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DuPage Forest Blog

Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.

February 2, 2023

Valentine’s Day and Courtship on an 1890s Farm

Wayne Hill

Valentine's Day had already gained popularity with American school children by the early 1880s, and many of the traditions from the time we still hold true today.

December 20, 2022

Candy as Medicine in the 1890s

Wayne Hill

In the 1890s, medicine was largely unregulated in the United States. While professional organizations for doctors and nurses existed, many Americans, including most rural farmers,...

December 9, 2022

Among the Leaves So Green: Victorian Holiday Traditions

Emaly Allison

Many of the holiday traditions we follow today have come from around the world as emigrants moved to the U.S. or were created here during the 19th century as part of an...

November 17, 2022

1890s Holiday Candy Making

Wayne Hill

Candy confections were a sweet part of historic holiday farm life. In 1895, both the Sears and Roebuck Co. and Montgomery Ward Co. catalogs had candy departments where families...

October 6, 2022

Pop, Pop, Pop, Popcorn!

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

Popcorn is an American story and is the world’s first cultivated corn. Corn planted in the plowed prairies of the Midwestern soil of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and southern...

August 8, 2022

The Sweet Story of Honey Bees

Jennifer Rydzewski

Honeybees are arguably the most well-known pollinator, but did you know that honeybees are not even native to North America? Apis mellifera, the domesticated European honey bee,...

August 1, 2022

Hidden History of the East Farm Barn

Wayne Zaininger

Looking at the east side of St. James Farm today, visitors might not fully appreciate the transformation it has gone through over the years. Let’s turn back the clock to the early...

July 26, 2022

A Moment for Millipedes

Jennifer Rydzewski

The next time you hit the trails at a DuPage forest preserve, keep an eye out for the North American millipede, Narceus americanus, also called the “iron worm” for its armored...

July 6, 2022

Celebrate the Sounds of Summer

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

The warm, lazy days of summer are a great time to enjoy the sounds of nature in the preserves, and research shows that pleasant natural sounds are good for your health. They help...

June 30, 2022

Hidden History of the Baker House

Keith McClow

It’s hard to fathom the connections a little old house on St. Charles Road has to the history of DuPage County, Illinois and the nation.

June 10, 2022

Top 5 Picks for the Perfect Picnic

Glenn Perricone and Jennifer Rydzewski

The warm weather and long days of summer invite people to be outdoors, and what better way to enjoy the outdoors than by having a picnic.

May 25, 2022

Hidden History of McDowell Grove

Jordan Countryman

Sometimes the history of a DuPage forest preserve is simply forgotten, but other times it is purposely kept secret. In the 1940s, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville...

May 20, 2022

6 Easy Tips for Successful Composting

Derek Gronlund

Composting at home is one of the easiest ways you can make a positive impact on the environment and your garden.

May 6, 2022

DuPage Forest Police Get Improved Eye in the Sky

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

DuPage Forest Police have added a second, more powerful drone to the police force to help improve response and recovery time in the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s more than 60...

April 20, 2022

Hidden History: Burlington Park as Chicago's Recreation Destination

Dennis Buck

Railroads were crucial to the development of the United States, sparking economic and industrial expansion all around them and carrying people and goods across the country. One of...

April 15, 2022

Dying Easter Eggs in the 1890s

Wayne Hill

Natural dyes were used in a variety of ways in a colorful Victorian life in the 1890s.

April 6, 2022

Bald Eagle Released After Treatment at Willowbrook

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

A juvenile bald eagle flew to freedom recently after being treated for lead poisoning at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.

April 1, 2022

Perk Up Your Parkway with Native Plants

Keriann Dubina

Planting native plants in your parkway is a great way to help people appreciate native plants by growing them in your parkway for all to enjoy. And it helps pollinators too!

March 30, 2022

Great Horned Owlet Reunited with Family

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

A great horned owlet was reunited with its family thanks to DuPage Forest Preserve District forestry workers and Willowbrook Wildlife Center.

March 25, 2022

Hidden History of Mammoth Spring Icehouse

Dave Andrusyk

If you look closely while walking along the Night Heron Trail at Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook, you can find a little piece of history.

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