Friday, May 8th, 2026

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Friday, May 8th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Gretchen Steele: Mid-August in southern Illinois is when hoverflies and spiders rule

Those in the Illinois outdoors this time of the year, especially squirrel hunters, are likely to spend a lot of time dodging and weaving spiders and their webs. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Keyes)

I just came in from my daylight coffee on the back porch and quick sashay through the fence row squirrel hunt, and boy howdy, can you tell it’s August in southern Illinois!
The “corn tassel bees,” as they are called in our neighborhood, are everywhere, and yeegads, the abundance of spiders and webs. (I swear every spider from the door to and through the fence row had built a web at face height) By mid-August, Illinois is at its late-summer peak – fields are thick and green, waterways are warm and inviting, and the air feels just a little heavier with the buzz of life.

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