Hickory Creek Preserve

10/21/2026

Just like people, animals need reliable sources of food, water and shelter all year long.

Want to see wildlife in your yard all winter long? The key is to make it a welcoming place for them to visit. 

10/15/2026

Grab your bike and join us for a ride to experience the best of the fall color along the Hickory Creek Bikeway. We'll be riding 6.3 miles, taking in the sights of the season on this leisurely ride. Don't miss your chance to see the best fall has to offer!

Leisurely Leaf Cycle
When: 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24
Where: Hickory Creek Preserve — Hickory Creek Junction
Registration required.

10/24/2026: Take advantage of the beauty Mother Nature has to offer in the fall with a bike ride along the Hickory Creek Bikeway.

10/14/2026

Deer are crepuscular, which means they are more active at dusk and dawn. Because of this, most accidents with deer happen between 5 and 8 a.m. and 5 and 10 p.m.

During mating season, deer tend to move about more freely, causing an uptick in collisions with vehicles.

10/07/2026

In Illinois, indoor spiders generally consist of cellar spiders, cobweb spiders, sac spiders and brown spiders, including the brown recluse.

Wolf spiders tend to get a bad rap in autumn for invading our houses as the weather cools, but they are mostly being falsely accused.

09/30/2026

There are many reasons to look forward to the changing seasons, and for many people, the arrival of some of our most beloved birds is part of the seasonal anticipation each spring and fall.

Migratory birds are heading south, and here's when we can expect to see some of our favorites. 

09/23/2026

One key identification feature is a "waist" or lack thereof. Yellow jackets are a type of wasp, and all wasps have a waistline where their abdomens become tapered where it meets the thorax. Bees do not have these narrow waists where the abdomen meets the thorax.

The buzz of an insect in your ear can come from many different sources, from mosquitoes and flies to bees and wasps. When it's a bee or wasp buzzing by, two common culprits — honeybees and yellow jackets — can be cause for confusion. 

09/17/2026

Celebrate and support our public lands by joining Forest Preserve crews for a morning of volunteer work clearing brush at Hickory Creek Preserve. No experience is necessary, and equipment is provided.

National Public Lands Day: Volunteer Morning
When: 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 27
Where: Hickory Creek Preserve — LaPorte Road Access
Registration is required.

9/27/2026: Get some fresh air and exercise while helping to make a difference in your community by attending one or more of the Forest Preserve’s volunteer mornings.

09/16/2026

"I decided to do my first Woods Walk hike of the season at Hickory Creek Preserve's Hickory Creek Barrens Nature Preserve. I picked this trail as my first one for a few reasons. First, it's a 3.5-mile hike, the second longest of this year's trails, and I thought it would be good to get a long trail checked off the list to start my experience. It's kind of a hilly stretch of trail, too, at least by northern Illinois standards. I also wanted to start with a trail that had a good mix of habitat types. Hickory Creek Preserve includes a little bit of everything — woodlands, grasslands, savannas, the creek and other wetlands — and the trail at Hickory Creek Barrens showcases a lot of it, so it seemed like a good place to get the full Woods Walk experience."

Woods Walk just kicked off its 24th year, and Meghan decided this is the year for her inaugural Woods Walk experience.

09/11/2026

Put a spin on your Sunday brunch plans by joining us for a special brunch edition of BYOB Bingo! Play along for a free for a chance to win fun prizes while enjoying an afternoon with good company in the great outdoors. Feel free to bring some nibbles and bubbly. We'll be serving light refreshments.

BYOB Bingo Brunch
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20
Where: Hickory Creek Preserve — LaPorte Road Access

9/20/2026: Join us for a special brunch edition of BYOB Bingo at Hickory Creek Preserve!

09/09/2026

Northern flickers are cavity nesters, and they usually excavate their own holes in dead or dying trees, although they will also move into existing cavities. Like most woodpeckers, northern flickers mostly eat insects, and their foods of choice are ants and beetles. They also eat butterflies, moths, flies and snails, and when insects aren't available, they will turn their attention to berries and seeds.

On the ground, they are easily able to hunt for their preferred foods. Because they often probe into the soil to find ants and other insects, their long bills have a slight curve at the end to help they dig in the dirt.

Northern flickers are mostly brown in color, but they show flashes of other hues both at rest and in flight. Their breasts are covered in black polka dots, and they have a stark black bib between their heads and their breasts. On their heads, they sport patches of rich gray.

(Photos courtesy of Chad Morsch)