Local Blogs Beckon Armchair Naturalists to Investigate Midwest Nature

Andrew Morkes grew up enjoying the rolling hills, trees and daddy long leg spiders he saw when his dad took him hiking in the 15,000-acre Palos Forest Preserves. “I treasure that,” says Morkes, whose father passed away 25 years ago. Today, Morkes works to help others treasure local nature, and that’s one reason he started his blog five years ago, called, “Nature in Chicagoland”.

Morkes traveled in the United States and farther afield to see nature when he was in his 20s and 30s. But when his 11-year-old son Liam was born, he knew he’d have to stay closer to home. That’s when he began to more earnestly explore and journal about nature in Chicago’s backyard. He started the blog, which can get up to 2,000 readers a month, and then published Nature in Chicagoland: More than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. The book features 210 photographs and updated blog entries, as well as 60 percent new material.

“The one thing I notice, there are a lot more people writing about nature and photographing nature, and posting that on blogs,” Morkes says. “There’s an explosion of that, and I think that’s good.” Nature blogs in the region focus specifically about one group of animals; for example, birds seen at Montrose Harbor or insects in northeastern Illinois. Others reveal what can be seen in natural areas in Lake, Cook, Will, McHenry and DuPage counties.

Morkes, a professional writer and editor, says that nature blogs convey the author’s passion for the outdoors and offer readers a chance to go exploring. “People will write and ask where is one of the remotest, wildest place to go in the Cook County area,” he says. After they’ve visited there, they’ve written him letters saying the experience was just what they were looking for. “I had someone from Florida who moved up here,” Morkes recalls. “They said my book will be perfect for them to learn about places in the Chicago area to explore.”

Morkes says as soon as his son was old enough, he and his wife took him hiking near and far. “The blog and the book tell the story of my son growing up outdoors and us teaching him about the outdoors,” Morkes says. “Though photos make great memories, stories written down in real time as a blog can be more compelling.”

One of the favorite places he blogs about is Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve, in Palos Park. “It is literally the wildest place in Cook County. It’s one of the most isolated,” Morkes explains. “I love the ravines, the creeks, the prairie.”

His son Liam says that his favorite natural area closest to home that his father has blogged about is North Park Village Nature Center, in Chicago. Liam likes the boardwalk where he can watch frogs and a big hill he can climb. Another place Morkes blogs about is Messenger Woods, in Homer Glen. “The blooming Virginia bluebells there are wonderful in spring,” he says.

Morkes has also blogged about Keepetaw Preserve, in Will County, a little-known natural area. “It has amazing views there, and the limestone was quarried from the area many years ago to build some of the old buildings on Michigan Avenue in Chicago,” he says.

His blog also takes readers to places in a different season then when they typically visit. For example, Lake Renwick Nature Preserve, in Plainfield, is known for its heron rookeries in spring and summer, but Morkes went there last winter to explore the preserve and discovered thousands of geese and ducks making noises from the marsh. “It was pretty amazing,” he says. “Sometimes people in Chicagoland have their two or three go-to spots, and that’s it. I feel like there are so many neat places that people aren’t aware of.”

Morkes has a bucket list of places in the region he’d like to visit. He crossed off Nachusa Grasslands last year and says, “I loved the bison there. I enjoy the solitude and the wildness of it.”

Some nature bloggers zero in on specific animals. For example, Robert Hughes, of Chicago, writes the Montrose Birding Blog. “Montrose Point is one of the most popular and renowned bird and nature sanctuaries in the United States,” Hughes says. “Empowering people with the information they can use to make informed decisions about birding Montrose is a passion of mine.” Hughes has written the blog since 2011 and includes photos he’s taken of birds he’s discovered; for example, white-winged scoters on Lake Michigan in March.

A retired naturalist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Carl Strang has been writing his nature inquiries blog since 2008. He focuses on natural history investigations in northeastern Illinois, especially singing insects, dragonflies, birds, mammals and geology. “By investigations, I mean a broad range of studies from general or anecdotal observations to more focused scientific studies,” Strang explains.

Strang, who holds a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology, reveals new discoveries he’s found in the region through his blog. For example, he recently recorded the sounds of a slow-tinkling trig, a type of cricket, in the Chicago region, which he had never documented before. Strang includes the songs of crickets and other singing insects on his blog. “I hope that this blog will encourage children and teachers to learn about science from the inside by conducting their own inquiries in the outdoors,” Strang says.

Sheryl DeVore has written six books on science, health and nature, as well as nature, health and environment stories for national and regional publications. Read more at SherylDeVore.wordpress.com.

Nature Blogs from the Chicago Region

Here are some Chicago region nature blogs that offer inspiration to get outdoors as spring returns.

The Montrose Birding Blog:
TheOrniphile.info/wordpress

Neighborhood Nature: A blog about the nature found in neighborhoods and parks in Oak Park and on Chicago’s west side—NeighborhoodNature.wordpress.com

Lake County Nature: Find your niche—LakeCountyNature.com

Discover Chicago Nature: Connecting to nature in and around Chicago—DiscoverChicagoNature.home.blog

The Buzz: Forest Preserve District of Will County—
ReconnectWithNature.org/news-events/the-buzz

Nature Inquiries: Natural history investigations in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region—NatureInquiries.wordpress.com

Nature’s Storytellers: A Blog About Nature in Our DuPage Forest Preserves—
DupageForest.org/blog/topic/nature