I'm part of a project in Evanston, Illinois, to restore native habitat along public lands bordering the North Shore Channel. When I moved here from Washington, DC, several years ago, I started getting to know the local plants and animals as we restored habitat in our home garden. I was lucky to have a chance to indulge my curiosity during many years of working with science centers and other informal science education projects. I stay in touch with woodlands of the East Coast during annual trips to mid-coast Maine.