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 Project and great wildlife viewing in Red Gate Woods in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago, to first-time snowshoeing with my son in Galena, Illinois, to thousands of years of Native American history at Effigy Mounds National Monument in eastern Iowa, to President Trump and the environment. I’ve occasionally taken a break from nature to talk about something that’s important to me—such as gun control.

It’s been a rewarding year, and I look forward to telling you about many of my favorite destinations in Chicagoland over the next year. But before I move on to year two, here were the most popular posts of the last year:

1. Red Gate Woods: Hawks and Hills, Sloughs and Snakes, and Ghosts and Buried Nuclear Waste, Oh My!
2. America 2018: Thoughts on School Shootings, Gun Control, Gerrymandering, and Kindness
3. Nature Photographer Discusses His Love of Lake Michigan and What We Can Do to Protect It
4. First-Time Showshoer Tells All: 10 Tips for Success and My Son’s Thank You
5. Orland Grassland: A Respite from Malls, Motorways, and Modernity
6. Thanksgiving Day: On Escaping Chicago, Spending Time with Family, and Enjoying a Fire and the Stars
7. Why I Garden…And Thoughts on My Italian Ancestors, Farming, the Seasons, and What Not
8. Seven Places to See Bison in the Midwest
9. Mississippi Palisades State Park—Great Views, Muddy Shoes, and Eagles in Twos
10. A Personal Ghost Story, Ghosts of Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs, and 11 Spots for Post-Ghost-Tour Fun

Thanks for reading and supporting Nature in Chicagoland. Have a great year outdoors!

Copyright (text/photos) Andrew Morkes

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa

Red Gate Woods