I recently cleared honeysuckle, buckthorn, wild grape, wild rose and a host of other invasive species from a lake shore. The beaver thanked me profusely as I gave him a clear shot at the crabapple and apple trees I had found. He got them in one night. I would like to put back some trees. What is native to Will county and is not a favorite of beaver?

Sue, What a big job! It's great you were able to remove so many non-natives. Are you looking for suggestions for fruit trees to plant in that location or just native trees in general? How close to the lake will the trees be? Are there any other trees left? Are conditions full-sun or is there some shade? As far as the beavers go, whatever trees you end up planting, you should factor in time and expense to protect the trees with wire fencing. I can give you some guidance there after we've tackled which trees to plant. If you let me know a little more about the location and what types of birds/animals you are hoping to attract to the site, I can give you some ideas as to which species would best fit the site. In the meantime, this is a good resource: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/treetable.html