New For the Season
Fresh Flowers
While some animals may head inside to escape the midday heat, a summer walk through the zoo always offers plenty of spectacular sights. Lincoln Park Zoo’s volunteer gardeners work hard to enhance zoo grounds with a variety of flowers, shrubs and trees. Favoring native plants to reflect Chicago’s prairie ecosystem, the gardeners’ imaginations are limited only by the requirement that all plants be nontoxic, in case some animals decide to browse the fauna for a midday snack. The landscape is planned to bloom throughout the season, enabling visitors to be greeted with flowers whenever they come.
Waterfowl Lagoon Boardwalk
Get close to the wildlife of the Waterfowl Lagoon on the new boardwalk at the south end of the Reva Logan Bird Pond. This peaceful spot offers a variety of native plants to attract birds; grasses, such as switchgrass and goatsbeard, provide them with cover while fruiting plants, such as chokecherry and viburnum, give them food to eat. The renovated islands in the midst of the lagoon provide undisturbed habitat for perching and nesting, while a comfortable bench in the middle of the boardwalk provides the perfect spot for bird watching.
Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond
The trumpeter swan family in the Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond swells every summer as the resident breeding pair hatches new cygnets. These fuzzy young birds are always popular with guests, who enjoy monitoring the proverbial transformation from awkwardness to grace. As summer turns to fall, however, these young swans find new homes in the wild as part of a partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Since 2001, Lincoln Park Zoo has contributed 28 swans to the program for release, and 24 nesting pairs are currently established in the state.
Wild Things!
Complete your perfect afternoon by taking part of the zoo home with you. Restocked for every season, Wild Things! offers a variety of souvenirs ranging from children’s books and plush animals to Lincoln Park Zoo apparel and handcrafted jewelry. All proceeds from zoo retail shops support Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission, helping to ensure many more perfect afternoons in the future. 
