This little house is sugar, its roof with snow is piled, and from its tiny window, peeps a maple sugar child. From “Winter Sweetness” by Langston Hughes As the late winter sun slowly warms the frosty morning air, something hidden and subtle occurs within the bare-limbed trees. Deep within the roots and trunks, the trees’…
In the midst of winter’s cold and snow, the promise of spring-to-come is heralded from the treetops for all who care to listen. This announcement comes in the form of a simple, clear two-note whistle, provided by a herald whose small size belies the importance of his message. The male black-capped chickadee’s fee-bee song is…
I consider myself a lifelong hiker, with many miles logged on overnight trips into wild areas in the upper Midwest and Southwest, not to mention all of my local walks at well-travelled forest preserves close to home. While I normally hike on established trails, I occasionally wander off the path, usually for short spells to…
Did you know that nature has devised an ingenious and efficient recycling process that can be harnessed by anybody to beautify their landscape, reduce their waste, lower their carbon footprint, and enrich their life? We all know about recycling of paper, glass, metals, etc., something that’s been made necessary by the sheer volume of ‘throw-away’…
“A society grows great when old men plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.” Variation on an old Indian proverb. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about stewardship and the role it can play in curing some of the discontent currently plaguing our society, not to mention the ills faced by our planet….
This year will be a pivotal one for me, ushering in significant change and inviting introspection and retrospection. I will retire from my 40-year career at Spring Valley Nature Center in October, and with that comes the inevitable looking back at what I’ve accomplished there, the people I’ve worked with, the challenges faced, obstacles overcome,…
I plan to occasionally share my passion for natural foods foraging on this site; however, I don’t want this to become my primary focus, as I am no expert. I do see foraging as an excellent way to connect with local nature, and so promote it I will! My goal will be, as always, to…
As we embark into another year, I want to provide not only an update on me and the Brooks family but announce a minor transition as well. A lot has occurred over the past two years since I last posted in what was to become my new Friends of the Brooks Family blog. For one…
