Nature's Storytellers

A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves

District Rolls Out New Electric Vehicles

The DuPage Forest Preserve District is looking to add up to four more electric and hybrid vehicles to its award-winning fleet this year, after having much success with two electric vehicles added in 2019.
Read More

Ecologists Shed Light on Issues Facing Oaks

Trail users at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve will soon see more forest through the trees along the southern portion of the preserve’s Green Heron trail.
Read More
yoga hippie blog

Release Your Inner Hippie

Birkenstocks are back in style. Essential oils are all the rage. And “living green” is basically “the new black.”
Read More
close-up-short-eared-owl-in-cage

Home for the Owl-idays

Thanks to the dedicated staff at the Forest Preserve District’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, a now-healthy short-eared owl has made its way back home in the wild in time for the owl-idays. (Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves with that one! What a hoot!)
Read More
Pine-Siskin-feeder

Birding in Blustery Winter Pays Off

Savvy birders know that the coldest months can be some of the hottest times for backyard birding. You can attract birds to your yard by providing them with food, water and shelter. But what if you can’t do that and still want to birdwatch?
Read More
West-DuPage-Wood-leaves-on-trail

Be-leaf-ing

Autumn is a time to enjoy the crispness of the weather and the colors of the trees. The yellow, red and orange colors of the oaks, maples and hickories paint a beautiful landscape, making this time of year an experience in art.
Read More
standing-crane

Sandhill Cranes Overhead!

What is that loud, bugling call high in the sky? It's sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) on their fall migration!
Read More
frog-finished

Garden Blooms at Mayslake from Worker's Creativity

Mayslake Peabody Estate is now home to a garden that blooms year-round, thanks to creativity, recycling and automotive paint.
Read More
pelican-stretch

Pelican Reunited with Birds of the Same Feather

An injured American white pelican is back on track to fly south with its feathered friends after being treated at Willowbrook Wildlife Center and released near a flock of pelicans on the Des Plaines River in Will County.
Read More
group shot edited

Scientists Search for Clues to Grassland Bird Habitats

More than a dozen ecologists from local conservation agencies toured the 1,800-acre Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville recently to explore and learn more about the high-quality grassland habitat that has been transformed into a birder’s paradise by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Read More
injured-owl-duane-marski

Great Horned Owl Returned to its Home at Kline Creek Farm

Duane Marski was walking the grounds of Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago recently when he noticed a large bird walking on a back road near the orchards.
Read More
covered-wagon-1000x600

Enjoy Fall Colors on Tractor-Drawn Wagon Rides

Experience autumn in the preserves on a leisurely tractor-drawn wagon ride at Danada Equestrian Center and St. James Farm.
Read More
volunteer-natural-resources-woodland-volunteers

Lend a Hand at Volunteer Restoration Workdays

Want to give back to nature or earn community service hours? Help Mother Earth by lending a helping hand at our Volunteer Restoration Workdays. They’re a great way to make new friends, get some fresh air and exercise, and give back to nature.
Read More
oaks-fall

Celebrate the Oak with Fun OAKtober Programs

At the forest preserve, we love oaks. So we’re having a month-long celebration of oak trees and the things that make them great.
Read More
eagle-flying-II

Bald Eagle Reunited with its Family

A female bald eagle was returned to her home and family after 21 days of TLC at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center.
Read More
Matt-and-Dan

Blanding's Hatchlings Raised by Shedd Aquarium Released in DuPage Preserves

Like proud new parents, staff from the Shedd Aquarium released 23 Blanding’s turtle hatchlings in DuPage forest preserves this week.
Read More
student-making-art

Connect to Nature through Mayslake Collage Classes

A walk in nature and a mixed-media collage class may seem like they have nothing in common, but when the collage class is taught by “The Paper Alchemist,” aka Darien-based artist Laura Lein-Svencner, their similarities become abundantly clear.
Read More
Monarch-Danaus-plexippus-GlennPerricone

Help Wanted: Pollen Patrol

Summer is a busy time in DuPage County, but many of the area’s busiest residents are so small they almost go unnoticed, even though they’re performing one of the most important jobs on the planet.
Read More
Halloween-pennant-male-KenSlade

Feeding Habits of Daring Dragonflies

Dragonflies – while the origin of their name is a mystery, it is an appropriate description of these voracious predators. Both the aquatic nymphs and the flying adults are some of the largest and most aggressive insect hunters in the world.
Read More
butternut-trees-west-chicago-prairie

Restoring More of the Great Prairie

The 358-acre West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve in West Chicago is one of northeastern Illinois’ premier natural areas, containing more than 600 species of native plants and animals.
Read More
All posts

Recent Posts

Topics

see all

Subscribe to Stories