STROLL

The word for today is stroll, meaning a leisurely walk. Go slow. Take time to look about. Look up, look down and all around. Take time to listen to the sounds. Take time to deeply inhale a fragrance, or just the fresh air. Touch the branch of a tree or a shrub. Turn over a leaf. Don't just look at a tree. Examine it. Things live there, in it, on it, around it. The tree itself is a thing of beauty. The big green caterpillar crawling on it is a thing of beauty. The wood thrush singing in it is a thing of beauty. But if you see their relationships you will see a greater beauty. Then, if you slow down, and understand their relationships, this understanding may take you so much farther than will the thrill of seeing things. Strolling is a big help in getting understanding. It is also good for our spirits, for our "inner" selves. Taking time to smell the roses means a whole lot more than enjoying a fragrance. Strolling isn't a chore. It isn't hard to do.  It is a trail you can wander even while sitting on a log or a bench. How cool is that? Take a stroll. Let your leisurely walk take you to seeing, to understanding, to relating.

NATIVE PLANTS & ANIMALS

 

"Native plants evolved in our area for thousands of years, and are well suited to the local climate, rainfall, and soil chemistry. They have established relationships with predators, pollinators and other plants and animals which allow each to survive. For this reason, native plants do not require inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides or additional water. They are truly a low energy landscape option."

                                Marianist environmental education center

TREES OF CAMP BIRCH

TREES OF CAMP BIRCH

AMERICAN HOLLY

ASH                       

AUSTRIAN PINE                           

AUTUMN OLIVE                           

BEECH                                            

BLACK ALDER                                

BLACK OAK                                    

BLACK WALNUT                            

BUCKEYE                                        

BURR OAK                                       

BOX ELDER                                     

CATALPA                                         

CHERRY                                           

COTTONWOOD                               

DOGWOOD                                     

ELM

HICKORY

IRONWOOD

NORWAY SPRUCE

REDBUD

RED ELM

RED OAK

RED MAPLE

RIVER BIRCH

SASSAFRAS

SWEET GUM

SYCAMORE

YELLOW POPLAR

WHITE OAK

WHITE PINE