Fox Bluff Conservation Area

10/09/2026

🍁Peak fall foliage is just around the corner! Current estimates indicate that peak fall colors will be visible from October 25 through October 31 in McHenry County.
Some of our favorite conservation areas for viewing autumn colors are Hickory Grove in Cary and Coral Woods in Marengo.

Explore these sites and more this fall at MCCD.me/Sites

📷Photo of Coral Woods Conservation Area by Sue Rose

10/08/2026

🐍This video was taken this summer and features newly released smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) neonates. One is trying to look intimidating with threatening gestures, while the others leave in a hurry!

Habitat loss has dramatically reduced smooth green snake numbers, making them a species of conservation concern in Illinois. To support the smooth green snake population, our staff collect eggs found in the field for incubation at the District’s Wildlife Resource Center. The hatching rate of incubated eggs is 95-99%, compared with 40% in the wild! The newly hatched neonates are then released on District sites.

10/07/2026

The ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is one of the most iconic ferns in McHenry County, famous for its “fiddleheads,” the tightly coiled shoots of young, emerging ostrich ferns. The infertile fronds of these plants, when fully grown, can reach between 2 and 6 feet in height and up to a foot in width. The fertile fronds of this plant are shorter and located toward its center. This fern gets its name from its resemblance to the large and impressive plumage of an ostrich.

🔎Featured as a sticker in this year’s Find Your Wild challenge, you can join the challenge and earn an ostrich fern sticker at MCCD.me/FindYourWild

10/07/2026

Join us on the last Hike with Mike of the year as we continue our “Trails Less Traveled” series and explore Camp Lakota with McHenry County Conservation Foundation.

Protecting our water, wildlife and way of life since 1971!

10/06/2026

Me when someone asks me to stick my neck out for them.

📷Photo of double-crested cormorant by Troy Stukowski

10/05/2026

We are proud to share that Education & Visitor Center Services Coordinator Kim Compton has been honored in the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame this year. Congrats, Kim!

10/05/2026

🐢Turtles bringing back planking was not on my 2026 bingo card.

📷Photo of painted turtle by Robert Novak

10/04/2026

🐦🐝🦌Happy World Animal Day!

The gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) doesn’t just get its name from its color. It is famous for its distinctive call, which sounds nearly identical to a domestic cat's “meow”!

📷 Photo of gray catbird by Michael McDow

10/03/2026

🤔 Do you agree with Heather’s ranking?