Take a virtual soundwalk with the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology!
Upcoming events
Sunday, February 21, 2021 11:00 AM
Tune your Ear to Singing Insects
Negin Almassi of the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Wild Things virutal conference – register at https://www.wildthingscommunity.org/
Past Events

Singing Insects Monitor Training: Two dates
Thursday, July 9 @ 7pm | Saturday, July 11 @ 10 am
Online via Zoom
Learn songs of the most commonly heard singing insects and how to monitor for the Singing Insects Monitoring Project. This is an online presentation that you can enjoy at home via Zoom and is open to people in northeastern Illinois. To register, email Mary.Busch@cookcountyil.gov and include the date you wish to attend.
June 26, 2019 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Monitor Training
River Trail Nature Center, 3120 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook IL
Author Dr. Carl Strang will introduce commonly heard katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas in northern Illinois. Learn the monitoring protocol of the Singing Insects Monitoring Project and practice recording songs with your smartphone or a digital recorder. Volunteers will submit recordings from their monitoring site via email or iNaturalist, depending on their preference. Register online at the Cook County Volunteer website.
June 27, 2019 7:00pm – 9:00 pm
Monitor Training
Sagawau Field Science Station, 12545 W 111th St, Lemont IL
Author Dr. Carl Strang will introduce commonly heard katydids, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas in northern Illinois. Learn the monitoring protocol of the Singing Insects Monitoring Project and practice recording songs with your smartphone or a digital recorder. Volunteers will submit recordings from their monitoring site via email or iNaturalist, depending on their preference. Register online at the Cook County Volunteer website.
July 13, 2019, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Field Recording Workshop
West Ridge Nature Preserve, 5601 N. Western Ave, Chicago IL
Learn how to listen and record outdoors with Eric Leonardson, Inferno (Chicago Park District) and Experimental Sound Studio. Limited places available, visit mwsae.org to sign up (Eventbrite).
July 25, 2019, 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Singing Insects Listening Walk
Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W Lunt Ave, Chicago, IL
Free, no registration required. Walk with others and learn to listen to soundscapes and focus on sounds from large to small with Eric Leonardson of the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology and Dr. Carl Strang. Download the Night Out in the Parks app for more information or just meet us at the fieldhouse at 7:30.
August 1, 2019 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Singing Insects (Child friendly, introductory workshop)
Gillson Park, Wilmette IL
Mid-to-late July is the time of year when the great insect chorus begins. Learn about the charismatic insects we hear after dark, how to identify them, and how you can learn more about the many bugs that go “buzz” in the night! Location: Lakeview Center in Gillson Park. $24 registration fee – register online at https://www.wilmettepark.org/
Singing Insects Walk
Thursday, August 29, 7 – 9 pm
Adults and ages 12+, registration required, 630-257-2045, FREE
Sagawau Field Science Station, 12545 W 111th St, Lemont IL 60439
Who is singing tonight? Enjoy the chorus of insects as the sun sets: crickets, katydids, cicadas, and grasshoppers. Indoor presentation followed by a naturalist-led night walk. Contact Negin.almassi@cookcountyil.gov to register.
Other Bug Workshops
Not specifically limited to singing insects, Kathleen Soler will be leading family-friendly bug collection nights at various parks in Chicago this summer. Check out the Night Out in the Parks app or click here to see dates and locations.
Past Events
February 23, 2019, Rosemont IL
Wild Things Conference Carl Strang will give his latest update on singing insects of the Chicago region.