During our engaging tour, we learned that Butternut trees leave "monkey faces" or leaf scars that resemble a monkey face when the leaf is torn from the branch. We learned that lots of different species of birds and butterflies depend on native flowers such as the Black Eyed Susan. Mr. Bruggink was kind enough to give each of our kids bags to pick and place Black-eyed Susan seeds into so that they could plant some at home. YES! They were so content sitting in the field and earnestly picking flower seeds - we actually had to call them back several times so that Mike could show us a few more neat things about the park before leaving!
Something else neat that we learned had to do with Wood Ducks. Did you know that Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities and not on the ground like most other species of ducks? I know, it's pretty surprising! Mr. Bruggink showed us some nest boxes that were put up off of the ground for Wood Ducks, with one of them containing some abandoned eggs that we got to touch and pass around.
It was a great day and we're extremely thankful for Mr. Bruggink showing us around the park and introducing us to the work that River City Wild Ones is doing. If you or someone you know is looking to consult someone on native landscaping, please contact Mike at mike@fenview-design.com.
