Monday morning walks

Today, for the second week in a row, I joined the people from Elgin Nature Club on their Monday morning walk. I enjoy the company of the others (mostly female retirees) and I am learning from their wisdom which they freely share along the trails...pointing out various species of flowers and trees or listening for bird calls and identifying them too. Today I learned that a "bog" is a wetland area which was formed by glacial activity. A big identifying factor in separating regualr wetland and bog is that a bog is naturally acidic. The property owner located some naturally growing sphagnum in the bog and plucked a piece for us all to check out. Very much softer than most moss that can be found in many forested areas around here. We also had the pleasure of seeing a redtailed hawk's empty nest, but the hawk graced us with her presence by circling high above us and protesting loudly about our being there as we left the woods. I hope to continue being with the group for these short weekly hikes. I learn lots of interesting things and get some gentle exercise in areas which are not open to the public. Their frequent stops to check out things help ease the pain and stress of the walk. Definate win-win situation as long as the smog stays away and air quality allows me to get out for exercise.