Discover Your Place in Nature

Come and explore Severson Dells, with our hiking trails, visitor center, The Grove Nature Playscape and gift store. We offer a wide range of engaging programs for all ages to connect with nature.

Featured Programs

Discover a Sense of Belonging

Everyone belongs in nature. Join us as a member and discover a sense of community with other nature lovers and the wild world itself! Your membership helps to make nature education more accessible to everyone now and for future generations. Click below to learn more about the benefits of joining as a member of Severson Dells. 

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Field Notes Blog

Community Science in 2025

By Rowan Mermel • January 13, 2025
Community Science is an important part of what we do here at Severson Dells Nature Center, but community Science can often be an ill-defined idea. So in this blog, I will define what Community Science means to us, I will explain how Community Science benefits our community, and I will reveal what we have planned for Community Science in 2025.

2025 in the Sky: The Full Moons of the Year

By Emma Zimmerman • January 8, 2025
The impact that the moon has on life can not be underestimated. Many aspects of life, such as time, tides, and light are all affected by the moon. For many animals the moon is essential to migration and navigation, while for other animals the lunar cycle is used to time reproduction. Organisms, such as corals, synchronize their spawning patterns with the lunar cycle.

Winter Plant Features

By Shannon Osadjan • January 7, 2025
Now that winter is here and snow is on the ground, it seems like nature is quieting down. In Northern Illinois, winter can be a very intense season for wild living things, especially for plants! They can’t migrate south as lots of animals do, nor can they put layers on or go inside, they aren’t humans. Instead, plants have special adaptations that allow them to survive, even in subfreezing temperatures! Thanks to some amazing genetics, plants have thrived in the changing seasons for longer than humans have been around! Let’s explore some of these winter survival strategies.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

Severson Dells Nature Center and Preserve are located on the traditional lands of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Meskwaki, Winnebago (Nebraska) and Potawatomi.  We recognize these people, among others, for their stewardship of this land.


To learn more about territory acknowledgments and to find out more about the land you are on, visit: Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land. Please contact us if you have additional information or suggestions.

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