Seasonal Gifts Wednesday, Nov 9 2022 

Everyday Life and Gardening and Midwest and Nature , , Mary K. Doyle 4:42 pm

Here in the Midwest, the change of seasons, especially as autumn eases into winter, can bring us down. We must bid adieu to warm, sunny days, flora, and fauna knowing it will be many months before these joys return.

Most of the leaves have fallen and the blossoms have faded. We’ve said good-bye to our hummingbird friends. Squirrels are busy storing food for the barren winter. The wind blows louder.

But nature still has surprises for us to find.

Today I strolled through Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois and was delightfully surprised.

Purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, browns, reds, and greens. Flowers, leaves, and branches.

Birds singing, chattering. Wasps searching for the last drops of sweet nectar.

My heart soared with so many treats to the senses. The most exciting was finding fragrant roses in bloom.

The frost is coming. These lovely days are numbered.

But nature will always provide us with delights. All we have to do is seek them.

* Caring for a loved one with dementia? You are not alone. I know what you are going through. So do others. Ask for the help you need. Navigating Alzheimer’s, The Alzheimer’s Spouse, Inspired Caregiving.

 

Nature Escape Monday, Oct 12 2020 

Everyday Life and Gardening and Midwest and Nature , , , Mary K. Doyle 11:07 am

The Midwest is popping with color. One of my favorite escapes is a walk through nature. With the change of seasons in this area of the U.S., the scenery is never stagnant. A surprise awaits at every time of year, and this autumn is not letting us down.

This past weekend, my boyfriend, Paul, and I walked along the Batavia Riverwalk along the Fox River in Batavia, Illinois. The path is gorgeous at any time of year but autumn offers a feast for the senses. The meandering river, active wildlife, vibrant plant growth, and rustling, falling leaves participate in a well-orchestrated dance that can be seen, heard, and smelled.

An American Goldfinch, in its winter coat, calmly posed for us in a bed of wildflowers.

Geese lazily glided down the river.

A gull feasted on fresh fish.

And ducks basked in the October sun.

The river leapt over the little dam.

But the greatest surprise of the day was what I believe to be jasmine. It’s delightful fragrance announced its presence before we spotted the lush growth attracting hungry bees.

The Wildflower Sanctuary on the Batavia Riverwalk is a joint project of the Batavia Plain Gardeners Organization and the Batavia Park District in cooperation with the City of Batavia and the Riverain Apartment complex. Volunteers initiated the project in 1991 and continue to maintain it.

A short retreat to this sanctuary, or your closest park, forest, or prairie can offer well-needed respite. Join the volunteers or simply escape into nature for a boost of peace and happiness.

***

Do you know that October is the month of the rosary?

 

Fall Colors Tuesday, Sep 30 2014 

Everyday Life and Nature , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 5:38 pm

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Spring blossoms with hope, summer peaks with flora and fauna, and autumn bursts with color.

The leaves are beginning to change in the Midwest. A new splattering of vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds is seen everywhere we look. It’s like fireworks shooting a new display every day.

The process of leaf changing is fascinating. Much has to do with the declining hours of daylight and the types of trees. Aspen leaves turn bright yellow; oaks’ turn red or brown; dogwoods’ turn purplish red or light tan; and some of the maples’ turn brilliant scarlet. Others, such as elm leaves do not change at all. They simply die and fall off.

For the trees with leaves that do change, leaf color is influenced predominately by the shortening of daylight but also by pigments in the leaves and weather. For optimum color, leaves require a warm, wet spring, favorable summer temperatures, and warm, sunny fall days with cool but frostless nights.

During the spring and summer, the trees take in water from the ground through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air. They use sunlight to turn the water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose in a process called photosynthesis.

There isn’t enough light or water in the winter for photosynthesis. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves revealing the yellows and oranges that until then were present but unseen. The cool nights of autumn turn the glucose bright reds and purples.

Unlike the tender leaves of deciduous trees, the tough needles of evergreens with their heavy wax coating and fluid inside their cells resist freezing and withstand severe winter conditions.

(Information gathered from the U.S. Department of Agriculture)

©2014, Mary K. Doyle

 

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