Ever hear the old Billie Holiday song, Back In Your Own Backyard? It’s a catchy little tune with a refrain that reminds us,
You’ll find your happiness lies
Right under your eyes
Back in your own backyard
With spring finally upon us, now’s a great time take Lady Day’s advice and check out your local surroundings. I did just that the other day, only instead of my own backyard I opted for what could best be termed our own backyard: the Native Plant Garden in the “backyard” of the Pottawatomie Community Center in St. Charles.
Thanks to the skilled care of Joan Kramer, a member of our restoration crew, the garden’s woodland wildflowers are, one by one, poking their jewel-like buds up through the waking soil. The regal purple blooms of hepatica, the nodding heads of twinleaf, the waxy white petals of bloodroot—these are what lie right under your eyes in the northern, woodland section of the garden.
A bit further south, in the garden’s prairie area, the plants are a bit slower to stir. Nonetheless, there’s color there too, in the form of the bright pink buds of the whimsical prairie smoke. In case you’re not familiar with this plant, its common name derives from the plumes of its seedhead, which develop later on and do indeed look like wispy puffs of smoke. (For those of you who are short on whimsy, the wispy tufts also bear a distinct resemblance to boxing promoter Don King’s legendary locks. Think of this plant as the prairie King, if you like.)
It’s Passover as well as Easter this weekend, so many of us will be celebrating one holiday or another. Make it a Holiday weekend as well. With a song on your lips, get back in your own backyard—or one of ours—and see all the happy things that lie there.
There’ll be lots to see next weekend too, in another community “backyard”—the natural area of Campton Hills Park. On Saturday, April 18th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the park will play host to the St. Charles Park District’s annual Earth Day Festival.
This year’s theme, “La Vida Local!,” celebrates the fact that you don’t have to travel far or spend a bundle to have fun; there are lots of great things to do right here in the TriCities. Stop on by if you can and take part in any or all of these fun, free activities:
* Get in touch with your rhythm roots with the Fox Valley Drum Circle
* Climb aboard a haywagon and take an eco-tour of Campton Hills Park
* Learn Kane County butterfly gardening tips from the University of Illinois Extension Service Master Gardeners
* Take part in a restoration hike and help plant oak trees, pull garlic mustard and cut buckthorn
* Build a birdhouse with the carpentry experts from Home Depot
* Learn about farm-fresh local foods from representatives of the Geneva Green Market
* Enjoy stories, games and family-friendly activities in the park district Nature Zone
Earth Day is certainly a reason to have a good time (don’t forget to celebrate on April 22nd, the actual Earth Day, as well) but it’s also a time for good deeds, too. If you’re planning on attending the festivities, try to bring a non-perishable food item or two; the Northern Illinois Food Bank is collecting food for families in need and will have bins at the festival. Let’s see how many we can fill!
Campton Hills Park is located at the southwest corner of Peck and Campton Hills Roads in St. Charles. From that intersection, travel west on Campton Hills Road to the second park entrance on the left.
Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at potto@stcparks.org or 630-513-4346.