The girls and I joined a group led by Washtenaw County Parks' naturalist Faye Stoner on a twilight winter hike through the West Lake Preserve near Chelesa. We wandered the trails through the open fields on the way to the forested part of the park, and stopped along the way to talk about the efforts to remove autumn olive and snack on some rose hips that we discovered trail side.
Once in the woods, we discussed some of the preserve's residents that might be found wandering the park at twilight -- red fox, skunks, & minks, then enjoyed a small fire and cocoa while trying to call in barred owls and learning about the midwinter holiday candlemas.
During the return walk to the car, we were able to get replies from screech owls and stopped to admire the night sky -- Orion's belt, and the planets Jupiter and Venus.
Once in the woods, we discussed some of the preserve's residents that might be found wandering the park at twilight -- red fox, skunks, & minks, then enjoyed a small fire and cocoa while trying to call in barred owls and learning about the midwinter holiday candlemas.
During the return walk to the car, we were able to get replies from screech owls and stopped to admire the night sky -- Orion's belt, and the planets Jupiter and Venus.
The trip ended up taking longer than we planned, and because I mistakenly had the wrong time down, we missed out on spending the evening with some great friends and seeing Goldfinger, we we still had a wonderful twilight hike.
