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.
DuPage Forest Blog
Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
Natural resources
January 24, 2022
District's Freshwater Mussels Help 3 Waterways
Ecologists at the DuPage Forest Preserve District’s Urban Stream Research Center successfully propagated and released 495 freshwater mussels in three different watersheds in 2021.
October 1, 2021
Bosnian Students Visit Urban Stream Research Center
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
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...
August 30, 2021
Why Art Matters to Saving Monarch Butterflies
DuPage Monarch Project is a collaboration of four local environmental organizations, each contributing essential resources of science, education, community organizing and public...
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.
April 9, 2021
Partnership Mussels Into Chicago River
The DuPage Forest Preserve District recently embarked on a new and unique partnership with Urban Rivers, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago with a mission to transform city...
March 25, 2021
Stressed Out? We've Got Just the Thing
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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.
January 28, 2021
Bird of the Year: the Pileated Woodpecker
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...
January 20, 2021
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
January 6, 2021
Engineer Devises System to Stop Zebra Mussel Spread
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
A longtime battle to keep invasive zebra mussels in the West Branch Forest Preserve’s Deep Quarry Lake in Bartlett from spreading to the adjacent West Branch DuPage River took an...
December 11, 2020
The events of 2020 have been a great lesson for many aspects of my life. At the top of the list, I have gained an even greater appreciation for the work I do to help the natural...
October 15, 2020
When the sweaters come out and the kids are back at school, you know it’s time for another sure sign of the season: fall colors. You also know that you need go no farther than...
October 1, 2020
Now that fall’s officially here, we’re starting to see the first signs of color in our forest preserves. So it’s only natural that people want to know what to expect in the way of...
September 29, 2020
Celebrate the Mighty Oak in OAKtober
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
It’s fall and that means trees will soon be showing their colors. Who can resist a stroll on a crisp fall afternoon to gaze at nature’s colorful changes?
August 28, 2020
Blanding's Yearlings Released in DuPage Preserves
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
With perpetual smiles on their faces, Blanding’s turtle yearlings raised by DuPage Forest Preserve District partners were recently released in DuPage forest preserves.
August 26, 2020
Keep Away! Hogweed, Hemlock and Parsnip
Many plants have amazing adaptations that protect them from being eaten or destroyed by other organisms. That’s good for them but can be bad for people who come in contact with...
August 13, 2020
Have you ever seen something fluttering in the air that looks like a cigar with wings? Is it a bat? Is it a bird? It’s likely a chimney swift.
July 22, 2020
Where the Native Wild Things Are
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Somewhere, in a relatively small section of Blackwell Forest Preserve nestled along Mack Road, lies a special place where native plants grow.