Summer Wilderness
Summer in the Forest Preserves
Bats become active in the summer. They are the only mammals that can really fly. They fly at night searching for insects and use their ears, not their eyes, to find their way. Bats make a high-pitch scream and listen for echoes. This is called echolocation. We cannot hear the real sound that bats use to navigate because it is too high pitched.
Summer is the best season to spot turtles in the forest preserves. Painted turtles can be found sitting in the sun and swimming in ponds and lakes. The bottom of their shells look like someone painted them with bright orange spots. Snapping turtles are the largest turtles in our area. You can recognize them by the spines on their tails and shells. Soft shell turtles live mostly in rivers in DuPage County. Their shells look like leather. If you see a turtle wandering from the water, it's probably a female turtle looking for a spot to lay her eggs.
Fireflies are also active in the summer. There is only one species of firefly that lives in our backyards. Other species need thicker vegetation like marshes, woodlands and prairies. When fireflies are flickering, they are signaling to each other to attract a mate. Different species of fireflies flicker in different ways. One species imitates the flicker of other species so that it can eat them. When you see a firefly flickering, there is one easy way to tell whether it is a male or a female. Male fireflies usually flicker in the air, while female fireflies are usually on the ground or on plants when they flicker.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5000, Wheaton, IL 60189-5000
email: forest@dupageforest.com (630) 933-7200 Fax: (630) 933-7204 TTY: (800) 526-0857