Exploring the woods

Last week, Faye was sick so we missed our guided tour of the woods. I tried my best to be the "substitute naturalist" but I failed in comparison to Faye.

This week, Faye felt better and kindly fit us into her already busy schedule.

Friday afternoon, we waited for Faye in the Gazebo at County Farm Park. As Faye rounded the corner the children were chanting:"Faye, Faye, Faye". After quick introductions, Faye took us on our fall tour.

Our first important fact was: even though you might see a bird or other a

nimal eating a berry doesn't mean you should. Faye showed us two types of berries, one black and one red. Birds and squirrels eat these berries but people shouldn't.

If you eat the black ones, you will have diarrhea. (Moans and groans of delight from the audience.)

Later, Faye showed us sumac. It looked very unappetizing but is actually edible. We put the berry in our mouth and found it very sour. (She recommended spitting out the hard, fuzzy berry after the initial taste.) The sumac is mostly used to make tea and is loaded with vitamin C.

As we walked we looked at leaves, mushrooms, and seeds. Then went down "Faye's secret path". While we were on the path we crouched down quietly and had a minute of complete silence. It was a magical moment to have 16 children and 3 adults just sit and listened to the woods in awe. (This was my personal favorite part of our walk.)

We look forward to our winter walk with Faye and learning more about the woods in our own backyard.