BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED JULY 2024 Bright sunshine. Vast skies loaded with white, fluffy clouds. Warm gusts of wind. Butterflies and dragonflies. Absolute solitude. No 24-hour news cycle. In short: I had nothing to complain about during my visit last week to 320-acre Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve in … Continue reading 7 Things to Do at Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF "NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND" UPDATED JUNE 2024 If Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve was a baseball hit, it would be a majestic home run walloped by Babe Ruth or “Hammerin' Hank" Aaron at the height of their powers. If it was a streaming success, it would be The Wire, one of … Continue reading Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve: Ravines, Rolling Hills, and a Historic 1862 Church/Nature Center
“The geese are having a blowout of an argument” was my first thought as I began hiking along the main trail that travels along a beautiful lake at Lake Renwick Preserve in Plainfield, Illinois. I heard a symphony of honking (although the geese lacked a conductor) that I estimated was coming from half a mile … Continue reading 5 Things to Do at Lake Renwick Preserve/Heron Rookery Nature Preserve
Where: 501 East Romeo Road, Romeoville, IL 60446, 815/886-1467, Website, FacebookOpen: Visitor Center: Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday: Noon–4 p.m.; Monday: Closed. The preserve is open 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Quick Review: A well-organized and attractive museum on an island in the Des Plaines River. It provides information on the fur trade between the … Continue reading Isle a la Cache Museum: Midwest Fur Trade History, Great Views of the Des Plaines River, and 9 Other Reasons to Visit
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