Forest Preserves of Cook County 2025 Winter Brochure

Photo by Fidencio Marbella Top left: Image by Mox Top right: Image by Isa On the surface, winter can look like silence in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Bare trees, brittle grass and frozen soil make it seem that nature has pressed pause. But look closer and you will find that plants are quietly sustaining themselves and the ecosystems around them even when they appear asleep. Take skunk cabbage, for example. In a feat that feels almost magical, this remarkable wetland plant produces enough heat to melt snow around it. In that clear patch of ground, the skunk cabbage can be the first plant in the area to bloom, luring in early pollinators like flies with its rotten meat smell when little else is available. It’s one of the first hints that spring is quietly stirring beneath the frost. While skunk cabbage is waking up, many shrubs are still carrying last season’s gifts. Chokeberry, viburnum and other berry-bearing shrubs hold onto their fruit through the coldest months. To a hungry bird searching for nourishment when insects are scarce, those bright berries can mean survival. of Winter dead milkweed ironweed coneflowers or button bush