DuPage Forest Blog

Birds Take Wing Again Thanks to Willowbrook

on 1/7/22 9:28 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Conservation Nature Rehabilitation

A great horned owl, two red-tailed hawks and two Cooper’s hawks soared to freedom again this week after being treated for injuries at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.

Join Our New Winter Adventure Series

on 12/15/21 1:10 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Trails Recreation Wildlife Nature

As the lakes freeze and the ground turns white, we’ll be adding a flurry of outdoor fun to our winter program lineup!

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.

Halloween Happenings

on 10/5/21 8:51 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Trails Recreation Wildlife Nature Willowbrook

Looking for some “spooktacular” fun in October? Look no further than DuPage forest preserves! From haunted hikes and wagon rides to pumpkin stories and rhymes for little ones, we’ve got a thrilling lineup of Halloween happenings this year, so register soon!

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!

Mysterious Moths

on 7/7/21 10:32 AM By | Keriann Dubina | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Conservation Nature

Moths sometimes seem like the forgotten cousins of butterflies. While butterflies may be some of the most well-known insects in the world, there are many more species of moths.

Donor's Matching Gift Supports the Blanding's Turtle

on 7/1/21 10:58 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Wildlife Conservation Nature Friends of the Forest Preserve District donate donor

Corporate-matching programs are attractive to many Friends of the Forest Preserve District donors and others who contribute to nonprofit foundations. T

Managing Harmful Algae Blooms

on 5/20/21 9:59 AM By | Dan Grigas | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Conservation Nature

Harmful blue-green algae blooms have become an all-too-common occurrence on some forest preserve lakes lately.

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.

The Hidden History of Fullersburg Woods

on 4/20/21 9:48 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Recreation Take 5 Nature Group History

When you visit a DuPage forest preserve to connect with nature, you don’t often consider its history and how it came to be developed as a preserve.

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.

I Spy Early Spring Insects

on 3/31/21 8:23 AM By | Andres Ortega | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature

The warmer weather brings more people outside after a long, cold winter. But they’re not the only ones that emerge with the warmer temperatures.

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.

Meet Some of the District's Wonder Women 2021

on 3/1/21 11:24 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Conservation Nature Rehabilitation

Women’s History Month is a great time to reflect on the hard work and dedication of women in all walks of life. We’d like you to meet some of the women who work at the DuPage Forest Preserve District.

Tales as Old as Time

on 2/24/21 7:44 AM By | Nate Hambel | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature Willowbrook

“Never forget the trail, look ever for the track in the snow; it is the priceless, unimpeachable record of the creature's life and thought, in the oldest writing known on the earth.” ~ Ernest Thompson Seton, author, artist, and nature enthusiast

The Hidden History of Hidden Lake

on 2/19/21 7:44 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature Willowbrook

Relics of the former lives of DuPage forest preserves are often hidden in plain sight, but without context they have no meaning.

Nature's Valentines

on 2/5/21 5:55 PM By | Krystle Smith | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature Willowbrook

Valentine’s Day is a day we celebrate relationships but even more than that, it is a day to celebrate love.

Why Groundhogs Hit Snooze on Their Holiday

on 1/29/21 10:49 AM By | Nate Hambel | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature Willowbrook

How lucky it is that groundhogs, also known as woodchucks or whistle pigs, have a famous holiday named after them.

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.

Seven Nutty Squirrel Facts

on 1/20/21 2:34 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Natural resources Wildlife Conservation Nature

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.

Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves