RecRegion

Stressed 😟 about how to keep life in Chicago moving on in the midst of a pandemic? Me too. It had been 2 weeks since my last outdoor adventure while I focused on work behind the scenes, and the exploding panic attack 😨😤🤯🥴 from basic life management was the final straw. I had to get out and absorb some peace in nature 🌻 or I'd fully lose my mind!

Isolating from COVID-19 while trapped inside small apartments 🌆 with no private yards, no trees, no nature views, no lakeside or riverside parks or trails 🚫 to exercise on… the concrete jungle in Chicago has felt confining and suffocating and stressful these past couple months. 🏙🏙🏙 "City dwellers have a 20 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders and a 40 percent higher risk of mood disorders as compared to people in rural areas" say experts at Stanford University, and that's during "normal" world conditions!

Health scientists have been analyzing a growing body of research on the positive mental effects of spending time in nature (ecotherapy). 🌳😊🌳😊 Studies are repeatedly showing that spending time in natural outdoor settings can boost our moods and break that relentless, negative thought loop that takes over our minds when we're stressed, anxious and depressed. 🔁 Now couldn't we all use a break from that! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

You probably don't need Stanford or Harvard experts to prove that spending time in nature helps us feel better 🤔 but check out the article links below for some compelling encouragement to play outside.

So anyway, I've had my eye on these Poplar Creek trails for a while, 😍 waiting for the right time to enjoy. Somehow, I just knew they'd be special and boy was I right! A combination of vitamin D soaked green grass trails, 🌞 hushed rolling woodlands 🌳🌲 and violet wildflowers 🌷 under budding spring blossomed trees… after 9 miles of pure bliss, my heart and mind were healed. 🦋

Sources:
https://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental-health-063015/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature

Leave the boots at home. 🥾 As soon as you pull into the parking lot of Middlefork Savanna preserve, you'll know you won't be having a "rugged" nature experience. 🌼 Beautifully manicured, wide path, crushed gravel trails, adorned with wrought iron bridges over the North Branch Chicago River, welcome you in. This land is clearly well cared for by the Lake County Forest Preserve and local community. 💚💙💛

Ironically, the bounds of this carefully curated landscaping protect a rare plot of black soil oak savanna, closely representing the native, untouched, wild soil before North American settlers plowed it all down for farming. While strolling 🚶‍♀️ or biking 🚴‍♀️ (6 feet apart please!) along the 4 miles of open trails with ease and comfort, try to imagine vast swaths of this untouched oak savanna land, expanding miles upon miles across the Midwest. 🤔 How times have changed!

Speaking of preservation and environtmental protection, happy 50th birthday to Earth Day! 🌎 Thanks to all the scientists, naturalists, lobbyists and enthusiasts that support efforts to make sure we continue to have beautiful spaces to play outside. 👏

Upright, standing dead trees (snags) play an important role in the forest for many forms of wildlife. Woodpeckers, bluebirds, wood ducks, red squirrels, hawks, eagles, owls, bats and more, all utilize snags for cozy shelters, perches for hunting or a source for nutritious meals of ants and beetles. 🦅🦉🦇 Learn more about the role of dead trees in our local forest preserves here: https://fpdcc.com/did-you-know-dead-trees-play-an-important-role/

📷 Snags are excellent photography subjects, offering a uniquely complex contrast against their environments. This compilation was snapped at Bemis Woods along the orange 🟠 red 🔴 and yellow 🟡 trails.

Bemis Woods, beautifully managed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, is located less than 30 minutes by car from downtown Chicago.

Wow Chicago, that was a tough first weekend with our city parks and paths closed down. How are y'all holding up? Rec Region virtually enjoys nature videos, photos and education to keep the nature connection strong. Today's focus is frogs!

Can you identify which type of frog we hear at Swallow Cliff Woods? Check out this USGS catalog of Midwest frog calls and comment below if you find a match! https://umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/amphibians/armi/frog_calls.html

Fun 🐸 Fact #1: Some species of frogs can survive winter by letting their bodies freeze. No breathing, no blood flow, not even a heart beat! Then they thaw in spring and hop right back into action. Learn more about how this is possible from researchers at Northwestern University. https://helix.northwestern.edu/blog/2016/04/natures-mysteries-frog-freeze-thaw

Fun 🐸 Fact #2: A group of frogs is called an Army. 🐸🐸🐸

Take a break from the news chatter and let some creek chatter wash away your worries for a moment.

It’s the first day of spring! The sun continues to rise. Our hours of sunlight are officially becoming longer than darkness. And even though we’re enduring gloomy days, there is peace and beauty within our reach.

Stay safe, stay healthy, please stay put for now when you can. 💙💛💚