Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves

District's Freshwater Mussels Help 3 Waterways

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.
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Bosnian Students Visit Urban Stream Research Center

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 Preserve in Warrenville. They were visiting the United States for three weeks on a tour that emphasized leadership, American government and culture.
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Celebrate OAKtober!

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! 
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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 art to the shared mission of protecting monarch butterflies and pollinators. All are important.
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Setting the Stage for Restoration

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.
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Partnership Mussels Into Chicago River

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 rivers into urban sanctuaries.
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Stressed Out? We've Got Just the Thing

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.
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Bird of the Year: the Pileated Woodpecker

on 1/28/21 12:07 PM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Natural resources Wildlife Conservation Nature
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 Birding Association.
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Seven Nutty Squirrel Facts

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 started in 2001 by a wildlife rehabilitator named Christy Hargrove to recognize the role that squirrels play in the environment. 
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Engineer Devises System to Stop Zebra Mussel Spread

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 innovative twist thanks to a method devised by a Forest Preserve District civil engineer.
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Lessons From 2020

on 12/11/20 3:21 PM By | Andres Ortega | 0 Comments | Natural resources Wildlife Conservation Nature Rehabilitation
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 areas of DuPage County. 
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Fall Color Finds

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!
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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.
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Celebrate the Mighty Oak in OAKtober

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?
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Blanding's Yearlings Released in DuPage Preserves

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

on 8/13/20 11:59 AM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Natural resources Wildlife Conservation Nature
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.
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Where the Native Wild Things Are

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

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 location.
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The Power of Pollinators

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