DuPage Forest Blog

A Fish Tale to Remember

on 7/1/19 12:33 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Conservation Nature

By David Koldoff I’m a fisherman and I’m not lying when I tell you: There’s a 42-inch northern pike lurking in Silver Lake at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville!

Taking Time to Remember our Wildlife

on 6/24/19 3:13 PM By | Krystle Piwowar | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Nature

When you join the Willowbrook Wildlife Center family of staff and volunteers, you sign on to the commitment and service that goes with providing animal care to injured and orphaned native wildlife.

If Trees Could Talk

on 6/18/19 12:54 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Nature

Think of your favorite wildlife — white-tailed deer, woodpeckers, white-footed mice, nuthatches, owls, squirrels. In one way or another they all depend on oak trees for food or shelter. That’s why oaks have been an important part of a decade-long look at the trees that live in DuPage County’s forest preserves.

Kids Catch Fun and Fish at Just for Kids Fishing Derby

on 6/13/19 1:32 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Locations Recreation Volunteer Take 5 Nature

Approximately 309 young anglers participated in the 33rd annual Just for Kids Fishing Derby at Blackwell Forest Preserve’s Silver Lake on June 9.

Citizen Scientists Wanted to Help Track Water Levels at Four Preserve Lakes

on 6/12/19 11:29 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Natural resources Community partnership Volunteer Conservation Nature

We need your help! Our ecology staff is looking for citizen scientists to help track water levels at several DuPage forest preserve lakes as part of the international Lake Observations by Citizen Scientists & Satellites.

Willowbrook Baby Season: Raccoons

on 6/4/19 12:57 PM By | Krystle Piwowar | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Nature Rehabilitation

Raccoons have adapted well to living around us. They can have litters in the spring and fall, so it’s common to run across baby raccoons this time of year.

Enlisting Crayfish to Help the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly

on 5/29/19 1:17 PM By | Tom Velat | 0 Comments | Insider Natural resources Wildlife Conservation Nature

Whenever we tell stories about nature, they can be very interesting but can get quite complex when you look at how many of the pieces are interconnected. This is what happens when we tell the story of the federally endangered Hine’s Emerald dragonfly, its habitat, and ways we’ve tried to create more habitat for them in DuPage forest preserves. As you’ll see, the story is at times interesting, complex, tragic, and exciting.

Protect Yourself from Ticks While Outdoors

on 5/23/19 9:25 AM By | Andres Ortega | 0 Comments | Insider Trails Health and wellness Wildlife Nature

We need to talk. It’s going to be awkward, it’s a subject we’d all like to avoid, but it’s best for everyone if we just put it out there: ticks are all around you.

Special Needs Individuals Enjoy Outdoor Adventure at St. James Farm

on 5/8/19 3:06 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Community partnership Recreation Take 5 Wildlife Nature Group Golf

More than 600 special needs individuals ages 3 to 30 connected to nature through a variety of fun activities at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Special Needs Outdoor Education Day on May 3 at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville.

District Honors Men Who Saved Drowning Man at Silver Lake

on 5/8/19 1:18 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Nature

Ramon Garchitorena is able to fish another day thanks to the heroic efforts of three other anglers on Silver Lake at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville.

Willowbrook Baby Season: Eastern Cottontails

on 5/7/19 10:57 AM By | Krystle Piwowar | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Nature Rehabilitation

Spring is in full swing here at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn! Animals become much more active this time of year, so we tend to see a lot more animals brought to our facility.

Handling Spring Encounters with Nesting Geese

on 4/30/19 1:22 PM By | Stephanie Touzalin | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature

It’s that time of year when encounters escalate between people and aggressive Canada geese trying to protect their nests and families. But there are some simple ways for both to peacefully coexist.

Spring Woodland Wildflower Guide

on 4/24/19 11:58 AM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Plants Nature native plant

Of all the seasonal blooms, spring wildflowers seem to capture our hearts and attention the most, likely because they’re the first we see after months of drab landscapes. Most grow in woodlands and for that reason are short-lived, or “ephemeral.” They must sprout, grow, flower, fruit and set seeds before the trees leaf out and block the sun. Some spring flowers are a memory by summer, but a few produce leaves that last into autumn. Below are a few you’ll see this season, so enjoy them while they last!

Forestry Worker Makes Special Delivery

on 4/5/19 12:27 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Wildlife Nature Rehabilitation horse

Sometimes it takes a village to help raise a great horned owl, as was the case when Forest Preserve District employees and DuPage County residents recently helped reunite three owlets with their families.

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Contain Your Love of Gardening

on 4/2/19 3:25 PM By | Dave Andrusyk | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Nature native plant

I know many folks who are interested in growing native plants but feel they can’t because they don’t have a yard or room in their yard to grow them.

Keep Kids Learning with Fun Summer Day Camps

on 3/25/19 1:29 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Health and wellness Recreation Wildlife Nature horse native plant

Help your child unplug from video games and connect to nature with our fun outdoor day camps for kids and teens.

Points to Ponder Before Raising Monarch Caterpillars

on 3/20/19 11:50 AM By | Andres Ortega | 0 Comments | Insider Plants Wildlife Conservation Nature native plant

Full disclosure: I’ve always liked insects. As a child I found them intensely interesting and spent hours just watching them walk, feed and fly. As an adult I came to realize their critical importance to our natural habitats (not to mention our food supply).

Early Spring Plant Arrivals

on 3/8/19 12:01 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Wildlife Nature native plant

Just a few native woodland wildflowers emerge in March: Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) are among them.

The "Magic School Bus" Rolls into DuPage Forest Preserves

on 3/4/19 2:59 PM By | Forest Preserve District of DuPage County | 0 Comments | Insider Locations Nature

Science and social-studies teachers from across DuPage County joined the Forest Preserve District’s “Teacher-Institute Day: Magic School Bus Tour” on March 1, which was hosted by the Community Services & Education department. Teachers began their days at one of two education centers — Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook or Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago — to not only tour the sites but also get an exclusive scoop about the variety of signature programs available to students from grades 1 through 8 at the Forest Preserve District.

It Takes Heart to Save a Blanding's Turtle

on 2/25/19 2:45 PM By | Dan Thompson | 0 Comments | Insider Natural resources Community partnership Wildlife Conservation Nature

This past Valentine’s Day started out unexpectedly for some zookeepers at Wheaton Park District’s Cosley Zoo when they found a small Blanding’s turtle unconscious in one of the rearing tubs.

Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves