The buzz
All Buzz Articles
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A Halloween pennant dragonfly perched atop vegetation.
Mosquitoes driving you indoors? Attract dragonflies to your yard
6/30/2025Dragonflies can eat dozens of mosquitoes a day, so attracting them to your yard might help make your time outside more enjoyable.
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A person standing in a field with a star-filled sky above. A meteor is streaking across the sky.
Wish upon a shooting star: July a good month for meteor activity
6/27/2025Meteor activity will be heating up in July, with three meteor showers sending shooting stars streaking across the night sky.
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A capybara, with its brown fur, swims in water with two offspring behind it.
Wild Relatives: The capybara
6/25/2025What wallows like a pig, swims like a hippo and looks like a giant guinea pig? A capybara, the largest rodent in the world.
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A blue jay splashing in a bird bath.
Help wildlife beat the heat by leaving water out for them
6/18/2025What are you doing to beat the heat this summer? If you can, add leaving water out for wildlife to your list.
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Fireworks lighting up the night sky over a lake.
Booms in the night: Fireworks displays pose risks for wildlife
6/18/2025It's not just our pets who suffer around the Fourth of July. Loud, booming fireworks pose serious risks to wildlife too.
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Adult and juvenile bison standing in tall grasses and vegetation.
Quiz: Can you ace this bison test?
6/16/2025Here's your chance to test your knowledge of these amazing animals.
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An opossum curled up on the ground with its teeth bared while playing dead.
Nature curiosity: Why do opossums play dead?
6/13/2025Playing dead might not seem like an effective strategy for avoiding capture by predators, but for some animals it's just the thing.
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It's lightning bug season, so be on the lookout for these incredible insects
6/12/2025Catching lightning bugs is a summer rite of passage, but do you know how these bugs light up? Or why?
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A Blanding's turtle in shallow water with vegetation behind it.
Quiz: What's your Blanding's turtle IQ?
6/9/2025Take this 10-question quiz to find out.
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A lavender plant in a pot next to a building and a walkway.
Plant these plants to help keep mosquitoes away in your yard
6/9/2025Mosquitoes bugging you in your yard? These plants may help keep them away.
Current Headlines
Half-price dog park permits go on sale July 1
Half-price dog park permits will be available for purchase starting July 1 online and at Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet. The permits can be used at all six Forest Preserve dog parks through the end of 2025.
Volunteer opportunities abound in the preserves this summer
The Forest Preserve District is offering a variety of short-term volunteer opportunities this summer, from hands-on habitat restoration to helping at public programs and events. With limited space and high demand, early registration is encouraged.