Goodbye 2022…Hello 2023!

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I want to thank my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2022. I continue to love writing this blog, and wish I had more time in my daily life to do so. I visited many nature destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West …

An Elegy for Chicago’s Walking Man

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND All he wanted to do was to walk the city streets in peace every day.   Joseph Kromelis walked and walked the streets that sprawled below the steel and stone canyons of Chicago’s Loop, Magnificent Mile, and Streeterville, past bustling businessmen, tourists walking five abreast …

8 Reasons You Should Vote Yes for the Cook County Forest Preserves on Election Day and 11 Spots to Visit

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND The Forest Preserves of Cook County feature 70,000+ acres of beautiful public land. Its prairies, forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams, and savannah provide excellent opportunities for hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, horseback riding, running, cross-country skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, swimming, and other forms of outdoor recreation. It …

Middlefork Savanna Nature Preserve: Great Blooms, Biking, Hiking, and Nature Experiences

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND How lucky we are to have such natural places as Middlefork Savanna Nature Preserve, where the saw-toothed sunflowers grow tall as fairytale giants (OK, maybe not that tall), the plentiful asters prettily mark the end of wildflower season, and the birds seem to sing a …

Birding Blogger and Filmmaker Releases “The Magic Stump”—a Must-See Documentary

I recently watched Bob Dolgan’s nature documentary “The Magic Stump,” and it’s a beautiful and thoughtful meditation on the love of birding, the friendships it helps to deepen, and the lives of Prairie Falcons and other birds. It reminds us that birding is the perfect alternative to our fast-paced, immediate gratification society that seems to …

Illinois Beach State Park: Beautiful Dune, Lake, and River Views; Hiking; Biking; Camping; and Other Great Outdoor Recreational Activities

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND There are only 63 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois (as opposed to 3,288 miles in Michigan), and much of this land has been developed as part of city lakefronts, heavy industry, and private beachfront property. That’s why Illinois Beach State Park (1 Lake …

Remembering David Fode

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Dave (right) and I at his wedding. I still don’t believe it. I might never believe that one of my best friends is gone. I loved Dave like a brother and always will. I met Dave almost 40 years ago as a high school freshman …

Bluff Spring Fen: A Fen-tastic Nature Experience in Far Western Cook County

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND If you only read one sentence of this entire story, it should be this one: Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve is an amazing place that is at the height of its summertime wildflower show, and you should visit today, tomorrow, or very soon to see …

The Flight 93 National Memorial Commemorates Bravery and a Momentous Time in U.S. History

I’m taking a break from spotlighting nature destinations to write about my family’s visit last month to the Flight 93 National Memorial in southeastern Pennsylvania. Actually, this post barely mentions my family, but rather focuses on the events of the day and the brave passengers and crew of Flight 93. The story of Flight 93 …

Art Exhibition Celebrates the Natural Beauty and Rebirth of Chicago’s Industrial Southeast Side

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND If you hike or paddle in the right natural spot in Chicagoland, it’s almost as if you’re not in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. There are peaceful and verdant prairies filled with prairie blazing star, black-eyed Susan, compass plant, rattlesnake …