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DuPage Forest Blog

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

April 9, 2021

Partnership Mussels Into Chicago River

Scott Meister

The DuPage Forest Preserve District recently embarked on a new and unique partnership with Urban Rivers, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago with a mission to transform city...

March 31, 2021

I Spy Early Spring Insects

Andres Ortega

The warmer weather brings more people outside after a long, cold winter. But they’re not the only ones that emerge with the warmer temperatures.

March 25, 2021

Stressed Out? We've Got Just the Thing

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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.

March 17, 2021

The Hidden History of Winfield Mounds

Jordan Countryman

With the passage of time, nature disguises the land’s cultural legacy, covering the marks of human impact and often protecting the past with brush and vegetation, but this can...

March 10, 2021

Soak in the Solar

Dave Andrusyk

As we celebrate International Solar Appreciation Day on Thursday, March 10, let’s look at the many ways we benefit from the sun and how we can harness its energy to help create...

March 9, 2021

Owl's Story Tugs at Donor's Heartstrings

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

March 1, 2021

Meet Some of the District's Wonder Women 2021

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

February 24, 2021

Tales as Old as Time

Nate Hambel

“Never forget the trail, look ever for the track in the snow; it is the priceless, unimpeachable record of the creature's life and thought, in the oldest writing known on the...

February 19, 2021

The Hidden History of Hidden Lake

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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

February 5, 2021

Nature's Valentines

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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

January 29, 2021

Why Groundhogs Hit Snooze on Their Holiday

Nate Hambel

How lucky it is that groundhogs, also known as woodchucks or whistle pigs, have a famous holiday named after them.

January 28, 2021

Bird of the Year: the Pileated Woodpecker

Keriann Dubina

They are master excavators, noisy borers and the basis for a cartoon character. And now the pileated woodpecker has been chosen as the 2021 bird of the year by the American...

January 20, 2021

Seven Nutty Squirrel Facts

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

January 19, 2021

Mayslake Art Exhibit "Double Vision: Cooperative Art"

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

January 6, 2021

Engineer Devises System to Stop Zebra Mussel Spread

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

December 15, 2020

Start a New Chapter with Mayslake Book Club

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

December 11, 2020

Lessons From 2020

Andres Ortega

The events of 2020 have been a great lesson for many aspects of my life. At the top of the list, I have gained an even greater appreciation for the work I do to help the natural...

December 2, 2020

As the Seasons Change: A Soil Opera

Stephanie Touzalin

Soil. Mud. Dirt. Earth. That stuff on the ground that’s always been there and always looks pretty much the same. Not too much happening down there, right? Wrong.

November 24, 2020

What Do Bees Do in the Winter?

Charlie Linnell and Duane Marski

One of the more frequent questions we beekeepers are asked is “What do bees do in the winter?”

November 17, 2020

Six Hiking Essentials

Dave Andrusyk

Whether you’re new to hiking or a regular walker on DuPage forest preserve’s 166 miles of trails, there are at least 6 essentials you should bring with you every time you head out...

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