DuPage Forest Blog

Dying Easter Eggs in the 1890s

on 4/15/22 12:43 PM By | Wayne Hill | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Plants Nature native plant History

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

Perk Up Your Parkway with Native Plants

on 4/1/22 10:43 AM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Plants Nature native plant Native Plant Sale

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!

Native Landscaping: Start Planning Now

on 12/10/21 11:20 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Health and wellness Recreation Take 5 Nature native plant Native Plant Sale

It may be wintertime, but now is the time to start planning your garden for next year. It may not seem like it now, but spring will be here before you know it, making this a great time to start planning your garden and yard.

Celebrate OAKtober!

on 9/27/21 8:03 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Trails Natural resources Recreation Plants Take 5 Wildlife Nature native plant

OAKtober is Illinois’ monthlong celebration of oak trees and the things that make them great. We love oaks here at the DuPage Forest Preserve District, so we’re thrilled to be a part of it!

Why Art Matters to Saving Monarch Butterflies

on 8/30/21 1:53 PM By | Lonnie Morris | 0 Comments | Insider Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation native plant Native Plant Sale

DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public art to the shared mission of protecting monarch butterflies and pollinators. All are important.

More Love for Monarch Butterflies

on 5/10/21 10:32 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

The DuPage Forest Preserve District board of commissioners is pledging to support the Illinois Monarch Project, a public and private sector partnership whose goal is to add 150 million milkweed plants to the Illinois landscape by 2038.

Reminder Not to Harvest Plants in the Preserves

on 4/16/21 10:05 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Conservation Nature native plant

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.

Stressed Out? We've Got Just the Thing

on 3/25/21 10:06 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Trails Natural resources Health and wellness Recreation Plants Take 5 Wildlife Nature native plant

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.

Mayslake Art Exhibit "Double Vision: Cooperative Art"

on 1/19/21 3:02 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Recreation Plants Take 5 Wildlife Nature Club Group native plant

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.”

As the Seasons Change: A Soil Opera

on 12/2/20 8:15 AM By | Stephanie Touzalin | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Wildlife Nature native plant

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.

Fall Color Finds

on 10/15/20 2:14 PM By | Dave Andrusyk | 0 Comments | Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

When the sweaters come out and the kids are back at school, you know it’s time for another sure sign of the season: fall colors. You also know that you need go no farther than your nearest DuPage forest preserve to enjoy the show!

On With the Show

on 10/1/20 10:15 AM By | Scott Kobal | 0 Comments | Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

Now that fall’s officially here, we’re starting to see the first signs of color in our forest preserves. So it’s only natural that people want to know what to expect in the way of fall color displays.

Celebrate the Mighty Oak in OAKtober

on 9/29/20 9:00 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

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?

Bee Informed About Native Bees

on 9/9/20 1:16 PM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

Did you know Illinois is home to more than 500 species of native bees?

Keep Away! Hogweed, Hemlock and Parsnip

on 8/26/20 4:11 PM By | Dave Andrusyk | 0 Comments | Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature Nonnative Invasive native plant

Many plants have amazing adaptations that protect them from being eaten or destroyed by other organisms. That’s good for them but can be bad for people who come in contact with them.

Attracting Swallowtails to Your Garden

on 7/22/20 1:54 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Wildlife Nature native plant Native Plant Sale Trees

Swallowtail butterflies are some of the largest, showiest butterflies found in Illinois. A visit from one in your garden is always a welcome delight.

Where the Native Wild Things Are

on 7/22/20 12:56 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Natural resources Plants Volunteer Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant Friends of the Forest Preserve District

Somewhere, in a relatively small section of Blackwell Forest Preserve nestled along Mack Road, lies a special place where native plants grow.

The Power of Pollinators

on 6/17/20 2:28 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Natural resources Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

“Nature is to be found in her entirety nowhere more than in her smallest creatures.” ~ Pliny the Elder

Where the Native Plants Grow

on 4/30/20 8:43 AM By | Jennifer Rydzewski | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Conservation Nature native plant Native Plant Sale

Planting native plants in our yards and gardens is gaining popularity for good reasons.

Best Native Shrubs for Your Yard

on 4/17/20 2:38 PM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Conservation Nature native plant Native Plant Sale Trees

With winter slowly fading and signs of spring arriving daily, gardeners are getting the itch.

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Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves