I missed most of this one due to our nature walk (below), managed to get an hour of dragging in at the end of the day. It was warm by then, and strenuous, moving along the side of a ravine where most of the targets were located. A tip of the cap to the hardy group who worked the entire session. The area opened up nicely, and Doug got in his first licks with the brush-cutter in several months. I think he was happy.
Spears Woods Nature Walk Saturday September 11
We had about a dozen walkers from Palos Park Library on our tour of Spears. If a bit warm for burning brush, it was ideal for an easy stroll through Spears, with a soothing breeze and lots of shade along the trail. The site cooperated, putting on a beautiful show of color featuring vibrant yellows of goldenrod and sawtooth sunflower, the subtler tones of prairie grasses, and an assortment of asters along the way.
Our final walks of the year will be Saturday October 16 at Cap Sauers, meeting at Teason's Woods, and Saturday November 13 at Sagawau ELC. Both start at 10:00 am and will be noted on our calendar and in my weekly email.
Hidden Pond Sunday September 12
On another warm, sunny morning, we focused mostly on seed collection, though Joy was brimming with energy and took down a few weedy trees that infiltrated the prairie. We were within the (small) window when prairie dropseed has not yet dropped its seed, so we collected some of that, along with big bluestem, Indian grass, monarda, wild quinine, and rattlesnake master. We were unable to find any liatris, though it's been there in past years, and no coneflowers to speak of. We'll have another shot in October, when we plan a hybrid workday with some seed collecting and some brush-cutting.