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, originated in Europe but is now common around the world — and for good reason. These hardworking bees are the only insect to create a product used by humans — honey. How sweet is that?
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 1900s, when this locale was a private family farm, to get a better view of its past.
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 appearance.
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 lower blood pressure, improve cognitive performance and even reduce pain.
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 played more than one clandestine role, sparking rumors that evolved into legends.
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 the area’s most famous railroads also played an important part in the development of DuPage County’s park system.
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!
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.
Most people know that “in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” But did you know that in 1893 Christopher Columbus took a train to Dunham Forest Preserve in Wayne?
Ecologists at the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s Urban Stream Research Center successfully propagated and released 495 freshwater mussels in three different watersheds in 2021.
People have lived in DuPage County for thousands of years, so it’s no surprise that some of the tools and objects they used are still being found in many DuPage forest preserves.
DuPage forest preserves are a magical sight to behold after a freshly fallen snow. We know many of you can’t wait to get out there to see the magnificent beauty, but sometimes it’s hard to know what parking lots will be plowed first and what trails will be groomed first for cross-country skiing.
Many people visiting the city of Chicago spend time in Lincoln Park, but few know the connection that DuPage Forest Preserve District’s Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien has with one of the largest parks in the city.
Emelia Buckley likes painting the natural world because “it’s the most complex and simple concept on earth.” So she jumped at the chance to paint a nature scene on the biggest “canvas” she had ever worked on.
Since acquiring its first Heritage Milking Shorthorn cow, Liberty, in 2018, Kline Creek Farm’s herd of Heritage Milking Shorthorn cattle has been growing. The farm now has four animals in the herd, including Liberty’s daughter and granddaughter, who was born this past spring.