Studded with galls and marked by a long, zipper-like scar, the last of seven elm trees presided massively over our front yard, sheltering generations of squirrels and at least one small human who w
I grew up on Main Street in Lisle. My grandpa worked and my grandparents lived in The Morton Arboretum, so trees were a big part of my life!
My parents retired to a smaller home in the Aurora area as they aged, and their home had a cherry tree in the backyard. I would visit them weekly from the north suburbs with my children.
Redbuds always remind me of the beauty of spring, the awakening from the winter and the coming of a vibrant summer.
My husband and I moved into a new home in Grayslake in 1993. The subdivision was new, but it was built on the site of a former horse farm.
All of the homes were the same Queen Anne style on the short 6400 block of North Newland Avenue in Chicago in the 1950s.
A mighty oak stood within Glacial Park in McHenry County for over 400 years.
I have always loved and honored trees for their beauty strength and resilience. Long before I became an Openlands TreeKeeper I was a tree-hugger.
Though I don’t know how old our magnolia tree is, its broad stature and comfortable demeanor allows me to dream that it’s been there forever.
My tree is not tall nor mighty today, but what it represents is powerful.
When I was a small child, I liked animals. This is easy--animals have recognizable faces, personalities, behaviors. Animals are athletic, they like to run and play!
We call her Betty. Betty White (Oak)! She was discovered during a New Year's Eve Oak Rescue at a private property along Route 14 in Harvard.
When I was a young man getting into forestry, a mentor turned me on to the chinkapin oak.
To honor his brother John, my colleague Jim planted a swamp white oak tree next to the pond overlook at our nature center.
As an arborist I often try to save little seedlings that will be lost for some reason or another.
I was truly caught up in the spirit of my first Arbor Day celebration. I needed a tree to plant between my driveway and my neighbor's.
Although I have a sad story about the end of a tree, it is also a story of how that tree continues to contribute to the Riverside community and has connected people who share a passion for our plan
