By Charla Wurm-Adams
cwurm@wbcowqel.com
Wednesday night there were lots of strange creatures in the woods of the Heckert Nature Preserve. Some of them had four legs and others had two.
Josh Dyer led the Crawford Park District’s Walk-and-Woof. Of course in addition to the invaders there were the residents of the woods like frogs and crickets. It was the perfect time of year to see the transition of seasons according to Dyer.
“The focus of the hike tonight was not only to get the dogs and families out together, but also to focus on the changing of the seasons and how it will effect some of the animals that will be utilizing Heckert,” Dyer said. “The vernal pool for instance was just starting to fill up with some water getting ready for the amphibian migration come February and March. The nuts are dropping off the trees like crazy, for the squirrels getting ready for wintertime and other animals that want to utilize those nuts.
Dyer added that it “a beautiful night for a hike and the leaves are starting to change and fall and just a wonderful time.”
Everyone learned about hickory nuts and beech nuts as Dyer demonstrated how edible they were. Dyer pointed out different leaves that stay green through winter, and other leaves off a spice bush that had a potpourri scent when crushed. There were different habitats for amphibians and the children learned about the different types of bark on different trees like sycamore and beech.