May Watts Park with its .89-mile trail around a pond is located with entrance signs at 1320 Sequoia Road, 1321 Oakton and 804 S. Whispering Hills. May Watts Sled Hill, pictured in the distance, is located just south of May Watts Elementary School. Note the upcoming National Night Out again will take place on the first Tuesday in August in front of the school. (PN Photo, July 22, 2026)
Updated Post, July 30, 2026 / After releasing this post about wildflowers in May Watts Park, a reader mentioned American Pokeweed that is quickly growing along Aurora Avenue, just east of River Bend Road on the northside of the street. A photo of the plant is pictured here. When walking along the sidewalk, be sure to avoid touching it or allowing pets to come into contact with the toxic plant. Below the photo is what we just learned about this plant that we’ve seen for years!
Original Post, July 25, 2026 / No need to stop and smell the roses in May Watts Park because there aren’t any there.
Simply enjoy a peaceful walk around May Watts Park on a clear day where wildflowers welcome everyone to look closely and learn what’s invasive and what’s not. For instance, the tall beautiful purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) along the trail looking toward May Watts Sled Hill is invasive and unwanted. Who’d have thought the wetland perennial recognized for its gorgeous magenta-purple spikes would also be known to overtake native flora, challenging the ecosystem as well as the lives of turtles and other wildlife?
This year is the first time we’ve noticed a type of Hibiscus known as “Flower of the Hour.”
We also searched online for the name of a tiny iridescent colorful beetle that appears metallic, identifying it as a Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus auratus, family Chrysomelidae) and compared it to the much larger Green June Beetle (Cotinis nitida) barely moving on the paved trail.
No doubt readers already know the identity of Queen Anne’s Lace, Milkweed, Flea Bane, Lily Pads, yellow Daisies, Black-eyed Susans, Bee Balm, teasel (compared to thistle) and Tiger Lilies. And yes, there are plenty of busy bees, hundreds of shapes and sizes, buzzing to pollinate from one flower to the next to help sustain natural prairie ecosystems and ones created by park districts.
Illinois is home to more than 400 species of native bees that help support biodiversity. Precious bees and other insect pollinators play important roles for backyard gardens and food supplies throughout the world, too.
While individual bees are rarely a threat unless provoked, be sure to stay away from any colony of bees that could lead to severe medical emergencies. If stung, some individuals experience highly allergic reactions from aggressive swarms or stepping on a bee with bare feet. While some of the photos here appear up close, it’s thanks to camera ability to zoom in on the bee.
Every day in July different wild flowers seem to suddenly appear in May Watts Park, a lovely natural treasure named to honor the work of May Theilgaard Watts, a writer and naturalist who taught at the Morton Arboretum from 1940 to 1961. Late in her life, the mother of four resided in Naperville where she was living at the time of her death in 1975.
Photos taken July 15 through July 24, 2026
Update, July 25, 2026 / During today’s walk around the pond, we observed three new signs have been planted by the Naperville Park District along the May Watts Park trail…
