The newest features at Morton Arboretum are here and they are absolutely stunning! Vivid Creatures is compiled of five vibrant, beautiful sculptures ranging from 8 feet to 23 feet tall. These pieces include animals that are part of the Illinois ecosystem including a sandhill crane, fox squirrel, white-tailed deer, button snail, and a dragonfly.
We have a sneak peek with all the information you need on seeing these amazing sculptures starting on May 17, 2025. Check out their website for a downloadable map to show you exactly where to find each of the installments of this wonderful exhibit.
Cadence the Sandhill Crane
The wingspan of this giant crane is 26 feet wide! This is an easy one to see on a nice walk with little ones or pushing a stroller around the lake trail.
“The roles that animals, plants and people play in supporting balanced ecosystems will be depicted in each piece,” said Amy Scott, the Arboretum’s head of exhibitions. “While the sculptures will be fun and interactive, they will also help the Arboretum educate people about how they contribute to healthy habitats in Illinois.”
For Vivid Creatures, the artists focused on animals that either migrate through or are part of the Illinois region, selecting one of their subjects after a personal interaction. “Heather was having a conversation with one of the Arboretum’s tree scientists and our daughter Calliope and I met a squirrel,” Fez said. “That’s why the squirrel made it into the line-up.”
Scamp the Fox Squirrel
This adorable squirrel can be easily seen right as you enter through the main entrance. It’s perfect for a photo-op and to get your kids excited to find the rest of the sculptures through the arboretum.
Vivid Creatures is the largest exhibition to date for the duo, who are partners in life and art. They have created large-scale sculptures and environments exhibited internationally at numerous immersive art destinations, art and music festivals, conferences and urban spaces.
“Our works are invitations to take sanctuary in wonder, and to be gathering places for people to enter worlds of imagination,” Heather said. “This series is about relationships. The pieces help people arrive in place and alter people’s way of interacting with that place, and then hopefully also with each other.”
Generosity the White-Tailed Deer
The deer is the biggest of all the sculptures coming in at 22 feet tall! The winding roots and leaves going through this massive deer is absolutely beautiful to see in person. It’s right along the Conifer Walk and easily accessible with kids and/or a stroller.
Four of the pieces will be along paved, accessible paths within a short walking distance from the central Visitor Center area. The fifth, the brittle button snail, will be on a hill overlooking Interstate 88, a short walk from two of the Arboretum’s East Side parking areas. Previous sculptures have been placed throughout the Arboretum’s 1,700 acres to encourage visitors to explore beyond the entrance area.
“An important goal for this exhibition is to make it as physically accessible as possible in an outdoor setting,” Scott said. “Four of the sculptures will be along paved, ADA-compliant paths near the Visitor Center.” The fifth sculpture, a rainbow-colored brittle button snail, will sit atop a berm visible along Interstate 88, where a piece from the Arboretum’s previous Troll Hunt exhibition (2018-2021) was a popular attraction.
Spectra the Brittle Button Snail
This button snail can be seen from the highway! Needless to say, the trek to get to this vibrant snail was much more difficult than the rest of the sculptures. We’d recommend parking at a smaller lot nearby, since it’s a very long walk to do with kids from the main entrance. Plus it’s all uphill on mulch, so pushing a stroller to see this can be a real workout!
With more than a decade as an Antarctica expedition guide, Fez’s creative intelligence is deeply shaped by the artful forces of ice, wind and the sea. Heather’s creative roots are in the performing arts as a theatrical writer, director, performer and mask maker, which inform her large-scale sculptures and immersive art environments. “I see life itself as a complex artful interaction,” she said, adding, “We make large-scale sculptures to provoke a sense of creative possibility and participation.”
*Nimbly the Dragonfly is undergoing some maintenance and will be installed June 2nd
Nimbly is a blue dasher dragonfly that will be on the north side of the Meadow Lake Trail after undergoing a few repairs.
About the Artists: Heather and Fez BeGaetz
This duo based in Portland, Oregon creates larger than life sculptures that have been showcased internationally. They also have a daughter named Calliope.
Northern Trust is the presenting sponsor of Vivid Creatures. The new exhibition will be included free with general admission to The Morton Arboretum. Information about the Arboretum’s art exhibitions and the artists is available on the mortonarb.org website.
Award-Winning Children’s Garden at The Morton Arboretum
The Children’s Garden at The Morton Arboretum is an amazing place for kids to explore and play. There are numerous water features, play structures amidst naturally beautiful landscapes, and opportunities to learn and interact with nature.
This area is open at 9am for members and 10am for general admission. We found that it starts getting crowded at 11am during the week.
The pond is a huge hit. Feel free to use the stepping stones to make your way around and through the pond. Kids really enjoy getting their feet wet and exploring in this area.
The spring and early summer is an exciting time at the pond because the tadpoles hatch and you can see the life cycle of tadpoles and toads. We have an entire section on the tadpoles and when to expect to see them below, so keep reading for the inside info!
The various water pumps spread throughout the Children’s Garden are also popular.
There are also several playground areas carved into the landscape, including slides, ramps, climbing structures and ropes. The Morton Arboretum does a great job of incorporating play without interrupting the live plants and beautiful landscape.
Want to cool off? There is a misting station in this area, disguised as a huge watering can.
Push the silver knob under the spraying arm to start the mist.
The interactive games and learning opportunities are interspersed throughout the garden areas.
Pro tip! Bring extra clothes with you! There are a lot of opportunities for water play in the Children’s Garden.
Maze Garden
There is so much more at The Morton Arboretum to enjoy! My kids always gravitate towards the hedge maze (there is a short hedge maze for younger children and tall bushes for the older ones).
We made it to the lookout point and planned our exit route!
Tadpoles at The Children’s Garden
There is definite excitement around the pond starting in mid-May. The tadpoles usually hatch around Mother’s Day, so it’s good to go about two weeks later when they start moving around more.
And that’s true this year too! On May 24, 2023 there were tons of tadpoles swimming around in the pond, which added fun while hopping from stone to stone.
Kids of all ages and adults enjoy stepping on the stones across the pond, looking at the tadpoles curiously, scooping them up and releasing them and giggling.
It’s cute because random kids were so eager to share with me what they found and where I could see the most tadpoles all in one place. I loved seeing the excitement and wonder in their eyes!
My kids wondered when the tadpoles start growing legs… so I looked it up! Below is a great video that shows the different stages of frog development. Please note that the tadpoles at The Morton Arboretum are American Toads, but the videos on frogs show the life cycle much better!
It takes about 6-9 weeks for the legs to develop, so my guess is that will happen starting the third week of June? Anyway, it’s a great opportunity for your kids to be able to see part of their development. How fun to go now and then again when the legs start growing!
Mission of The Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum’s mission is to collect and study trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world, to display them across naturally beautiful landscapes for people to study and enjoy, and to learn how to grow them in ways that enhance our environment.
Did you know that they can also help you with your own garden? The Morton Arboretum has a plant clinic, so if you are unsure what type of plant or tree you have in your yard, you can send a photo to plantclinic@mortonarb.org and they can help you with plant identification. Also, if you are at The Morton Arboretum and love one of the plants, shrubs, or trees that you come across, you can call them at (630) 719-2424.
Where to Eat
You can pack a lunch and eat it on the tables outside (there are tables both in the Children’s Garden and outside the main building) or you have the option to buy food at the Ginko Café and eat inside or out on the attached porch area. We have also grabbed sandwiches at the café right outside the restaurant and eaten them outside. In any case, there are tons of options to make it easy.
Past Exhibits at The Morton Arboretum
Flip to the next page to see what types of exhibits The Morton Arboretum has had in the past to get a flavor of what’s to come.
