Letter from the Publisher

A small, red admiral butterfly nectaring on purple coneflowers in the yard caught my eye this morning. With the sun’s warmth, the orange-coned flowers exuded a subtle yet sweet fragrance. Surrounded by aromatic gray-headed coneflowers (which are reminiscent of Earl Grey tea), a couple of native sunflowers, rudbeckia and coreopsis, this midsummer backyard plant community was the butterfly and bee choice of the morning.

Outside my office window, a community of birds is busy clearing out the feeders yet again. As raucous juvenile blue jays call to each other, they take turns with blackbirds and sparrow families. Occasionally, a young, not-fully-red cardinal darts in, as does a juvenile, red-bellied woodpecker along with the red-headed woodpecker that flies in occasionally from the oak tree.

Here at Natural Awakenings Chicago, our mission is to help educate, empower and connect our community, providing the information and resources needed to support a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that in turn helps maintain our inner peace and overall wellness. Similarly, the importance of community, of being surrounded by encouragement, support and shared experiences, is key to both our personal and communal health.

In this month’s issue, the theme of Finding Our Community is woven throughout the pages, as we explore the importance of connecting with people and places that nourish and strengthen us. In our feature article, “The Power of Community,” writer Thais Harris explores ways to form deep connections with others, and also suggests reaching beyond our usual circles for a ripple effect of involvement. We also explore ways to adopt the wellness habits of the world’s Blue Zones communities, share the power of healing circles and ponder the ancient traditions of gathering around the friendship fire.

August 4 through 10 is National Farmers Market Week, and we’re celebrating the powerful community wellness-building aspects of our more than 300 Illinois markets and their positive impacts on area residents, neighborhoods, small farmers and producers, and the local economy. It’s “peak tomato” (as well as peak squash, peppers, cucumbers, etc.) season, and we hope you’ll try some of the delicious recipes we feature for using fresh market and garden produce.

Over the years, I’ve participated in many Lake Michigan and Chicago River cleanup days, often serving as “beach captain”, and have enjoyed the community spirit of helping not only to remove trash, but also assisting in gathering data that is used by global organizations to help reduce pollution in our waterways. Please check out the article “Protecting Waterways” and consider volunteering at an upcoming beach cleanup event sponsored by Alliance for the Great Lakes (more info at Adopt.GreatLakes.org).

As always, I urge you to please be sure to step outside daily to enjoy the details of summer and savor moments to recall on a blustery winter day. Listen for night-singing insects and check out our local communities of plants, people and nature throughout Chicagoland.
Observe the Sturgeon Super Moon rise on August 19. And try to stop to watch the butterflies and smell the flowers.

Happy August!