Goodbye 2017…Hello, 2018!

I want to thank all of my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2017. I launched the blog last March not sure how many people would want to read about nature, but the number of visitors grew almost every month, with visitor and page views peaking last month. Not a bad way to end the year. In 30+ blog posts, I’ve covered everything from eagle watching and views of the mighty Mississippi River at Mississippi Palisades State Park, to remnants of the Manhattan Project and great wildlife viewing in Red Gate Woods, to thousands of years of Native American history at Effigy Mounds National Monument, to President Trump and the environment. It’s been a lot of fun, and a great way to spend more time outdoors with Liam and Amy. I wish writing Nature in Chicagoland was my full-time job—maybe it will be some day.

I look forward to publishing more posts this year. But before I move onto 2018, the results are in for the most popular posts of 2017 based on reader analytics. There’s no Academy Awards-like mix-up with the wrong movie being read as the winner. No fake news. Just hard facts. In case you missed them, here were the reader favorites in 2017.

1. Red Gate Woods: Hawks and Hills, Sloughs and Snakes, and Ghosts and Buried Nuclear Waste, Oh My!
2. Need Gift Ideas for the Holidays and Beyond? I Have Some Talented Friends
3. Nature Photographer Discusses His Love of Lake Michigan and What We Can Do to Protect It
4. Orland Grassland: A Respite from Malls, Motorways, and Modernity
5. Thanksgiving Day: On Escaping Chicago, Spending Time with Family, and Enjoying a Fire and the Stars
6. Why I Garden…And Thoughts on My Italian Ancestors, Farming, the Seasons, and What Not
7. Seven Places to See Bison in the Midwest

Thanks for reading and supporting Nature in Chicagoland. Happy New Year, and have a great year outdoors!

Copyright (text/photos) Andrew Morkes

 

Red Gate Woods