Last Chance for Summer Programs!

Don’t miss the last few workshops, CatJams, and kayaking events of the season

As October’s spotty weather and early sunsets approach, our outdoor programming must come to a close. Thankfully, there’s still a bit of time left - come check out our Wild Mile workshops and CatJams, or swing by our Bubbly Creek location for some free kayaking! If you’d like to bring a field trip or volunteer group out to the Wild Mile, email team@urbanriv.org to schedule a date before everyone goes into hibernation.

P.S. - Starting in October, CatJam will be partnering with and moving to the insect asylum for the cold season!

See our events!

The International Shipping Gods were Cruel

…and our River Park install has been delayed.

Due to the inevitable chaos that comes with shipping stuff halfway across the globe, our latest batch of floating islands won’t arrive in Chicago until the weather gets too gnarly to allow an install. Joyfully, this means we’ll get to install them when the weather is nice and warm again! We greatly appreciate all the interest we’ve received from eager volunteers - we just ask that you hold onto that enthusiasm until next year. Our current estimate is late spring of 2024, which also happens to be our timeline for the next phase of the Wild Mile. We’ll be busy, and we’ll need all-hands-on-deck from our volunteers and partners!

What do the Gardens do After Summer Ends?

Last ditch blooms before winter

All Chicagoans know that summers in the city are glorious but all too brief. The plants native to Illinois know this too and are adapted to thrive during our few warmer months. They sprout, rapidly grow, flower, seed, and die back all before the snow comes.

At the Wild Mile and Bubbly Creek we are seeing the last few blooms of the season, and boy to do they know how to put on a show for pollinators and people alike! There are still flowers of bright pink, yellow, purple and white scattered amongst the sea of lush greenery. The bright colors attract bees, bats, birds, and more who will spread their pollen throughout the ecosystem.

Once the flowers fall away, the plants leave behind seeds to spread the next generation. The color of our gardens may fade for now, but don’t worry - they’ll be back again and in greater numbers next year!

Petals fall away to reveal dry seed pods full of future Swamp Rose Mallow plants

Keeping Up with the Urban Rivers Staff

Office insights

If you’ve ever stopped by the Urban Rivers office, you’ve probably noticed that we have a lot of stuff. More than we need, some would say. However, many of these items hold sentimental value. We asked the Urban Rivers team about their favorite piece in our extensive collection.