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DuPage Forest Blog

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

Natural resources

January 24, 2022

District's Freshwater Mussels Help 3 Waterways

Joe Limpers

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.

October 1, 2021

Bosnian Students Visit Urban Stream Research Center

Glenn Perricone

A group of 17 Bosnian high school students recently took part in an aquatic ecology program at the Forest Preserve District’s Urban Stream Research Center at Blackwell Forest...

September 27, 2021

Celebrate OAKtober!

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

Lonnie Morris

DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public...

April 23, 2021

Setting the Stage for Restoration

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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.

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 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.

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 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 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...

October 15, 2020

Fall Color Finds

Dave Andrusyk

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

On With the Show

Scott Kobal

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?

August 28, 2020

Blanding's Yearlings Released in DuPage Preserves

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

With perpetual smiles on their faces, Blanding’s turtle yearlings raised by DuPage Forest Preserve District partners were recently released in DuPage forest preserves.

August 26, 2020

Keep Away! Hogweed, Hemlock and Parsnip

Dave Andrusyk

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...

August 13, 2020

High-Flying Chimney Swifts

Keriann Dubina

Have you ever seen something fluttering in the air that looks like a cigar with wings? Is it a bat? Is it a bird? It’s likely a chimney swift.

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 24, 2020

A Big Day

Glenn Perricone

Many DuPage County birdwatchers participate in a “Birding Big Day,” where they try to observe as many species of birds as possible in one day within a determined geographical...

June 17, 2020

The Power of Pollinators

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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

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