November can seem gloomy as flowers and
leaves turn brown and drop to the ground. But there’s plenty to see, enjoy and
learn from nature in gratitude and joy this month. Go outdoors to find the
harvest of seeds, berries and nuts and observe wildlife partake in the
bountiful feast. A good way to start an outdoor hike in November is to engage
in all our senses, suggests Jeanne Iovinelli, a certified forest therapy guide
and volunteer habitat restorationist at the Morton Arboretum,
in Lisle.
“What do you smell? The damp soil, perhaps.
Does the air have a taste to it? What do you hear? A woodpecker pounding, perhaps.
Touch the bark of a tree. What does it feel like? Then look all around and take
in all the beauty,” she suggests. “November is a wonderful time to connect with
the forest in a different way than you did in the summer.”
Iovinelli advises, “Notice the dried leaves
as you’re walking and the different shapes and the colors. You can stop and pick up a bunch of leaves and look at
what’s underneath there. You can find little bugs crawling around and signs of
critters having eaten walnuts and acorns. You’ll be amazed at all the activity
that has been going on this month.”
With no foliage left, the trees take on a
different look. “You can see their limbs, the way they turn and curve. You can
see the different personalities of the trees,” she says.
The Morton Arboretum offers a winter tree
ID class in November, in which participants learn to identify trees in winter
by examining their shape, bark, buds and other clues. Then they can spend the
winter trying to identify the trees they see.
November is filled with seeds, berries and
nuts that feed wildlife as well as get buried beneath the soil to create a new
crop of plants next spring. “November is the time the seeds travel,” Iovinelli
says. They get dispersed by wind, water, air and animals. For example, willow
tree seeds are so light they get taken away by the wind and can float on water
to travel to another place to colonize. Some plant seeds have hooks that attach
to animal fur, eventually getting transported elsewhere. Others have pods that
explode, releasing seeds when the sun dries them or something rubs against
them.
A great place to look for plants with seeds
is in a prairie or adjacent to a wetland. “Look for milkweed pods that have
dried. You will find some that still have seeds in them,” Iovinelli suggests.
The seeds are encased in a white, cottony substance that feels soft and silky.
“Pick one up and let it fly. Let it move in the air. You don’t know where it’s
going to land, but it might mean new life somewhere else,” she says.
The dried seed heads of wild bergamot have a pleasant fragrance in autumn.
Photo by Jeanne Iovinelli
Iovinelli has learned to identify prairie
plants after the blooms have withered. “One plant that’s easy to recognize is
bergamot. It takes on its own beauty. If you crush the leaves or seed heads
between your fingers, you can smell an oregano-like aroma.”
Native bergamot, sometimes called bee balm, is about four feet tall with a
dried, dome-shaped, nickel-sized flower head atop each stem. Within the flower
heads are tubular structures that contain the seeds.
Another prairie plant
with a great smell in November is the gray-headed coneflower. “Crush the seed
head and it has a citrus smell,” Iovinelli says. She collects dried nature
outdoors, then brings it home to a gratitude platter to observe and photograph.
A gray squirrel munches on a black walnut.
Photo by Steven D. Bailey.
Watch for wild critters outdoors stoking up
for winter. For example, American goldfinches and song sparrows hop on
coneflowers and other prairie plants to eat the seeds. Chipmunks store so many
seeds in their cheeks that they look as if they have mumps. “Their cheeks are
so puffed,” Iovinelli says. They’ll deposit those seeds in their winter pantry
beneath the ground, where they can find some food in winter. One of my other
favorite things in November is to watch and listen to squirrels near walnut
trees. You can hear the crunching sound as they gnaw on the walnuts. They have
to get inside of the green outer coating to get to the seed inside.”
An American robin perches on a branch filled with berries.
Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and wildlife Service/Public Domain
Berries also provide food
for animals in winter. “Cedar waxwings and American robins especially like the
fruit from crab apple trees in late autumn,” says Alan Anderson, who leads bird
walks at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and serves as
research committee chair for the Chicago Audubon Society.
Crabapple trees provide food for birds and other wildlife in November
Photo by Alan Anderson
Crab apple trees can be found at the Lakeside Gardens in the Chicago Botanic
Garden, as well as in various neighborhoods, parks and the Morton Arboretum.
November is a great time
to look and listen for migrating sandhill cranes and Canada geese. Both species
fly in flocks, making calls to one another to keep on track while flying south.
“Sometimes when it’s cold and gloomy, people don’t want to get out,” Iovinelli
says. “But if you get yourself to even go for a walk around the block in
November, you’ll always feel better when you return.”
Sheryl DeVore has written six books on
science, health and nature, as well as nature, health and environment stories
for national and regional publications.
November
Hikes
Check local forest preserves, park
districts and natural areas to see what to enjoy outside in November and what
ages are appropriate for the events.
Here’s a list of some that are free or have a nominal
charge.
Lake County Forest Preserve District offers a free guided
hike from 9-10 a.m., Nov. 7 at Half Day Forest Preserve, and a walk with a
naturalist from 9-10 a.m., Nov. 13 at Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve (nominal
fee), and a Sunday Stroll from 9-10 a.m., Nov. 21 at Edward L. Ryerson Conservation
Area, Riverwoods (nominal fee.) Register online at lcfpd.org/calendar/november2021.
Chicago Park District features Astronomy in the Parks, from 7-9 p.m., Nov. 19, at Bloomingdale Trail Park, Chicago. Free for all ages.
