February 10, 2025
How the Outdoors Ignited Health and Devotion
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Many of us have stories about why or how we've come to love nature. The Millers' is just one of those stories.
DuPage Forest Blog
Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
September 30, 2024
How Mother Nature's Mentor Inspired My Scout Project and Much More
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
In this guest post, Amelia Votava reflects about how Judy Grey, a volunteer steward with the Forest Preserve District, not only helped to mentor her understanding about a...
September 17, 2024
DuPage Forest Preserves Are Safe Places Preserved for You!
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DuPage County forest preserves are not only beautiful places preserved for you but also safe places thanks to the dedicated officers of the Forest Preserve District’s police force.
April 4, 2024
Preparing New Plants for the Cicada Summer
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
With all the buzz about the periodical cicada emergence this summer, many are wondering if they need to protect their plants at home.
February 2, 2023
Valentine’s Day and Courtship on an 1890s Farm
Valentine's Day had already gained popularity with American school children by the early 1880s, and many of the traditions from the time we still hold true today.
December 20, 2022
Candy as Medicine in the 1890s
In the 1890s, medicine was largely unregulated in the United States. While professional organizations for doctors and nurses existed, many Americans, including most rural farmers,...
December 9, 2022
Among the Leaves So Green: Victorian Holiday Traditions
Many of the holiday traditions we follow today have come from around the world as emigrants moved to the U.S. or were created here during the 19th century as part of an...
November 17, 2022
Candy confections were a sweet part of historic holiday farm life. In 1895, both the Sears and Roebuck Co. and Montgomery Ward Co. catalogs had candy departments where families...
October 6, 2022
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Popcorn is an American story and is the world’s first cultivated corn. Corn planted in the plowed prairies of the Midwestern soil of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and southern...
August 8, 2022
Honeybees are arguably the most well-known pollinator, but did you know that honeybees are not even native to North America? Apis mellifera, the domesticated European honey bee,...
August 1, 2022
Hidden History of the East Farm Barn
Looking at the east side of St. James Farm today, visitors might not fully appreciate the transformation it has gone through over the years. Let’s turn back the clock to the early...
July 26, 2022
The next time you hit the trails at a DuPage forest preserve, keep an eye out for the North American millipede, Narceus americanus, also called the “iron worm” for its armored...
July 6, 2022
Celebrate the Sounds of Summer
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
The warm, lazy days of summer are a great time to enjoy the sounds of nature in the preserves, and research shows that pleasant natural sounds are good for your health. They help...
June 30, 2022
Hidden History of the Baker House
It’s hard to fathom the connections a little old house on St. Charles Road has to the history of DuPage County, Illinois and the nation.
June 10, 2022
Top 5 Picks for the Perfect Picnic
Glenn Perricone and Jennifer Rydzewski
The warm weather and long days of summer invite people to be outdoors, and what better way to enjoy the outdoors than by having a picnic.
May 25, 2022
Hidden History of McDowell Grove
Sometimes the history of a DuPage forest preserve is simply forgotten, but other times it is purposely kept secret. In the 1940s, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville...
May 20, 2022
6 Easy Tips for Successful Composting
Composting at home is one of the easiest ways you can make a positive impact on the environment and your garden.
May 6, 2022
DuPage Forest Police Get Improved Eye in the Sky
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DuPage Forest Police have added a second, more powerful drone to the police force to help improve response and recovery time in the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s more than 60...
April 20, 2022
Hidden History: Burlington Park as Chicago's Recreation Destination
Railroads were crucial to the development of the United States, sparking economic and industrial expansion all around them and carrying people and goods across the country. One of...
April 15, 2022
Dying Easter Eggs in the 1890s
Natural dyes were used in a variety of ways in a colorful Victorian life in the 1890s.