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...
