The Keepataw Preserve is an excellent destination if you: Are tired of the flat, boring topography of most of Chicagoland Like a good hike or run Enjoy seeing rare and endangered species Want to see the “birthplace” of limestone that was used to construct some of Chicago’s most famous downtown buildings. I was excited to experience … Continue reading Keepataw Preserve: Wild Woods, Local History, and Breathtaking Views
You won't find a nature center or interpretive trail signs at Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve in Palos Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago. But you will find beautiful oak forests, prairies, savannahs, cattail marshes, sedge meadows, and wetlands. Walking the gravel trails and footpaths in this sprawling 1,520-acre preserve is probably the closest one can get … Continue reading Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve: The Wildest Place in Cook County
Do you love spending time in the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), at Brookfield Zoo, and at the Chicago Botanic Garden? Are you the next Ansel Adams? Do you want to earn some bragging rights and a bunch of free calendars? If so, you should enter the FPCC’s 7th Annual Photo Contest. All you have … Continue reading Forest Preserves of Cook County Offers Photo Contest, But You Need to Act Fast
Things to Do Before the End of the Summer, Camping Tips for Kids, Trolls (the fun kind), Trump, Ghost Stories, and Beautiful State Parks in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in August 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in August 2018
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED 2023 I’ve camped since I was about age 10. I’ve pitched a tent everywhere from Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshores in Michigan. I’ve camped alone and with friends, but camping with children … Continue reading 18 Tips for Camping With Kids
August is here, and summer is in its third and final act. The “actors” are still on stage: the leaves are green, the flowers are in bloom, the beaches are packed, the kids are still out of school, the sidewalk cafes are jammed with summer revelers, and the sun doesn’t set till around 8 p.m. … Continue reading 14 Things to Do Outdoors in Chicagoland Before Summer Ends
Bogs, Bison, Trump, Trolls (the fun kind), Ghost Stories, and a Beautiful State Park in Wisconsin. These were the subjects of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in July 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed any of these stories, check out the links below: 1. Volo Bog: An Ice … Continue reading The 6 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in July 2018
Skip this article if you’re like me and already value the key role the media plays in American democracy. After all, my opinion is nothing outrageous. It used to be established public opinion. It’s also nothing new. In 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Virginia statesman Edward Carrington, “And were it left to me to … Continue reading Why President Trump is Dead Wrong Regarding His “Media Are the Enemy of the People” Rhetoric, and Why Journalists Are So Important in This Age of Unreason
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 About 12,000 years ago, the last of the towering glaciers that covered parts of what is now the Chicago area began melting. As one of the massive glaciers melted, a water-filled depression was left in its wake. The depression eventually developed into … Continue reading Volo Bog: An Ice Age Remnant and the Only Quaking Bog in Illinois
The Back to the Future car is there. So is the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine (two, actually), several Batman cars, KITT from Knight Rider, Princess Di’s Rolls Royce, Elvis’s Cadillac, and more than 40 other movie and celebrity cars. There is the Volo Auto Museum (27582 Volo Village Road, Volo, IL 60073, 815/385-3644). But these cars … Continue reading Take a Drive to the Volo Auto Museum for Vintage Cars and a Blast of Americana