Taking Time to Notice Nature During Workday

It is easy to assume there is nothing interesting to see or do outdoors in the winter when the trees are bare and when not even a pretty snowfall covers gray surroundings. But I’ve come to realize there are engaging winter activities that don’t involve snowmobiles, skis, or skates.

On Sunday, February 12, I was part of a small group of volunteers who met at Pappy Dickens Woods to cut back invasive honeysuckle that was impeding the growth of the wood’s native plants. I hadn’t known much about honeysuckle, much less non-native, invasive species, but the latter had clearly gotten to be a problem. We set to work with pruning saws cutting the woody plants off as close to the ground as possible. Our Bur Oak facilitators, Seth and Casey, came along behind us to apply a safe chemical that would inhibit regrowth of the unwanted plants without harming surrounding growth.

The day was sunny but blustery with the temperature in the 40s, but the work warmed us up. The area consists of deep ravines, so we were protected from the wind. This kind of activity is a good exercise in noticing. As we gave our muscles a rest, someone quietly pointed out a doe on the next ridge. Motionless, she blended so thoroughly into the surroundings that she was hard to make out at first, but as she switched her tail and took a few steps, we could see that she was good sized.

Unconcerned, she moved on and seemed to dissolve into the far trees before our eyes. Sometime later, we spotted five or six deer moving across another ridge. Even though deer are a common sight and often make nuisances of themselves, it’s hard not to admire their beauty and graceful movements. Later, as we passed a couple of large holes in a hillside, Seth and Casey mentioned seeing a fox earlier in the week. This could be its den. I also couldn’t help noticing the occasional scent of a skunk on the wind, but fortunately, the little fellow’s aroma was all that greeted us.

Casey pointed out that in pre-refrigeration days, there was a dam on the nearby creek which, in winter, was used to flood an area so ice could be harvested. Pick your way down the path to the creek, and you can still see a large section of the dam. Other evidence of days gone by remain, too. An old manure spreader sits askew on a hillside. Other than farm kids of a certain age, few people would know what that low-tech piece of machinery is now days. It was a nostalgic remnant of days gone by, and I was curious to know how it came to be there.

We were tired when we left but pleased to meet others with similar interests and to know that our work would help maintain these tucked-away woods. I hope you are also inspired to take time to volunteer for a workday event – you never know what you will learn.