pushes through the forest floor, generating its own warmth.

A burst of unusually warm April weather brings the first wildflowers and busy bees to the forest floor of northern Illinois.

For a few fleeting weeks each spring, Virginia bluebells light up the forest floor of northern Illinois.

Along a trail at Moraine Hills State Park, a honey bee explores the orange blooms of spotted touch-me-nots in search of nectar.

At Corron Farm in northern Illinois, a prescribed prairie burn transforms the landscape into a mesmerizing scene of flames, smoke, and drifting ash.