Town Forest Walk

This month the Town Forest is showing definite signs of spring! Trees are budding with that green-yellow color that only lasts for a short time before the deeper green leaves come in. Lots of plants are sprouting and some are in bloom already. Unfortunately, the ticks, garlic mustard and the seven minute itch are up as well.  

Our vernal pools have water and are ready for the waking amphibian population to lay eggs. These sources of water are only temporary and will dry up with the warmer weather.  And while we did not see any frogs or salamanders today, we did spy a few slithering snakes and even a hatchling snapping turtle! 

In making our observations of the forest in spring, kids also started to scout out good locations for their structure making challenge next month on our final walk. Kids looked at spots clear of poison ivy and seven minute itch (though that will change after a month of growth), as well as spaces that would be advantageous due to higher elevation and proximity to water. They are ready for this upcoming adventure in the forest!

 Garlic Mustard:

Seven Minute Itch:

Vernal Pool with Skunk Cabbage:

Another Vernal Pool

Poetry Partners

This week we partnered with our 3-4 buddies to write nature poems about the plants, animals, weather, and sky of our beloved Lilja trail. 

As poets, we endeavored to replace “fuzzy” words like “awesome”, "fun", “cool”, and “amazing” with more specific language which would create an image in the minds of our readers. Cracking open these words led to some very poetic language to describe our favorite aspects of the outdoors, or draw some surprising comparisons (like the leaves on the ground are like the toys on my playroom floor - scattered all around). 

As this project continues, we hope to select our favorite poems to laminate and mount along the Lilja path as a kind of living anthology for friends and strangers to enjoy on their walks behind our magic door. 

Below is just a small sampling of the great poetry being written. Enjoy!