Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County welcomes more than 6.2 million visitors a year; and manages nearly 26,000 acres in 60 forest preserves containing prairies, woodlands and wetlands.

Recent Posts

Setting the Stage for Restoration

This winter, the Forest Preserve District began restoration of Belleau Woods Forest Preserve in Wheaton with donor funds dedicated by the Friends of the Forest Preserve District.
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The Hidden History of Fullersburg Woods

When you visit a DuPage forest preserve to connect with nature, you don’t often consider its history and how it came to be developed as a preserve.
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Reminder Not to Harvest Plants in the Preserves

As more plants and mushrooms emerge in the spring, it’s a good time to remind visitors not to harvest things — especially wild leeks and mushrooms — from DuPage forest preserves.
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Stressed Out? We've Got Just the Thing

Still recovering from 2020? If you’re like most people, the stress of the pandemic, working from home and e-learning has taken its toll.
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Owl's Story Tugs at Donor's Heartstrings

Sandy Youngstrom of Naperville is a wildlife enthusiast who not only enjoys bringing birds, insects and mammals to her own backyard but also supporting wild animals in her neighborhood. 
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Meet Some of the District's Wonder Women 2021

Women’s History Month is a great time to reflect on the hard work and dedication of women in all walks of life. We’d like you to meet some of the women who work at the DuPage Forest Preserve District.
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The Hidden History of Hidden Lake

Relics of the former lives of DuPage forest preserves are often hidden in plain sight, but without context they have no meaning.
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Nature's Valentines

Valentine’s Day is a day we celebrate relationships but even more than that, it is a day to celebrate love.
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Seven Nutty Squirrel Facts

Go nuts over squirrels on National Squirrel Appreciation Day! Held annually on Jan. 21 — in the middle of winter when food sources may be scarce — this unofficial holiday was started in 2001 by a wildlife rehabilitator named Christy Hargrove to recognize the role that squirrels play in the environment. 
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Mayslake Art Exhibit "Double Vision: Cooperative Art"

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what about art? It too is subject to interpretation, as two artistic groups from Mayslake Peabody Estate prove in their collaborative virtual art exhibit titled “Double Vision: Cooperative Art.”
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Engineer Devises System to Stop Zebra Mussel Spread

A longtime battle to keep invasive zebra mussels in the West Branch Forest Preserve’s Deep Quarry Lake in Bartlett from spreading to the adjacent West Branch DuPage River took an innovative twist thanks to a method devised by a Forest Preserve District civil engineer.
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Start a New Chapter with Mayslake Book Club

Explore nature, art and history as it relates to the natural world with Mayslake's “Nature Art & Culture Peabody’s Pages Book Club Three-Part Discussion,” which starts its second year Jan. 8 (mornings) and Jan. 19 (evenings)!
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Raccoon Gets a Second Chance at Life

This year has been challenging for all of us, even our native wildlife. In early August, a young raccoon was found almost lifeless and covered in oil inside a restaurant grease trap.
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Wolf Spider: Friend or Foe?

on 10/27/20 11:52 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Take 5 Wildlife Nature
Ranging in size from half an inch to over two inches, these large, hairy spiders may be the fuel of nightmares for some people. 
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Celebrate the Mighty Oak in OAKtober

It’s fall and that means trees will soon be showing their colors. Who can resist a stroll on a crisp fall afternoon to gaze at nature’s colorful changes?
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Colt Inspires Volunteer's Artwork

The birth of a newborn — a foal, that is —inspired Danada Equestrian Center volunteer Deb Yatka to pick up her pencils and begin to sketch — something she hasn’t done for many years.
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Blanding's Yearlings Released in DuPage Preserves

With perpetual smiles on their faces, Blanding’s turtle yearlings raised by DuPage Forest Preserve District partners were recently released in DuPage forest preserves.
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Barred Owl Soars to Freedom with Help from Willowbrook

A barred owl injured after being struck by a vehicle was one of many birds released on a recent sunny day at McDowell Grove Forest Preserve after being treated at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.
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Red Fox Finds Freedom After Treatment at Willowbrook

A red fox treated at Willowbrook Wildlife Center for mange regained his freedom after being released recently at McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville.
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Wildlife Myths: Can Frogs Give You Warts?

on 7/27/20 2:24 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature
Many of us have been discouraged from getting a closer look at a frog by someone claiming that handling a frog can give you warts.
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