Favorite Photos from 10 Years

A look back at some of the Chicago WILDERNESS images people still talk about.

01 Cecropia moth, Summer ’99. Tropical rain forest? No. These gray cocoons and the richly brocaded moths that emerge every spring can be found in every Chicagoland neighborhood. Photo by Joe Nowak.

02 Bobcat, Winter ’04. Bobcats are occasionally killed by cars in Cook, DuPage, and McHenry Counties. But seeing one of these stealthy prowlers in the wild is a lifetime experience. Photo by Joe Nowak.

03 Spears Woods, Summer ’02. As with many of our most beautiful oak savannas, this scene at Spears Woods near Willow Springs has recovered its richness at the healing hand of volunteer stewards. Photo by Mike MacDonald/ChicagoNature.com.

04 Coyote, Winter ’01. Frightening to some, exhilarating to others, the now common coyote is one of the wildest expressions of Chicago Wilderness. Photo by Alan G. Nelson/Root Resources.

05 Red dogwood and yellow maple, Fall ’02. As fall leaves bow out with a flare, the lichens on tree bark are just coming into their own. Photo by Willard Clay.

06 Lesser scaup, Spring ’99. One of the region’s commonest ducks during migration, the lesser scaup is missed by most people, because it stays binocular-distance out from shore on our lakes and rivers. Photo by Art Morris/Birds as Art.

07 Flint Creek Savanna, Winter ’99. A fine preserve near Barrington in the peacefulness of an old-fashioned winter. Most of Flint Creek Savanna’s diverse ecosystem sleeps beneath the snow as roots, seeds, eggs, cocoons, or in hibernation. Photo by Donna Lee.

08 Frostweed, Winter ’99. This remarkable ice sculpture of unknown purpose is the product of the slowly oozing sap of frostweed, a plant that takes its name from this mysterious phenomenon. Photo by Casey Galvin.

09 Long-tailed duck, Winter ’99. The long-tailed duck (or “oldsquaw”) is a regular winter resident on Lake Michigan. They can “fly underwater,” using their wings to dive down as deep as 200 feet for a meal of fingernail clams. Photo by Art Morris/Birds as Art.

10 Red fox kit, Fall ’00. Photographer Jason Lindsey spent the better part of a week observing this fox den, on the land of a neighbor of Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County. Photo by Jason Lindsey.

11 Big bluestem, Fall ’00. In late summer bloom, the three big toes of “turkey-foot” grass, aka big bluestem, become an attractive truss for a spider’s dewy web. Photo by Walt Anderson/Root Resources.

12 Purple prairie clover, Summer ’00. Since this native legume grows only shin-high, many miss its brief but bright flower. Not so this pollinating flower fly. Photo by Pat Wadecki.

13 Wood ducks, Fall ’99. Not as common as mallards, but still a frequent sight in natural areas, wood ducks in breeding plumage are a work of art. Even the understated female is a treat to see. Photo by Rob Curtis/The Early Birder.

14 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, Fall ’97. We had been working on the magazine for well over six months planning an autumn launch, but by September we still did not have a cover photo. (Crisis!) Finally, senior editor Stephen Packard went to Poplar Creek Forest Preserve in Cook County and recorded this magical misty moment of Linda Masters amid majestic oaks and tall Joe Pye weed.

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