BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF "NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND" Today is the seventh anniversary of my blog, "Nature in Chicagoland," and I’m so happy to have written more than 260 articles about woods, wetlands, prairies, lakes, and other natural areas in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I’m pleased that my articles on "Nature in … Continue reading Celebrating the Seventh Anniversary of My Blog, Nature in Chicagoland
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND In 1963, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act, which created the means of protecting the state’s rarest and most endangered landscapes. The act established the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC) to “preserve, protect, and defend natural areas and endangered species … Continue reading More Than 25 Illinois Nature Preserves to Visit to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Creation of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Today is the six-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland, and I'm so happy to have written more than 225 articles about the woods, wetlands, prairies, lakes, and other natural areas that make up Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I'm pleased that Nature in Chicagoland has … Continue reading Celebrating the Six-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Today is the five-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland, and I'm so happy to have written nearly 200 articles about the woods, wetlands, grasslands, prairies, lakes and other waterways, and other natural areas that make up Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. I'm pleased that Nature … Continue reading Celebrating the Five-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF "NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND" UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024 Looking for something to do this weekend and beyond? If so, check out these 30+ great places on Chicago’s South Side and in its south and southwest suburbs. I’ve also included Indiana Dunes National Park, one of our nation’s newest national parks, … Continue reading 30+ Great Destinations on Chicago’s South Side and in the Southland to Explore
The story of a 100-year-old home gobbled up by developers Ghost stories of Chicago's southwest suburbs and my own ghost story Hawks and hills, sloughs and snakes, and buried nuclear waste, oh my! 8 places to see bison in Chicagoland and the Midwest A beautiful and tranquil nature center on Chicago’s Southwest Side Beautiful, secluded … Continue reading The 10 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2019
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Looking for something to do this Labor Day weekend beyond? If so, check out these 16 great places on Chicago's South Side and in its south and southwest suburbs. I've also included Indiana Dunes National Park, our nation's newest national park, and it's just as … Continue reading 16 South Chicagoland Nature Wonders: Great Destinations on the South Side and in the South Suburbs to Check Out This Weekend and Beyond
I want to send a 500-foot-tall, Godzilla-like thank you to all of my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2018. In about 30 blog posts and more than 46,000 words (I didn't count them, so I'll have to trust my data analytics software), I’ve covered everything from troll hunting, snow shoeing, and … Continue reading Hello 2019…Goodbye 2018!
In case you missed them, here were the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2018 based on page views by my readers: 1. Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and 6 Other Reasons to Visit 2. Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by … Continue reading The 4 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2018
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