St. Charles Park District Nature News – May 29 Boy, talk about a time warp. Last week’s headlines about people dumping chemicals into the Fox River read like something out of the 1960s, when the idea of watershed health was still in its infancy. The Clean Water Act had yet to be passed, and waterways
Runoff, Storm Drain, Water
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s tent season. Tour our local parks and forest preserves, even your own neighborhoods, on a weekend and you’re sure to see tents sheltering dozens, perhaps hundreds, of revelers. It’s graduation and wedding season, and celebrations are in full swing. But if you own a fruit tree—apple, cherry, anything in
Bug, Insect, Tent Caterpillars
St. Charles Park District Nature News – May 15 Be careful what you wish for. That’s the phrase that came to mind this week as I watched and read the news reports of the rain and resulting floods that hit the Chicago area Wednesday night into Thursday. Viaducts were underwater, roads were closed; a few
Flood, Rain, Water
Be careful what you wish for. That’s the phrase that came to mind this week as I watched and read the news reports of the rain and resulting floods that hit the Chicago area Wednesday night into Thursday. Viaducts were underwater, roads were closed; a few basements got a good soaking too. Yet, only a
Flood, Rain, Runoff, Water
St. Charles Park District Nature News – May 8 I know we weren’t supposed to, but we did it anyway. We counted our eggs before they hatched. To make matters worse, they technically aren’t even “our” eggs. But since they’re in “our” parking lot here at Pottawatomie, several of us on staff have felt a
Duck Eggs, Hatch, NestSt. Charles Park District Nature News – May 1 You know what it’s like when you know where something’s supposed to be, but you just can’t seem to find it? For me it happens all the time with things like coffee cups and car keys. And nature. Take, for instance, a naturalist program I was
Bird, Eagle, FlyYou know what it’s like when you know where something’s supposed to be, but you just can’t seem to find it? For me it happens all the time with things like coffee cups and car keys. And nature. Take, for instance, a naturalist program I was involved with several years ago when I worked for
Bird, Eagle, Fly, Nature
St. Charles Park District Nature News – April 17 My dad was a big fan of the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. (So big a fan, in fact, that he wouldn’t pick up my mom for their weekly Saturday night date until after the show was over.) It follows then that, by association—and maybe genetics—I too
Bird, Fly, Woodpecker
My dad was a big fan of the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. (So big a fan, in fact, that he wouldn’t pick up my mom for their weekly Saturday night date until after the show was over.) It follows then that, by association—and maybe genetics—I too am a big Honeymooners fan. Every one of those
Bird, Fly, Sapsucker
“Just add water.” Not only is that directive my favorite kind of recipe, it’s also the formula for springtime flora…and fungus. This past week’s rains have our woodland wildflowers—spring beauties, hepatica, twinleaf and bloodroot, to name a few—grabbing lots of attention in the Native Plant Garden at Pottawatomie Park. But a few astute visitors have
Ear Butter, Fungi, Fungus