We were a small group for this one, no doubt due to the all-day threat of rain. It turned out to be quite a lovely morning, as we saw only light drizzle almost all the way to noon.
Then it picked up some, as your correspondent departed, a few minutes early, for the next gig (below). I'm guessing the remaining volunteers caught a bit more of that round of rain. We certainly caught more than a bit of garlic mustard, working along the blue trail. We composted numerous bags on site.
Sagawau Nature Walk Saturday May 21
Here we didn't fare so well with the weather. The rain continued well into the afternoon, so our small (hardy) group donned rain gear and grabbed umbrellas. Naturalist Lorrie Ward, unfazed, led our group of Palos Park patrons around Sagawau.
We saw a lot, including a luna moth, baby birds inside a nesting box, a very cool fern, and a variety of woodland and prairie plants. It was truly a good time and Lorrie's enthusiasm was a big part of it.
Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday May 22
We came Sunday for garlic mustard and found another abundance of it, in our original work area at Swallow Cliff, along the Tan Trail. Hard to believe that our Swallow Cliff restoration days started over five years ago.
The preserve was a throng of hikers, runners, and cyclists. A number of passes-by offered their thanks for our efforts, something I'll not soon tire of. If we can only draw a few of them into our ranks...