September is a transition month in the Lily Pool. As the end of summer approaches, the plants put forth a final effort to bloom, set seed, and prepare for the winter. Well versed in native plants, Alfred Caldwell chose a wide range of trees, shrubs, perennials...
Photo by Mindy Munson We're on track to break ground on North Pond's restoration this fall. On August 26th, the Chicago Plan Commission approved the Lakefront Protection application for our North Pond Restoration Project. This approval represented a major step in the project timeline to ensure...
[caption id="attachment_4288" align="alignleft" width="240"] Steve Slaske's painting of the Lily Pool[/caption] The Lincoln Park Conservatory will feature the watercolor works of local artist Steve Slaske in the Show House during the months of September and October. According to the artist, "The pandemic lockdown caused me to...
20th Anniversary of the Lily Pool Restoration Celebration, part of Open House Chicago & the Conservancy’s Fall Into the Park events season. In honor of both the 20th Anniversary of the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Restoration and the virtual component of Open House Chicago, we are celebrating the Lily Pool throughout October....
By: Sierra Chmela Most Illinoisans are familiar with at least one or two varieties of milkweed. These showy plants are the only food source for monarch butterfly larvae. Consequently, our state insect will only breed near a supply of milkweed! In July, we posted about the three...
By: Sierra Chmela Throughout the country, fire is a challenge many plants have evolved to deal with and even come to rely on. Though we often hear of the wildfires raging out west, fire has been an integral part of midwestern ecosystems for thousands of years. Many...
If you’ve been reading our blog series on the Lily Pool, you’ll recall that Caldwell’s original design of the Lily Pool lasted less than a decade before becoming the Lincoln Park Zoo’s bird habitat. While the site served a useful purpose and even hosted concerts,...
[caption id="attachment_4900" align="alignleft" width="225"] Great Blue Heron in the Lily Pool[/caption] The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is an oasis, a refuge from the concrete city, both for the people of Chicago and for the animals that call it home. Every year in the spring and the fall,...
The Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanium) draws large crowds and media coverage, and its blooming is one of the most exciting and anticipated events at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The scientific name translates literally to giant, misshapen phallus. In its native Sumatra, it is termed ‘Bunga Bangkai’,...
The Conservatory welcomes ticketed visitors Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 3pm. Before your next visit to the Conservatory, please be aware that the Chicago Park District has updated its indoor and outdoor mask policy. In accordance with updated recommendations from the Chicago Department of...
