Palos Restoration Project
  • Home
  • About
  • Schedule
  • Maps
  • Volunteer
  • Blog
  • Contact

Clowns in the Preserves?

10/31/2016

0 Comments

 
Reports of creepy clowns have filled  the news in recent months. From South Carolina to Florida, Ohio to Wisconsin, people are spotting clowns, often lurking at roadsides or in wooded areas.
 
At times, they say, the clowns behave in a menacing manner. At times the clowns appear to have weapons. While police have not confirmed most of these reports, they have not vanished either.
 
Those of us who frequent the forest preserves might wonder if clowns have infiltrated our natural areas. As a frequent visitor to local preserves, I took it upon myself to study the news reports for our area.

While the internet offered up numerous reports like those noted above, I could find nothing specific to the forest preserves in Palos.
 
No one has reported seeing an individual in baggy pants and floppy shoes jogging along one of the many trails in our area. I found no accounts of a man in white face paint, with a big red nose and bright orange wig, lurking in a picnic grove.
 
I saw not a single story describing large numbers of clowns, in full clown regalia, exiting one side of a Volkswagen in a steady stream.
 
All this was reassuring but I was not satisfied. After all, how easy might it be for someone with a blinking nose, and a bright polka-dotted suit, to blend in with all the other visitors to the preserves?
 
This ‘clown’ might carry binoculars and pretend to be a birder, or hold a leash with a fake dog at the end. I decided to continue my investigation.
 
Each of the past few days I’ve visited a different preserve. I brought a camera to document anything I should find. I walked the trails; I parked at the groves and sat, binoculars raised, scanning the tree line.
 
I saw nothing, nothing at all, until this morning. First I heard a rustling noise, which could easily have been a squirrel or a bird. The woods are replete with such sounds.

Then I spotted a flash of colors, colors that aren’t usually seen in nature. A bunch of balloons, perhaps? I shinnied up a nearby tree, set the camera to max zoom, and started snapping.
 
At this point I’ll let the pictures tell the story.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I'm Jan Pietrzak with the Palos Restoration Project. This blog and website were created for your information and enjoyment.

    I hope you'll be encouraged and inspired to volunteer at any of the numerous forest preserves in our area.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly