BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG UPDATED JUNE 2024 You don’t expect to find 40-foot limestone cliffs, a stream, beautiful waterfalls, and a pond in the middle of Chicago. But at Palmisano Park—a hidden gem at 27th and Halsted in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood—that’s just the case. This beautiful urban … Continue reading Palmisano Park: A Hidden Gem in Chicago
Trolls (the fun kind), The Wildest Spot in Cook County, Ghost Stories, Indian Burial Mounds on Towering Bluffs Above the Mighty Mississippi River. A Beautiful Suburban Grassland. The Keepataw Preserve. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed … Continue reading The 6 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2018
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
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
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
Troll Hunt concluded on January 31, 2021, and the trolls are no longer at the arboretum. But the arboretum remains an excellent place to see nature, and its next major exhibition, Human+Nature, will debut in 2021. When my eight-year-old son and I arrived at the bucolic Morton Arboretum (4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532, … Continue reading Joe the Guardian, Sneaky Socks Alexa, and the Other Trolls Are Waiting to Be Discovered at The Morton Arboretum