Chicago outdoors: Red fox, launches, mayapples, bluebells and Earth Day in notes

Red fox in Shorewood. | Provided by David Gordon

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Knowing my love of red foxes, David Gordon emailed, “Here are a couple of red fox pics taken outside my house in Shorewood.”

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. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

WILD TIMES

HUNTER SAFETY

Listings will resume when gatherings are allowed.

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Turkey hunting: North zone, third season, through Wednesday, April 29; fourth, Thursday, April 30, to May 6; south zone, fourth, through Wednesday, April 29; fifth (final), Thursday, April 30, to May 7.

Thursday, April 30: Final day, first lottery, applications for resident firearm and muzzleloader deer hunting

DALE’S MAILBAG

“As with many other anglers, I am are going stir crazy. I was wondering if you knew what boat ramps in the area might be open in order to get out and practice social distancing in my boat fishing?” Mike C., Naperville area

A: My suggestions for a variety of options were the non-IDNR launches on the Chain O’Lakes; Big Basin Marina in Channahon on the Des Plaines River; the Alsip boat launch on the Cal-Sag; the Hammond or East Chicago marinas in Indiana; Barto Landing in Spring Valley on the Illinois River. Some IDNR launches reopen on Friday, May 1.

BIG NUMBER

50th: Earth Day on Wednesday. I was in middle school for the first and remember my fascination at high schoolers demonstrating at our rural school. In following years, we did water samples on the creek by the school.

LAST WORD

“The elusive arctic mayapple and bluebell.”

Adam Carlson, tweeting wintry spring photos from Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook

Spring plants in snow in April of 2000.