Creating Wild Spaces Close to Home

It's mowing season again, and a question for those of us who care about wild things might be hovering in our minds: How can we encourage more native plants in our landscapes?

Our readers most likely already see the value of biodiversity, wild places, and honoring native species, but there are so many other issues associated with the American love of standard green lawns. Did you know that over $35 billion is spent annually on lawn care and maintenance in the U.S.? Herbicides and pesticides are still all too common in caring for patches of grass that are not native to the landscape. These chemicals have an impact on the soil and the organisms that depend upon it. It is estimated that 40 million acres of the lower 48 states are lawns!

In our last blog post, we featured important women in Wisconsin conservation. One person that bridges our last post with this one is Lori Otto. In addition to helping combat the use of DDT, a pesticide that is a carcinogen with detrimental impacts to fish, birds, and other wildlife, Otto discovered that allowing her yard to grow more naturally created an excellent habitat for birds and other pollinators. She was active in bringing the "rewilding" movement to American yard owners. Otto's group of natural lawn enthusiasts eventually became the national nonprofit organization, Wild Ones. In January of 2021, Wild Ones released free garden plans for a variety of regions in the United States. 

If you are ready to plan to return your lawn or part of your yard to more native plants, another great resource is the National Wildlife Foundation's Native Plant Finder. You can enter your zip code and find plants ranked by points in terms of how many other species they support. For example, oak trees are listed as potentially supporting 389 species. The tool narrows it down to 15 of the most common caterpillars in our area that rely on oak trees in their life cycle. The Plant Finder Tool would be a great resource to use with children to consider which butterflies you might attract to your yard. Take your list to a nursery that stocks native plants and talk with a plant expert about what might work best in your yard. 

Doug Tallamy, an entomologist with the University of Delaware and author of Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Backyard, has created the Homegrown National Park Project with a goal of encouraging 20 million acres of native plantings across the U.S. This website has a ton of resources for just getting started in diversifying your backyard, including an article on five easy steps for beginners.  

Here's a talk Doug gave with the National Wildlife Foundation on the principles behind diversifying our landscapes.

It takes learning, commitment, and labor to rewild a patch of yard, but the impact could be great. Less mowing and supporting biodiversity in your own space at the same time are two potential benefits. And if you notice a yard that looks a little more wild than the stereotypical American lawn consider all ways it might be supporting important species.

Urban planners and city dwellers are beginning to reconsider how common greenspaces can be redesigned to include more native species and less manicured lawns. These efforts are helping to sequester carbon, reduce the amounts of pesticides and chemicals in high traffic areas, and connect people with wild things. What's happening in your neighborhood? 

Celebrating Mud

 Guest Post by Julie Hoel, KVR Instructor and Enthusiastic Mud Loving Grandparent

I was just out of college and visiting a friend who had three children. We were chatting when her five-year-old son came bursting in the door full of boyish exuberance and covered with splotches of mud from head to foot. She took one look at him, put on her sternest mom face, whipped out her you’re-in-big-trouble-now voice and said, “JAY MEYER, HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING IN THAT CREEK?” The smile fell from his face, he rolled his big brown eyes upward and said, “No.” The two older sisters and I tried our best contain our laughter as his mom began peeling off the muddy clothes and throwing them directly into the washer. To her credit, she did not shame him for being a muddy mess but continued with her harangue, “You know you’re not supposed to be playing in that creek!” Clearly, her concern was the danger of water play rather than dirty clothes. 

In these parts, we cannot escape the mud of the March thaw and April showers that follow. We can save ourselves irritation and frustration by just embracing and celebrating the wonders of mud. In that spirit, I would like to share my favorite holiday photo of all time. It was refreshingly different from the typical family photo of the kids clean and pressed. These parents were secure enough to celebrate their kids in all their mischievous muddiness in the deep green of a summer day.  When I recently asked their dad if I could share this image, he said, you’re “welcome to use that pic if it’s to promote kids being kids!” He added, “I think based on where we lived our kids naturally got real dirty experiencing being a kid in nature. We had 50 acres and a half mile of river frontage…what a place to be a kid!” He pointed out the nice clean laundry hanging on the line behind them. I also noticed that they are both wearing glasses that somehow remained relatively clear. Definitely experienced mudballs with some self-control!

In these two vignettes, the children sought and located the mud on their own. A quick google search will bring up many benefits of mud play including development of fine and gross motor skills, increasing cognitive skills and enhancing creativity. It also is good for the immune system and decreases stress levels. We would therefore be wise and wonderful caretakers to seek out opportunities for our children’s mud exploration. My favorite resource, Pinterest, has limitless schemes to bring mud play to every location. There are recipes for mud paint, fizzing mud and mud soup. The design suggestions for mud kitchens are endless.

But the fun of mud play is not just for children. Back in ’93, I experienced mud as art with adults during a volunteer week at Dr. Patch Adams’ Gesundheit! Institute in West Virginia. His model of good health includes humor and art as healing. Once a week, volunteers were encouraged to experience community in the mud pit. After the mud bath, there were photo sessions of numerous statuesque poses. It was a truly memorable experience!

So when you encounter the inevitable mud of the season, I encourage you remember your own fondest muddy memory and smile.  And if a mud-covered child comes bursting in your doorway, greet them with that smile and make throwing those dirty clothes into the washer a celebration.

P.S. All the above references to mud exclude flood mud.  That nasty stuff is a nightmare.

For some more muddy inspiration, check out these books and links:

 Mud by Mary Lyn Ray, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

This beautiful book celebrates the beginning of the mud season in simple text and gorgeous illustrations. 

Mudplay for Kids: Why It's Worth the Mess - Healthline This article provides details about why messy play is so beneficial for children.

Mud, Marvelous Mud - Community Playthings With the benefits clearly outlined, this article provides ideas and considerations for embracing mud play with your child.

Spring Migration is Upon Us

 Guest Post by Barbara Duerksen

What a delight to welcome back the birds we have not seen for months! There’s music in the air – honking geese and calling swans flying to the northwest, robins, blackbirds, and cardinals singing in the morning, and the loud, rattling bugle calls of Sandhill Cranes.

Sandhill Crane photo by Dave Franks

When the ice goes out, the ducks come in. They might stay for a day, sometimes longer, as they make their journey from the southern states to their nesting territories.  A few of the duck species like Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, and Mallards, stay in our area to raise their broods, while most of the other ducks head for farther north wetlands.  I find Hooded Mergansers particularly elegant and fun to watch. The males are black on top with white stripes in front and back, brown sides, and a black and white head that looks very large when the crest feathers are raised.  Females are brown and also have crest feathers that can be raised or lowered.  They look a little less elegant and more like a bad hair day.  I have found Hooded Mergansers in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve in early spring swimming in the wooded wetland at the junction of Hwy 131 and County P.

Hooded Merganser photo by Jack Bartholmai

Migration is all about food.  Waterfowl need open water to find fish, snails, worms, roots and other plant food.  Insect eaters need warm enough temperatures to find a good steady supply of insects, and that takes them far south of Wisconsin.  Seed eaters and some of the predatory birds can find enough food to get through the winter season, so we’ll see jays, chickadees, cardinals, crows, Cooper’s and Red-tailed Hawks all winter.  Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, Purple Finches, Rough-legged Hawks, and Northern Shrikes are among the species that come from way north to stay here for the winter.  They will be leaving soon, and instead we’ll see Fox, White-throated, and White-crowned Sparrows on their way north, in addition to other early migrants like kinglets and phoebes.

April brings some notable insect eaters, despite the possibility of cold weather and snowstorms. Hermit Thrushes, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Winter Wrens are all insect eaters that seem to be able to withstand colder temperatures than others of their kind.  Their diets ae a bit more flexible –they prefer insects, but all three are able to digest fruits like juniper berries.  Cold spells with deep snow that last too long can be life-threatening to these birds, as we witnessed with in April, 2018.

Winter Wren photo by Dan Jackson

Winter Wrens are small brown birds with very short tails that they often hold upright.  They are smaller than the more familiar House Wrens that spend their summers here, and most of them fly farther north to the forests of northern Wisconsin and Canada. Winter Wrens have nested in cool microclimates in the Kickapoo Reserve and the Baraboo Hills, preferring areas with coarse woody debris or tangled roots. Some older field guides recommend looking for migrating Winter Wrens in stacks of firewood in the yard. On nesting territory, the male sings a loud, rich, lengthy, bubbly song.  You can listen to the song here by pressing the audio button.

The colorful familiar songsters like grosbeaks, orioles, and Indigo Buntings, will show up a bit later, some in late April and the rest in May, along with many migrating warblers. These are the long-distance migrants that spend the winter in warmer climates, some—Yellow Warblers and Barn Swallows, for example—as far south as countries in South America.

Migration is a perilous journey with hazards that range from bad weather and natural predators, to human-caused habitat destruction, window strikes, poisoning by pesticides, and predation by cats. How to help?  Study up on what birds need, support bird conservation groups and reserves (like the KVR), consider planting bird-friendly plants and trees in your yard.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a list of suggestions here: athttps://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/seven-simple-actions-to-help-birds/

                                            American Woodcock photo by Jack Bartholmai

Ready for an evening adventure?  Go out at dusk to listen for the American Woodcock call and sky dance.  American Woodcocks are in the shorebird family, but nest on the ground in shrubby woodland edges. An odd-looking short-tailed brown bird, they are about robin-size, plump, with long beaks and eyes positioned high up and near the back of the skull. In early spring, the males, looking to attract a mate, find an open area to sit and call a series of single buzzy, nasal “peent” sounds, and after a while, fly up with a twittering sound in a large circle, descend to the same area with a slower chirpy sound, and start again to do the call. This occurs about 20 minutes after sunset. The open area around the Kickapoo Reserve Visitor Center has been a reliable spot to observe this spring ritual of the woodcock. 

For great reading on the woodcock dance check out these favorites:

Aldo Leopold, in A Sand County Almanac, describes the Sky Dance of the woodcocks on his farm in the April section of Part 1.  Frances Hamerstrom, in Walk When the Moon is Full, devotes her April chapter to the story of gong out with her two children to witness the sky dance of the woodcock.

Looking for Spring

  C. Chybowski

A guest post by KVR Educator Cathy Chybowski

Spring is in the air!  Even if the calendar says “March,” the cold winds blow, and the snow lingers, those of us tuned in to the changing seasons know that spring is fast approaching. By observing and recording natural events year after year, we can accurately predict and anticipate the sequence in which these events occur. 

The study of recurring natural events like the migration of birds or the flowering of plants and their connection with each other as the seasons change is called phenology.

Everyone practices phenology whether they realize it or not—naturalists, gardeners, farmers, and homeowners, among others. “April showers bring May flowers” is pure phenology.

Islay Pictures Photoblog

What tells you that spring has arrived? Is it the first robin of the year? Like Aldo Leopold, many people sense that spring has sprung when they see and hear a flock of geese flying in the typical V-formation proclaiming the change of season. 

 “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.”          

Leopold continues .  .  .  .  “A cardinal whistling spring to a thaw but later finding himself mistaken, can retrieve his error by resuming his winter silence. A chipmunk, emerging for a sunbath but finding a blizzard, has only to go back to bed.  But a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat. His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges.”

     Greg Gillson

 Sid Hamm

It is time to check last year’s phenology records for the order of events. We can predict that in southern Wisconsin, the red-winged blackbirds return to the marshes before the end of February and the bluebirds return to nest by March 15. The wood frogs begin their choral courtship the third week in March and ground squirrels and woodchucks emerge sleepy from hibernation by the end of March.  Hepatica begins to bloom around mid-April  and bloodroot blooms about one week later.

                                                                                                                                     awaytothgarden.com

                 C. Chybowski

Nature’s grand production runs from the time that skunk cabbage pokes up through the snow, through the time when the woodpeckers begin to drum, male red-wings “onk-la-ree” from the cattails and pussy willows fluff out. Killdeer and meadowlarks return, chipmunks awaken from their winter dormancy, song sparrows sing “hip hip hooray guys, spring is here,” balls of garter snakes appear, painted turtles pop up on sunning logs, mourning cloak butterflies and little brown bats flit about, and spring ephemerals emerge from the woodland floor.

   V. Charney

All of these observations were made before April 15^th.  Soon thereafter the great wave of warbler migration begins (about a month after the woodcocks begin their aerial courtship display). Then the tree leaves burst forth, flowers in gardens and fields bloom and the air holds the sweet scent of lilacs just in time for Mother’s Day. The show continues on and on . . .

“During every week from April to September there are on average, ten wild plants coming into first bloom. . . No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them.”                                                                                                                                                       -   Aldo Leopold

No two years are exactly the same and some signs of spring are more reliable than others. Frogs are good predictors of spring. Wood frogs and spring peepers begin to sing soon after ice-out when the water has warmed to 46 degrees F. Earthworm castings become visible when the frost has come out of the ground. The return of robins and bluebirds is not a reliable indicator of spring because some of them stay in our area throughout the winter.

                                         petponder.com

            

Spring usually invades our state in the southwest corner and marches north and northeast at a rate of about fifteen miles a day. This was determined when residents across the state were asked to record the date at which the lilac, a species familiar to everyone, was in peak flower.

According to Hopkin’s law, phenological events vary at the rate of one day for each fifteen minutes of latitude, 1.25 days for each degree of longitude, and one day for each one hundred feet of altitude, being later northward, eastward, and upward. When applied in Wisconsin, this law seems to hold almost exactly along a north-south axis; except that Lake Michigan retards the spring warmup.

Above is merely a sampling of the discoveries that await the curious nature observer. It is a fun time of year for each of us to get outside and take a closer look at what Aldo Leopold calls the “hundred little dramas” happening right outside the door when spring is in the air. 

NEW at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve: Education Packs for Outdoor Adventures

KVR instructors Barb Sydnor and Julie Hoel have been hard at work creating adventure backpacks for children and families. We encourage you to check one out on your next visit to the Reserve. These education packs offer opportunities for deeper engagement with natural features and experiences, and they've been created with fun and learning in mind.

There are 3 preschool activity packs and one water critters pack for older children (4th-5th grade). The water critters pack is also suitable for younger children with adult help.

Packs will be available outside the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center on weekdays from 8 am until 4:30 pm. Please use the sign out sheet provided by the packs.

Let us know how you are using the packs with photos and comments.

Where a trail can take you...

This week's guest post is by the Kickapoo Valley Reserve's Jackie Yocum, whose work involves maintaining over 50 miles of trails on the property. Her words are an invitation to consider the power of trails in our lives. Read on for more information about trail use as we head into a busy weekend that kicks off a summer of adventures in getting outside!

View from Black Hawk Rock.

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve has approximately 50 miles of trails for visitors to explore on its 8,600 acres. I am one of the staff tasked to maintaining the trails keeping them in good repair and sustainable. I love my job, I love the woods, I love being outside, and I am proud to be a caretaker of the KVR.

Jackie on the Ditch Witch. Photo by Julie Hoel.

From an early age, before I even realized my passion for trails, they were part of everyday life. I grew up on a dairy farm on a Kickapoo River tributary downriver of the KVR. One of my daily chores was “bringing the cows home” from their day pasture for milking. I would jump on my pony bareback, and head across the gravel road and up the valley to find the girls--"long faced beauties" as my Grandma would call them. The cows had to know I was coming after them, as it happened every day, and yet they were always in the furthest reaches of the pasture, heads down, mouthfuls of grass rolling around their tongues. Their heads would jerk up at first sight when I whistled for them, as if they were surprised to see me there. 

These “trails” that led to the vast hilltop meadow weren’t well-laid or carefully designed trails, they were cow paths, functional for the cows and installed by the cows. These trails cut deeply into a hillside that delivered them to the lush meadow grass on the ridgetop. They also crossed the stream, so each cow could drink her fill, and they disappeared altogether in the grassy areas where the cows spread out to graze. 

 

Every day, my pony “Babe” and I would venture out together. My trail etiquette back then wasn’t the best as we liked to keep a pretty good pace on our way up the valley. I was young and fearless and riding fast was the way Babe and I liked it. After all, we both knew we would be walking home slowly because Old Bess, the slowest cow, couldn’t be left behind. I have fond memories of this chore and it was my first experience with trails.

I have always found myself drawn to a path in the woods. There is something about the discovery of what is around the next bend that pulls on my inquisitive heart strings. It is no wonder that I would find myself playing in the dirt in the woods for a career.  A single trail can take each person that uses it on a different journey.  Some see it through the ears of a horse, which is still one of my favorite ways to enjoy a trail. There is something freeing about two beings of different species, working together and trusting each other as they move along a trail. Some see it over the handlebars of their bike. Heart pounding, leaving heavy breath in their wake as they churn to the top of a hill.  And yet others prefer their own two feet. Hiking a trail opens a whole new world, especially if you pause and look. You can even paddle a trail! Yup! That's right! There are water trails, and the Kickapoo River is one of the best.

A trail can bring about so much: accomplishment in completing an 8 mile trek or paddling 10 river miles, solace when thoughts consume us, armistice when faced with challenges, fellowship when exploring with friends. We can be inquisitive and look under that rotting log. We can give audience to the piliated woodpecker's treetop chatter.  We can revel in the gift of stumbling upon a newborn fawn or in spotting the first morel of the season. Gifts are plentiful on the trail.They are there for the experiencing. Nature heals us, lifts us, lightens us. 

And trails take us there. 

I encourage you to find your trail.  The one that transports you to a place in your past, a place of discovery that you may have first experienced as a child. You deserve it.

***

We asked Jackie to share some of her knowledge about trails. Here's our Q & A. 

What are your biggest challenges in getting trails ready for the season?

Fall is the busiest time for trail maintenance. My goal is to have all maintenance done by mid to late October. This ensures the best possible outcome as the trails transition through the freeze and thaw to come. Depending on the spring, flooding is often causes time-consuming challenges to have trails ready for spring opening. Weather is the biggest hurdle: trees are blow down, trails are wet and not accessible for checking except by foot and that is time consuming. So weather/conditions are the biggest challenge.

What reminders do you have for trail users as we head into the busy season?

Trail Etiquette, Trail Etiquette, Trail Etiquette! This includes: greeting other trail users, yielding to other users, using designated trails only, adhering to trail closures during wet weather. Follow all the rules to protect your right to ride. Purchase an annual permit. Money collected at the KVR via permits stays on the property and benefits the trails.

Where can people learn more about trails?

Here are some great resources:

National Trails Day is June 6^th

American Trails – The voice of a diverse trails community  

Leave No Trace

Backcountry Horsemen of America 

IMBA International Mountain Biking Association 

American Hiking Society 

KVR Trail Etiquette 

Kickapoo River Paddler Etiquette 

Wisconsin State Park and State Trails Trail Etiquette 

Kickapoo Valley Reserve Information 

Take Your Kids Hiking

If our family is out and about this weekend, and we notice something on the trail, what should we do?

If there is conflict on the trails, notify the KVR or Vernon County Sheriff for an emergency or a dangerous situation. In an emergency, always call 911.

Trees down or trail tread issues? Please call the KVR Visitor Center to report.Try to pinpoint the location and size.

Off trail use or use of closed trails: Please Contact the KVR Visitor Center.

Overcoming Ewww!

Today's post is by Julie Hoel, an instructor at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and KRMB Board Member. She shares an inspiring series of reflections from her life about how she grew toward embracing things that might not be considered "beautiful" or "pretty" in nature. Julie deeply understands how adults can model wonder and awe to help our children develop essential understandings about all aspects of the natural world and our place within it. We've also shared some resources at the end of the post for supporting children and nurturing their connections to things that might seem "yucky," "gross," or "icky" on first glance, but can ultimately prove to be fascinating, cool, and remarkable with a closer look. Maybe helping young people see all that nature holds can help them find greater acceptance for all parts of our existence, too.  

Crawfish, Warner Creek. Photo by Jackie Yocum

I grew up in suburban Chicago where Farmer Dehne’s field had begun growing small houses instead of corn. It was the ‘50s and those houses were filled with 'Boomer' kids. Our moms pushed us out of the house to play, but there was little nature to explore.  I had to ride my bike three blocks to even see a mature tree! This lack of experience in nature might explain my relatively high “Ewww!" factor. I never minded getting dirty, but June bugs smashing into the screens on a warm night or ants streaming from cracks in the sidewalk gave me bad dreams. Not nightmares exactly, but bad enough that I would cross the hall and say, “Gramma, can I sleep with you? There are bugs in my bed.”

My two weeks at YMCA camp in the summer were the highlight of my year. Again, I loved being outside, but the focus there was on activities like canoeing, sailing, and swimming and not much progress was made on lowering the Ewww! factor. Cuddling soft furry things…bunnies, dogs, cats…were fine, but please don’t ask me to touch a frog or slithering snake or a gross bug.

We raised our two kids in a small town in the lake country of Northern Wisconsin. Our house had a small woods, but we were 'beachers.' I had those sand buckets and water toys at the ready in my car at all times. Later they liked camp and sports (the acorns don’t fall far from the tree) and we didn’t spend much time in those woods.

Bat, Hoot Owl Trail. Photo by Jackie Yocum

Shortly after we moved here, I had a life-changing experience while weeding. I inadvertently touched a dead bat in the burdock! Ewww! But I quickly moved from Ewww! to AWE. Actually touching its tiny furry body completely changed my feelings about bats. It was a mammal like me! Its delicate wing membranes were incredible! I had known none of this years earlier when I donned a ski mask and gloves to trap a bat in my house with a pot and whisk it outside into the freezing January night to die. That was before Ewww! had turned to AWE! I feel terrible remembering that. Now I know what amazing creatures they are and I worry about them as they deal with their own bat pandemic of White Nose Syndrome.

Blue-spotted salamander, Little Canada Trail. Photo by Jackie Yocum

My work as an instructor at KVR has given me many opportunities to overcome Ewww! You can’t teach about worms and show any Ewww! when you  touch them. You have to pick up that frog to take advantage of the teachable moment. You have to let that beautiful Luna moth crawl right up your sleeve. You have to let go of Ewww! and get right to AWE.

Recently I had an opportunity to demonstrate just how far I have come when I came across a dead fish floating on the edge of my pond. My first thought wasn’t Ewww! I was wondering how it died. As I looked more closely, I could see something stuck in its mouth. It was brown and oval shaped.  Was it a leaf or an old lure? Luckily I was wearing garden gloves, so I gently pulled the object out of the fish’s mouth. WOW! It was a HUGE bug! Amazing! I took this photo to document the event and amaze my friends. I even posted it on Facebook as a distraction from virus news. Several folks who have not overcome their Ewww! Factors promised never to swim in my pond again. I’m counting on the heat of August and the refreshing cool water to help them overcome their Ewww!

I am doing better with my grandkids. I suppressed the Ewww! when they found this fish washed up on the shore at Devil’s Lake. They were drawn to its beauty sparkling in the September sun. Note my granddaughter’s careful one-fingered touching of those scales. Right to AWE for her! Our children need us to let them get to AWE and feel their connectedness to the natural world. I know now that the Ewww! can engage the senses and turn even the most reluctant learner into a fascinated nature enthusiast. And the future of our planet may depend on that!

***

For more information and ideas, consider Rachel Carson's pivotal work, Help Your Child to Wonder, from 1956. It was later published in book form in 1965. There was also a great PBS documentary made about Carson's work. Find more about that here.  Additional learning about Rachel Carson's remarkable life and work can be found here and here. The Rachel Carson Council carries out her legacy today.

The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has good advice for supporting kiddos who are uncomfortable with outdoor things. Check it out here.

The Nature's Yucky book series could offer some new ways for young ones to consider things that make them go, "Ewww!"






We'd love to hear about your experiences learning to embrace things in the natural world or supporting your children as they wander and wonder. Reach out, comment on this post, or share your experiences on our Facebook posts. 

Collection

A guest post by Meaghan Gustafson, La Farge Schools District Administrator, Parent and KVR Enthusiast

We are a family of collectors. Even though I am drawn to the clean lines and bare walls of a minimalist aesthetic, the collection clutter wins. Stacks of books, shelves full of trinkets and old treasures, a pile of found objects by the front door. 

As our time away from normal routines extend, we find ourselves settling into a different type of family life. New rhythms, a smaller circle, and extra time spent outside (not to mention the challenges of working from home, an escalation in sibling rivalry, and daily wondering how this or that area of the house became messy again). A collection of a different kind of day, and new memories.

Our go-to family activity is hiking. We throw a water bottle and a few snacks in a backpack, and head out with our oldest (freshly 8), and youngest (4), and dog and see what we can find. Some whining or minor injuries or arguing over who gets to be first are always a feature, but we find fun. We poke around, walk on logs, hang on branches, throw rocks in streams.  Our eyes remain watchful for whatever natural treasures we can find. This early spring, on one hike alone, we returned from our woods with six (6!) antler sheds! A banner day for our collector hearts.

This spring, although my kids have certainly had more screen time than they ever did pre-pandemic, they have also had much more time outside.  I have enjoyed watching their evolution into independent outdoor explorers, and through this gift of more time with them I have noticed their play often includes a form of collecting. Whether it is a challenge presented for one by the other (how many mayapples can you find?) or their own interest-led collecting (gathering acorns as bait for their “bear trap”), collecting both captivates their attention and captures their imagination.

As it turns out, collecting is a good brain-builder too. 

Collecting provides an obtainable challenge for kids, and provides a situation where they retain an element of control and autonomy over what, when, how, and where to collect.

Adding to a collection requires the collector to be alert and watchful for the item or features of an item not yet found. There is the moment of discovery (!) and then a sense of accomplishment.

A collection itself provides additional opportunities for investigation. Collections can be sorted by type, size, shape or color. Patterns can be created, arrangements prepared for presentation. Examination of collected items can lead to new questions and curiosities to research. Vocabulary grows.

Collecting can take many forms.

• Bird sightings- mark the date and location in a bird book

• Gather rocks - always on the hunt for interesting looking rocks, my son found a great shell fossil on our driveway this past month!

• Steps or miles- how many can be accumulated in a day, a week, a month, a season?

• Animal signs- how many and of what types of tracks, scat, holes, nests, feathers or fur can be found on a hike? 

• Sticks- a collection of sticks can be a great many things! A tool kit, a pretend-play family, or the makings of a fort. Also: acorns, pinecones, nuts of any kind.

• Berries - a handful of berries or another wild-foraged food makes a satisfying snack.

• Paths- My family has been working on tackling the 2020 KVR Trail Challenge during the Safer at Home order. 

• Nature Table- arrange an assortment of seasonal finds on a shelf, windowsill, or tray.

To collect is to continuously experience the thrill of the find. Even without a target in mind, the search, the discovery, still delights!

Keep in mind that in many places the physical collecting of flowers, animals, or rocks is not allowed and there are restrictions on collection of certain migratory bird specimens. They can still be added to a collection through photographing or journaling.

Here are a some great related reads for collectors and their families:

Cabinet of Curiosities is a treasure of a book to inspire young collectors. Every page is filled with beautiful images and information on classification, tips for curating treasures, and the history of collecting. The author was interviewed on Science Friday here.

Grice, G. (2015). Cabinet of curiosities: Collecting and understanding the wonders of the natural world.

Art Forms in Nature is based on Ernst Haekel's prints from around the turn of the 20th century. These delicate illustrations of microscopic organisms, plants, and animals help provide an understanding of geometric forms and the beauty of studying closely and carefully. 

Haeckel, E. H. P. A., Breidbach, O., & Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. (2019). Art forms in nature: The prints of Ernst Haeckel.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Eastern whip-poor-will. Photo by Tom Murray CC BY-NC 2.0

Some days seem to run together after over a month of Safer at Home practices. We've settled into a semi-routine rhythm of work and schooling, lots of meal-making, dishes and laundry and everyday things. We watch and wait for news that the spread of this virus is slowing.

One of our commitments has been to get out every day, even if it's raining or blustery. Our walks never fail to bring something interesting into view. We've begun to try marking each day by noticing something different about our usual path. And the other day, on just another ordinary Wednesday, in this otherwise far from ordinary time, we were reminded to look closer and tread more carefully.

On a little detour through the school woodlot to see the bloodroot pushing up from the leaf litter and unfurling its delicate leaves and blooms, our attention was captivated by a downy woodpecker working diligently at the top of a dead tree, bobbing in and out in search of insects or perhaps creating a nest cavity in a noisy display. The bird didn’t seem to be concerned by us watching below.

As we turned to head home, my eye caught sight of a small rabbit tucked silent and still in the thicket of last fall's brown briars and brush just three feet from where we were standing. I don't know what drew my eye to that spot, but my son noticed my sudden stillness and turned to look as I pointed. We appreciated the way this animal remained in that spot when it might have also chosen to dart and dash in the face of danger.

We backed out of the spot slowly and made our way back home, that small moment tucked away as the marvel of the day.

Can you spot the rabbit?

How many creatures are hiding in plain sight? What might we find when we slow down and look more closely?

From the beautiful and mysterious Eastern whip-poor-will that will be arriving soon, to the gray treefrogs nearly invisible on bark; from the spotted fawns that will rest in the dappled sunlight of the forest floor to the mottled fur of the bobcat, our natural world is full of remarkable examples of living things whose survival is boosted by their ability to disappear, blend in, and go unnoticed.

Gray treefrog. Photo by Robert Hay, WDNR

Bobcat. WDNR

Pausing to consider the role that blending into the environment plays, we can appreciate the remarkable ways our experiences in the natural world may be deeper and richer than we realize as we move through and hike on. Treading softly, quietly, and carefully can become a set of practiced skills and also a way of being.

What have you noticed that's hiding in plain sight?

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Don't forget to take some time to explore the wildlife captured on the Snapshot Wisconsin trail cameras, which is a great way to observe wildlife without interfering in their lives and habitat. The blog has recently been updated to share footage of a juvenile eagle and a cougar sighting.

The PBS Nature Series, Spy in the Wild, features cameras disguised as animals to capture footage of behavior that might be difficult to see otherwise. These animals are far from our home here in Wisconsin, but for up-close insight into their behavior and a view from their world without intruding in it, check it out here.