Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
May 8, 2019
Special Needs Individuals Enjoy Outdoor Adventure at St. James Farm
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
May 7, 2019
Willowbrook Baby Season: Eastern Cottontails
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
April 30, 2019
Handling Spring Encounters with Nesting Geese
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...
April 5, 2019
Forestry Worker Makes Special Delivery
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
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...
March 25, 2019
Keep Kids Learning with Fun Summer Day Camps
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Help your child unplug from video games and connect to nature with our fun outdoor day camps for kids and teens.
March 20, 2019
Points to Ponder Before Raising Monarch Caterpillars
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...
March 8, 2019
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Just a few native woodland wildflowers emerge in March: Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) are among them.
February 25, 2019
It Takes Heart to Save a Blanding's Turtle
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...
February 8, 2019
A Special Role for a Special Blanding's Turtle
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Meet Shirlee, a rare yellow-colored or “xanthic” Blanding’s turtle now on public display to help spread the word about the plight of the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle. She’s...
January 15, 2019
How to Keep Pets Safe from Coyotes
It’s always heartbreaking to hear about encounters between pet dogs and coyotes. We want to remind folks of some simple ways to keep their pets safe from the native wildlife that...
December 17, 2018
After the last leaves fall and the cold winds start to blow, winter settles across DuPage County. Ground squirrels and woodchucks hunker down in underground burrows.
December 12, 2018
Feathered Friends Feel the Freeze: How to Help Birds Survive Winter
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Although the ground is cold (and possibly covered in snow), winter doesn’t mean hibernation and hiding for all wild animals, especially for some of the more common creatures...
November 13, 2018
Let's Talk Turkey: Fun Tidbits About This Popular Bird
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
For a lot of people, it’s turkey time. There are hand turkeys, turkey trots, turkey bowls and even tofu turkey with all the trimmings. If you hike through the woods at Herrick Lake
October 16, 2018
Busy Beavers Prepare for Winter
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Late fall means slowing down for many species (including people), but beavers are busy repairing their lodges and dams and poking branches and saplings into mud where the woody...
October 11, 2018
An Ugly Little Stinker: The Stink Bug That Wants Inside
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
It’s that time of year. The leaves are turning. The daylight hours are waning. And, yes. Dozens — maybe even hundreds — of brown marmorated stink bugs are gathering in numbers at...
October 10, 2018
One-Year Checkup Shows Mussels Are Thriving
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
A one-year checkup on some of the 24,377 freshwater mussels released last fall into the West Branch DuPage River and two tributaries shows they are doing great and growing,...
October 4, 2018
Remodeling an 1880s Farmhouse Museum
As I listen to an ad on the radio telling me that my home is getting dingy and tired and could really use some sprucing up, I cannot help but think of the challenges of...
September 18, 2018
Forest Fave: Willowbrook Butterfly Garden
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
When Willowbrook Wildlife Center site manager Sandy Fejt needs a break from caring for injured native wildlife at the center, she doesn’t have to look far. One of Sandy’s favorite...
September 12, 2018
Geese-Free, Thanks to a Border Collie Named Louie
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
It’s 5 a.m. at The Preserve at Oak Meadows — the Forest Preserve District’s signature golf course — and Louie the border collie is on patrol for nuisance geese. His head is...
September 11, 2018
Small Mammals Busy Preparing for Colder Weather
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
While many small mammals and bats are putting on fat in fall to prepare for a long, cold winter hibernation, many are not. For the most part, our common small mammals -- the...
