When was the last time you went out for a sit in the woods?
And by sit I mean just that: to seat yourself down, on the ground or a convenient rock or log, and take it all in. The sights, the sounds. The aromas.
Has it been awhile? Maybe it’s time to give this most pleasant of pastimes a try.
I did last week, with a couple of naturalist friends. We’d actually made plans to meet for a walk, or what we like to refer to as walking; when nature people are involved, you never know how far you’ll get.
For this particular outing we’d chosen Richard Young Forest Preserve in Yorkville. We met in the parking lot off of Route 71, and our lofty goal was walk to the fen at the opposite end of the property, maybe a mile away. The time was 5:30, and we had a little over two hours to make it to the fen, and back, before the preserve’s closing at dusk.
Roughly two minutes into the walk, we made our first stop. A tangle of gooseberry prompted a discussion of prickly plants and assorted woodland fruits.
A few more minutes and few more feet down the path, we came to a little bridge. The small stream below beckoned, and we stopped again. As we looked down, one of us noticed a young bullfrog perched on the bank.
It wasn’t long before we spotted another bullfrog, sitting on a rock. Then a third, on a log. Our “walk,” as it was, came to a halt as we at first stooped with hands on knees, then crouched, then sat. We were transfixed; the creek was teeming with life.
Beneath the water’s surface, first one and then two tadpoles appeared. A small school of minnow-sized, non-game fish swam out from under a snag. Behind them trailed one, two, no, three fish that were considerably larger. Their dark tails provided an important clue to their identity; when one stretched its gaping maw, there was no doubt: largemouth bass were on the prowl.
Next, a crayfish came doddering out from under a rock. Moving slowly, it appeared to be feeding as it made its way along the stream bottom. Before long another came into view, creeping slowly along the side of a submerged branch.
The smell of the summer woods engulfed us. A green frog twanged from a short distance downstream. Cicadas buzzed. A damselfly alit on a twig.
The air felt heavy with humidity, and maybe a little enchantment, as we sat on that bridge. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Tinkerbell herself had swooped in for a visit.
Eventually, though, reality returned. We knew we’d have to get a move on if we were going to make it to the fen and back. Plus, my foot was asleep.
As we made our way along the path again, we talked about all the things we’d seen, and were reminded of a Thoreau quote: “You learn that if you sit in the woods and wait, something happens.”
The TriCities area is a treasure trove of natural areas—not just woods, but wetlands and prairies too. Hope you can head out for a sit, sometime soon, and let something happen for you.
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.