Riverview Farmstead Preserve

06/15/2026

New summer missions are now live in Be a Trailblazer! Lace up your shoes, explore the preserves, and turn your outdoor adventures into fun challenges. Sign up and start blazing trails!

There’s a great, big world out there, and the forest preserves are the perfect place to start exploring it. Join our Be a Trailblazer campaign to win some prizes along the way.

06/07/2026

When the sun goes down this month, keep your eyes on the sky! Watch for Venus and Jupiter shining side by side on June 8 and 9. About a week later, Mercury will be meeting the crescent moon on June 17, and we will also have a beautiful Strawberry Moon rising on June 29.

There are many nights in June to experience the wonders of space! Which will you be looking out for?

The time between sunrise and sunset reaches its maximum in June, so make plans to enjoy all that daylight.

05/31/2026

Woodchucks may not inspire awe like an eagle or caution like a snake, but they have a charm all their own.

Whether they are basking in the sun outside their burrows or munching on vegetation, these chunky little hibernators always seem perfectly content with life, and that is enough to make anyone smile.

Photographing wildlife can be an adventure, but the woodchuck is an easy subject.

05/24/2026

Blue-winged teals are small migratory ducks that pass through our wetlands during their seasonal journeys across North America.

These dabbling ducks feed along the water’s surface, tipping forward to reach aquatic plants, insects and seeds. Despite their size, they play an important role in balancing wetland ecosystems and controlling both plant and insect populations.

If you spot a quick flash of blue in flight, you might just be seeing one of these seasonal visitors passing through.

Blue-winged teals are migratory ducks, one of the last to arrive here each spring and one of the first to head south each fall. 

05/17/2026

Learn about the difference of white-tailed deer and Eastern phoebe and how they use their tails to communicate.

05/10/2026

Not all turtles have hard shells.

The eastern spiny softshell turtle has a flat, leathery shell and a long, snorkel-like nose, making it perfectly adapted for life in the water. Found in rivers and lakes across Illinois, these fast, agile turtles spend much of their time buried in sand or mud, waiting to ambush prey.

Their unique look and behavior make them one of the most fascinating aquatic reptiles to spot.

Eastern spiny softshell turtles aren't as large as snapping turtles, but they are one of the biggest freshwater turtles in the United States.

05/03/2026

Toads vs. frogs: All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Toads usually have dry, bumpy skin, while frogs are smooth and moist. That bumpy skin sparked the myth about warts, but it is not true. Another clue is how they move. Frogs leap, while toads take shorter hops because of their shorter legs.

What looks a lot like a frog but doesn't jump like a frog or eat like a frog? A toad. Learn what makes toads unique and what separates them from frogs. 

04/26/2026

Exciting progress at Riverview Farmstead Preserve!

The Settlement House is getting important upgrades to improve safety and protect the building. A new brick paver floor is being installed to replace the old dirt floor, which had been damaged by burrowing animals and left uneven and unstable.

A concrete apron is also being added at the front entrance, along with a steel fence around the building to help prevent future damage.

These improvements will create a safer, more stable space for visitors and allow the District to display historic farm equipment. When open for programs, guests will be able to step inside and explore this building, once used by the Clow family in the 1800s.

The 388-acre Riverview Farmstead Preserve was acquired between 1994 and 2012. The preserve is part of the DuPage River preservation system, which conserves more than 1,500 acres.

04/24/2026

It's time to play another round of name that tree!

04/19/2026

How good is your knowledge on flowers? Are you able to name that flower? Let us know if you can in the comments!