How’s this for a lovely Mother’s Day tradition? Citizens for Conservation hosted a Mother’s Day Wildflower walk at Baker’s Lake, giving families a way to honor mom while learning about flowers and wildlife in Barrington.
Tour guide Tom Vanderpoel led the group to see the multitude of native spring flowers Baker’s Lake Savanna including rue anemone, wild hyacinth, trillium, bellwort, wild geranium, shooting star ( Barrington’s official wildflower) and Jacob’s ladder. The children delighted in checking off flower features on their lists and being on the lookout for the next new flower.
The woods and lake rookery are filled with birds, so the hikers used binoculars and a spotting scope to view many species, including a pair of Baltimore orioles putting the finishing touches on their nest. All the attendees were interested in the history of the rookery in Baker’s Lake as they watched egrets, great blue herons, a black-crowned night heron, mallards and coots.
At the end of the walk, the children received a native plant to present to their mothers or grandmothers on their special day.
Citizens for Conservation’s mission is “Saving Living Space for Living Things” through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, conservation of natural resources, and education. For more information about the work they do, visit their website at CitizensforConservation.org.
