Connect with nature at Notebaert's new outdoor exhibit

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's goal has always been to be a gateway to nature, but now it's offering visitors the chance to connect with plants and animals outside. The new permanent “Nature Trails” exhibit is a one-third of a mile walking trail where you can see native plants, bright colored birds, butterflies and more.

“The original intent of the building was to be an indoor/outdoor museum,” said Deborah Lahey, the museum's president and CEO. “It's important to be able to be outside. It gives you perspective on a lot of global things.”

Horticulturalist Seth Harper said “Nature Trails” features 5,000 native plants, creating prairie, savanna, wetlands and woodland ecosystems. To install all the local plants, he first had to remove what was already growing around the museum.

“When they built this place they just planted something quick — whatever would grow,” Harper said. “It's just been a slow process of reclaiming it.”

That process still isn't complete. Work is still under way expanding the butterfly garden by removing weeds and developing more areas that will be planted with herbs including basil, sage, dill and lavender. The plants attract butterflies, which lay their eggs and eventually hatch into caterpillars, allowing visitors to spot the insects throughout their life cycle.

The trail also includes blackberry plants, which are expected to start bearing fruit in two years. The black oak savanna is still a major work in progress as invasive trees have been replaced with native plants and young black oaks.

“Our goal is really to make this a world-class garden,” Harper said.

Already the garden has become a haven for local wildlife. Turtles have been making their way from the nearby North Pond to the trail's Pickerelweed Pond and have even been spotted laying eggs in the garden. The bird garden features plenty of shrubs that provide shelter and food for nesting and migratory birds. A cardinal and goldfinch were spotted during the first hike, along with plenty of butterflies. A bird feeder has attracted warblers, finches and even ducks, and the museum recently added a hummingbird feeder equipped with sugar water.

Beaver sightings led staff to protect their young trees with chicken wire.

The museum also added a wire fence to keep hungry rabbits out of the urban garden, which grows dozens of herbs and vegetables including zucchini, arugula, carrots and peas. Harper said foxes and coyotes have also come through the trail.

“We like the coyotes because they scare away the bunnies, and the bunnies tend to eat my vegetables,” Harper said.

Signs throughout the trail provide information on different native plants and what lives on them or eats them, while other signs encourage visitors to look out for birds, butterflies or animal tracks.

“Parents will be able to encourage their kids to slow down and learn to look,” Lahey said.

The museum offers guided walks through the trails at 11 a.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

July's theme is “Our Senses Outside,” and visitors will learn how animals survive and are encouraged to use all their senses to experience the gardens.

“Nature's Feast” is the theme for August and the walks will explore the human diet and native food web.

<b>“Nature Trails” </b>

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, (773) 755-5100, <a href="http://www.naturemuseum.org" target="_blank">naturemuseum.org</a>

<b>Admission: </b>Free

<b>Hours: </b>6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily