July 14, 2025
Re-Seeding Natives and Receding Invasives
On one of the first warm days of spring, Natural Resources senior maintenance tech Tanya Ziobrowski stood in Glasshagel Prairie at Timber Ridge Forest Preserve in West Chicago....
DuPage Forest Blog
Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
Native Plant
April 15, 2022
Dyeing Easter Eggs in the 1890s
Natural dyes were used in a variety of ways in a colorful Victorian life in the 1890s.
April 1, 2022
Perk Up Your Parkway with Native Plants
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!
December 10, 2021
Native Landscaping: Start Planning Now
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
September 27, 2021
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
August 30, 2021
Why Art Matters to Saving Monarch Butterflies
DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public...
May 10, 2021
More Love for Monarch Butterflies
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
April 16, 2021
Reminder Not to Harvest Plants in the Preserves
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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.
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.
December 2, 2020
As the Seasons Change: A Soil Opera
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.
October 15, 2020
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...
October 1, 2020
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...
September 29, 2020
Celebrate the Mighty Oak in OAKtober
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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?
September 9, 2020
Bee Informed About Native Bees
Did you know Illinois is home to more than 500 species of native bees?
August 26, 2020
Keep Away! Hogweed, Hemlock and Parsnip
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...
July 22, 2020
Attracting Swallowtails to Your Garden
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Swallowtail butterflies are some of the largest, showiest butterflies found in Illinois. A visit from one in your garden is always a welcome delight.
July 22, 2020
Where the Native Wild Things Are
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Somewhere, in a relatively small section of Blackwell Forest Preserve nestled along Mack Road, lies a special place where native plants grow.
June 17, 2020
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
“Nature is to be found in her entirety nowhere more than in her smallest creatures.”~ Pliny the Elder
April 30, 2020
Planting native plants in our yards and gardens is gaining popularity for good reasons.
April 17, 2020
Best Native Shrubs for Your Yard
With winter slowly fading and signs of spring arriving daily, gardeners are getting the itch.