Outdoor Goals: Become Besties With Nature

Hi friends, 

We often hear about making New Year’s Resolutions in January. But resolutions are really just goals, and, in my opinion, we can set them any time we want. One of my goals for this year just started in March. Maybe it’s the right goal for you too! I decided that this year I want to become BFFs (best friends forever) with a trail.  

Maybe I can’t give half of a “Best Friend” necklace to a trail. OK, I definitely can’t because that would be littering! Or someone would find it and put it in the lost and found!  

But a necklace doesn’t make someone a best friend — a relationship does. And relationships grow by spending a lot of time together getting to know one another. You can do that with a place.  

I spend a lot of time hiking different trails in different forest preserves. It’s one of the best parts of my job! I still plan to do that, but this year my goal is to visit one trail a lot. Hopefully once a week.

Why visit every week? Because if I spend a lot of time there, I’ll get to know it really well. I’ll get to notice all the small changes through the seasons and get familiar with all the animals that live in the preserve. 

Are you on the edge of seat about which trail yet?  Look for me at Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve. The trail is short, but it is full of so many exciting things if you take the time to go slow and pay attention. 

I made my first trek out there in the middle of March. Spring wildflower season starts in March, and I didn’t want to miss a thing! What did I see? Leaves, leaves and more leaves! The forest floor is covered with last year’s fallen leaves. Parts of the trail were so covered with leaves that I couldn’t even see it! That probably means that not too many people have been out there to hike yet this year.

Did I find any flowers? Nope. But I know the leaves are providing cover from weather that keeps changing from cold to warm to even freezing again and again. Leaves also provide good nutrients as they break down into soil, so I resisted the urge to rake them away with my fingers to peek underneath for new shoots. 

One week later I went back again. Still mostly leaves, but as I moved slowly and kept my eyes low to the ground hoping for signs of tiny blooms, I was rewarded! Spring beauty leaves and even some buds had pushed through the fallen leaves. I didn’t see any blooms on them yet, but I bet I will next time! 

Hepatica. (Photo by Heather Van Zyl)

I kept walking, and tucked away at the base of a tree, hepatica was blooming! Hepaticas send up their fuzzy stems and light purple blooms before any leaves give a hint that they’re about to burst from the ground.  

A little bit farther was the biggest treat of all — harbinger of spring! Sometimes people call them salt and pepper flowers. Can you look at the picture and see why? These flowers are extremely hard to find and only bloom for a short time. If I had waited another week or two to visit Raccoon Grove, I probably would have missed them. 

Tiny harbinger of spring blooms. (Photo by Heather Van Zyl)

I didn’t just see flowers though. I also noticed a path where the grass was flattened. Could it be a deer trail? I’m going to keep watch for white tails bounding by when I’m visiting each week to see if I spot any.

I heard a tufted titmouse and a white-breasted nuthatch calling through the trees, and something was knocking so loud I think it could have been a pileated woodpecker! Next time I need to remember my binoculars! 

I’ll keep you posted about the changes I see and discoveries I make while I’m hanging out with my new BFF! Do you want to build a relationship with a new best friend this year too? Maybe your space is a preserve or trail like mine, but it doesn’t have to be. You could visit a neighborhood park or even a corner of your own yard. Just visit frequently, watch for changes and have fun. I’d love to hear where you chose and what you discovered! 

Happy trails,  

Heather Van Zyl

Program coordinator, Forest Preserve District of Will County 

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