Skip to navigation Skip to content

DuPage Forest Blog

Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.

November 19, 2021

Snow Plowing and Trail Grooming in the Preserves

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

DuPage forest preserves are a magical sight to behold after a freshly fallen snow. We know many of you can’t wait to get out there to see the magnificent beauty, but sometimes...

October 26, 2021

Hidden History of Waterfall Glen's Lincoln Park Nursery

Dave Andrusyk

Many people visiting the city of Chicago spend time in Lincoln Park, but few know the connection that DuPage Forest Preserve District’s Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien...

October 22, 2021

Teen Transforms Container into Scenic Landscape

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

Emelia Buckley likes painting the natural world because “it’s the most complex and simple concept on earth.” So she jumped at the chance to paint a nature scene on the biggest...

October 13, 2021

Carrying on the Legacy of the Heritage Shorthorn

Lisa Carpenter

Since acquiring its first Heritage Milking Shorthorn cow, Liberty, in 2018, Kline Creek Farm’s herd of Heritage Milking Shorthorn cattle has been growing. The farm now has four...

October 12, 2021

Nature's Tricks Are a Nature Lover's Treat

Stephanie Touzalin

Wildlife have long embodied the spirit of Halloween using tricks, treats, and costumes. These strategies are essential for wild animals to survive, find food, and attract mates.

October 6, 2021

Hidden History of the Steeplechase

Wayne Zaininger

What happens when you combine a love of horses with a passion for philanthropy? At St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville in the 1980s and 1990s, it resulted in an annual...

October 5, 2021

Halloween Happenings

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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, w...

October 1, 2021

Bosnian Students Visit Urban Stream Research Center

Glenn Perricone

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...

September 27, 2021

Celebrate OAKtober!

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

September 21, 2021

DuPage Through the Lens of My Nikon

Daniel Walker

The pandemic has affected us in varying ways. Early on, many believed it would be over quickly and be nothing more than a minor historical footnote.

August 30, 2021

Why Art Matters to Saving Monarch Butterflies

Lonnie Morris

DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public...

August 23, 2021

A Gateway to History, Golf and a Healthy Environment

Jordan Countryman

When an 11-year-old Randy Cochran snuck into Salt Creek at night to pilfer lost golf balls at the private Elmhurst Country Club in Addison more than 50 years ago, he never...

July 21, 2021

Hidden History of the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad

Wayne Zaininger and Jordan Countryman

Imagine commuting to Chicago by train in the morning only to discover without warning that same afternoon that your Metra line had closed and would never operate again.

July 7, 2021

Mysterious Moths

Keriann Dubina

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.

July 1, 2021

Donor's Matching Gift Supports the Blanding's Turtle

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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

June 14, 2021

Hidden History of Hidden Lake Bridge

Keith McClow

On a breezy May afternoon, I stood on an old bridge that spans the East Branch DuPage River at Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Downers Grove, talking to people as they crossed the...

June 2, 2021

Hidden History of Glacial Ridge

Dave Andrusyk

Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn is one of the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s most popular forest preserves.

May 20, 2021

Managing Harmful Algae Blooms

Dan Grigas

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

May 10, 2021

More Love for Monarch Butterflies

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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...

April 23, 2021

Setting the Stage for Restoration

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

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.

Subscribe to Our Blog