I love winter and have been hoping for a lot more snow, which we got last week, but only after an unseasonably (record-smashing) warm spell. Much as I love winter and want to stay in the moment, that ...

But just how long it will last and how quickly it will flow depends on the weather. Warm daytime temperatures followed by freezing weather at night have been the perfect scenario to start tapping tree ...

The vernal equinox happens this year on Tuesday, March 20, at about 7:30 a.m. central time. This is the moment at which darkness equals light at the equator (hence the name of equinox). To most of us, ...

As spring approaches, there’s magic in the woods. Trees almost defy gravity when the sap stored in their roots begins flowing upward. And the Lake County Forest Preserves takes advantage of that ...

It is finally spring, which is a magical time of year at Woodland Dunes. Birds are migrating back to our preserve as the days get warmer, but the birds are not the only things making great movement.

You can celebrate this sweet symbol of winter’s nearing end with some upcoming events in the area. “Maple sugaring is the process of taking maple sap and cooking it down into syrup or sugar,” said ...

March: The season of sap and soil. In the forest, lines are strung between maples and the trees are tapped, ready for the month's alternating low and high temperatures to send sap flowing beneath the ...

Corinne Peterson, center, and daughter Wendy Berg spread their enthusiasm for tree sap with Clyde, 6, foreground, and Greta, 8, during a collection outing on April 18, 2014. The Bergs of St. Paul ...