A traveling exhibit that focuses on old growth forests and savannas will open Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

“Lost and Found: Remnants of Savannas and Old-Growth Forests” will run through Sunday, Dec. 29. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The free, all ages exhibit, which is on loan from the Chicago Botanic Garden, features large black-and-white photos with oversized pieces made up of smaller pictures hung together. The photos were taken by photographer Miles Lowry of St. Charles, who created the exhibit to highlight the role of forests and savannas in the local ecosystem for future generations.

The photos capture the grace and grandeur in what remains of the vast forests and savannas that once covered the eastern half of the United States. Lowry searched out and documented restored savannas and pockets of old-growth forests, focusing attention on these now-rare landscapes. His images are often presented as constructed panoramas — several square images combined into one multiple-framed composition.

In addition to the photography, visitors will be able to view a companion exhibit created by Forest Preserve staff that features a huge interactive oak tree in the middle of the education center’s DuPage classroom. The room will include sliding panels offering views of the tree layers. And oversized leaves above will evoke a massive old-growth forest.

“Visitors can open doors to peek inside the tree and see how different animals are using this mature tree,” said Jess McQuown, the program manager at Four Rivers. “They also will get to meet life-sized and over-sized animals using the tree as they would out in the wild. They can interact with leaf litter to see how decomposers keep forests healthy. On the walls, you’ll see many of the caterpillars who call oaks home. And you’ll get to learn about the oaks that grow specifically here in Will County with real examples of the unique leaves and acorns from our species.”

Complementary programs

Lost and Found programs being offered in conjunction with the exhibit are:

• Mushroom Wonders: 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25. Learn more about the incredible fungus in the forest. Walk the trails in search of living organisms and then visit the “Lost and Found” exhibit. Free, all ages. Register by Oct. 24.
• Gifts From the Forest: 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Nov. 23, Four Rivers. Hike the forested areas to rediscover gifts the forest gives us, and then spend time giving back by removing invasive honeysuckle before sipping warm cocoa, tea or cider. Free, ages 14 or older. Register by Nov. 19.
• Upcycled Book Wreath: noon-2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, Four Rivers. Create a festive wreath built from pages of old books. All supplies will be provided. Free, ages 14 or older. Register by Nov. 19.
• Four Rivers Story Trail: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1-Sunday, Dec. 29, Four Rivers. Stroll down the paved Four Rivers Woodland Loop Trail and follow along with “Winter Trees” by Carole Gerber. Free, all ages. No registration is required.
• Season of Sticks: 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, Messenger Woods Nature Preserve, Homer Glen. Once the leaves have fallen, discover the beauty of individual tree species’ barks, the distinct shapes they form and the nests and cavities they created and protected earlier in the year. Free, all ages. Register by Dec. 20.

The “Lost and Found” exhibit at Four Rivers is made possible with the generous support of The Nature Foundation of Will County.