WILD Oaktober

Darien Garden Club and Indian Prairie Public Library are collaborating to present Wild Oaktober.

This year we have a special presentation as well as walk-up education and fun for all ages! See details below.

The exhibits at this walk-up event include education, crafts, games and more! Don't leave the kids (squirrels) at home, we have plenty for them to do.

Learn to recognize an Oak tree, find out why they are so important, and leave understanding what you can do to help restore the Oak ecosystem. You may even go home with your very own Oak sapling or learn how to plant an acorn to grow your own tree!

• What is an Oak? Learn identification skills to identify IL Oaks.
• What is so great about Oaks? Learn how important Oaks are to the local ecosystem.
• What can I do? Learn how you can make a difference by adding Oak trees to the landscape.

Learn how important Oaks are to our frisky squirrel friends, local birds and their nestlings, and other native wildlife.

Take home an Oak sapling or acorns to grow your own tree.

The event will be held in the reading garden and around Keshav’s Garden weather permitting. We will move indoors if needed.

This is a drop in event, there is no need to register at IPPL. For more information see IPPL Calendar link

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This year running concurrently with our exhibits and activities there will be a presentation about keystone species and healthy ecosystems in Keshav Sanghani 's Meeting Room.

At 2:30 pm: Join us as we welcome Karly Tumminello, Director of the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum. She will highlight the importance of host plants like milkweed and goldenrod, as well as oaks and other trees that are keystone species vital to the ecosystem. The presentation will be immediately followed by a Q & A session.

Space is limited, be sure to register to attend the presentation

Notes: Registering here on Eventbrite does not include registration with the library for the presentation above.

If you register here on Eventbrite, you will receive reminder emails so that you won't miss this fun event and we’ll remind you to register for the presentation if interested.

Limited Oak saplings compliments of

Read on for more education and info on our speaker.

More about the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum exhibit:

Join the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University in highlighting native animals that rely on forests, trees, and shrubs for their habitats. Native trees, especially oak, black cherry, and willow, provide critical resources for hundreds of animals. Learn about host plants, plant-pollinator relationships, and native mammals, birds, reptiles, arachnids, and insects that rely on trees in various ways.

More about the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum speaker and volunteer joining us:

The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University focuses on promoting accurate information about the world's natural and cultural biodiversity. The museum director/curator, Karly Tumminello, has a master's degree in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University. She is a Certified Illinois Master Naturalist and serves on the board of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois. Museum volunteer, Don Arnold, is a Certified Illinois Master Naturalist. He is also an environmental steward and pile burn boss with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Illinois was predominantly oak savannas before settlement.

An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (Quercus spp.) are the dominant trees.

Oak savannas were maintained historically through wildfires set by lightning, humans, grazing, low precipitation, and/or poor soil. Oak tree bark is very thick and can withstand wildfires or prescribed burns.

Local birds are in need of more oaks, do your part in restoring the Oak ecosystem by planting an oak.

Oak saplings compliments of Bartlett Tree Experts

Help us celebrate Oaks!

Find the tagged oak trees in Darien Parks and at IPPL throughout Oaktober!

Also check out other Meetups in Darien, Kids events & activities in Darien.