Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 If you view many people’s Facebook, X, and Instagram posts (including mine sometimes), nature is pretty, awe-inspiring, often cuddly, and almost perfect in its beauty. In photos and stories, the spring flowers are a multi-colored blanket of … Continue reading Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by a Bison, and Having a Scratched Cornea Ruin My First Date With My Future Wife
Category: Illinois
Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and Six Other Reasons to Visit
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 Thousands and thousands of years ago, a spring-fed stream began to carve a ravine into a bluff that overlooked a river. As time passed, the ravine grew deeper. Native Americans (including the Potawatomi chief Black Partridge) lived in and/or travelled through the … Continue reading Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and Six Other Reasons to Visit
Messenger Woods: Famous Spring Flowers and Year-Round Fun
AFTER MONTHS OF GRAY, DREARY WINTER IN CHICAGO, the Virginia bluebells, great white trillium, and other flowers that blanket the gently rolling hills of Messenger Woods Nature Preserve (13800 W Bruce Road, Homer Glen, IL 60491; 815/727-8700; Facebook page) almost hypnotize you when you suddenly see them in all their glory. That’s what Ellen, my wife’s … Continue reading Messenger Woods: Famous Spring Flowers and Year-Round Fun
The 3 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in April 2018
In case you missed them, here were the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in April 2018 based on page views by my readers: 1. Eight Things to Do Outdoors This Spring in Chicagoland 2. Scilla and the Coming of Spring 3. Seven Places to See Bison in the Midwest Copyright (text/photos) Andrew Morkes
Scilla and the Coming of Spring
Snowdrops. Crocuses. Glory-of-the-Snows. I love these plucky flowers that defy winter and burst through piles of dwindling snow or otherwise weather the cool early spring temperatures in Chicago (especially this spring). But spring truly arrives for me when I see the brilliant violet-blue Scilla blanketing the glacial ridge that looms over Longwood Drive in my … Continue reading Scilla and the Coming of Spring
The Field Museum: Dinosaurs, Mummies, a Bug’s-Eye View of the World, and Much More
Chicago is known for its stunning architecture, talented writers, cutting-edge food scene, winning sports teams, and its world-class museums. But if you’ve lived in Chicago your entire life, it’s easy to take our museums for granted. Many people visit these vast repositories of ideas, science, art, history, and nature when they are kids, and never … Continue reading The Field Museum: Dinosaurs, Mummies, a Bug’s-Eye View of the World, and Much More
8 Things to Do Outdoors This Spring in Chicagoland
Spring is here in Chicagoland—at least if you look at the calendar, but not the thermometer. Warmer weather is on the horizon, spring flowers are stirring beneath the ground, migratory birds are heading north, and it will be warm and green in no time. Here are 8 things you should do outdoors this spring in … Continue reading 8 Things to Do Outdoors This Spring in Chicagoland
Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
Today is the one-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland. In the last year, I’ve published more than 40 articles (45,000+ words, I can’t believe it myself) about the great outdoors. I’ve covered everything from eagle watching and views of the mighty Mississippi River at Mississippi Palisades State Park, to remnants of the Manhattan … Continue reading Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
First-Time Snowshoer Tells All: 10 Tips for Success and My Son’s Thank You
My snow mantra worked—maybe too well! Within the last week or so, snow-starved Chicagoland became a winter wonderland. Shouts of joy and a blizzard of curse words came from those who either embraced or were enraged by the nearly 12 inches of snow that’s fallen in the last week. Last week, my wife, 7-year-old son, … Continue reading First-Time Snowshoer Tells All: 10 Tips for Success and My Son’s Thank You
Ditch the Winter Blahs and Go Snowshoeing in the Cook County Forest Preserves
Imagine hiking in the wilds of Chicagoland amidst a foot of soft, crunchy snow. If you were wearing boots, you’d be almost up to your knees in snow—and quickly tiring. But you’re wearing snowshoes, and you are moving free and easy atop the snow (although you might need a little practice if you’re a first-time … Continue reading Ditch the Winter Blahs and Go Snowshoeing in the Cook County Forest Preserves