Suburban Nature

In a community where the “Green” lifestyle is affordable and people are walking advertisements for Whole Foods, with their tote bags hanging proudly, nature seems to be a second thought. I was back home in Glenview, Illinois for the weekend when I went on a walk to The Glen, the local shopping and restaurant district. In my subdivision it seems like nature was built around the necessities for the residents. The houses are on equal sized lots, with single trees planted next to the foot of the driveway. The image of a skinny, young tree placed adjacent to a large, cement driveway leading to a two-car garage in the center of the house, shows that cars are at the heart of the suburbs. The walk through my subdivision was patterned with manicured lawns and sparse trees placed evenly throughout. When I left my neighborhood, I walked onto a wide, empty sidewalk, next to a packed four-line street. The street was lined with trees to barricade the residents in the behind neighborhoods from the noise. Through the horns and engines I could hear squirrels running through the trees and felt the itch of insects, my swelling mosquito bite is proof of nature in Glenview. I walked roughly a mile down the main road until I reached The Glen.
The Glen was once a naval airbase and pure prairie land. The naval base closed in the late 1990s and village created a housing development, with a entertainment district and business district. The development is entirely planned and that is seen from the building structure to the layout of nature. Patriot Boulevard, the main entryway to The Glen, leads to a strip-mall and supermarket with a parking lot that wraps around all the structures. The strip-mall and parking lot rests on what used to be acres of prairie land and home to many animals. Further down Patriot there is a child’s park and the entertainment district. There is a unified pattern to the where the trees are planted and it is obvious by the skinny bases that the trees are relatively young. It strikes me as odd that in what used to be prairie is now infested with only human life and growing green trees. Throughout the journey from the entertainment district and the north end to the business district at the south end, I did not see any animals, and there was a village truck spraying the parks so I could only assume that was to get rid of insects. At one of the most southern points there is a prairie preserve placed between two child enrichment centers. The preserve is an acre of the original prairie and houses many birds and insects, among other creatures. There is little human activity in the preserve, which makes it the most peaceful place in The Glen. The acre of prairie is in a planned spot, but is the least planned part of the area. The prairie is tucked away beyond the major attractions of The Glen and rests peacefully serving as a foil to the active North Shore lifestyle.
I felt most comfortable walking at a fast pace, in an unobservant manner as I do in the city. I walk like I am on a mission but as I began to notice the patterns in the nature of the area I realized that that was my mission. I have never been the outdoors type and it took me moving to the city for me to start walking places instead of getting in my car so walking around Glenview was out of my element. I have always enjoyed walking around the mall in The Glen and watching the people but I did not realize the detail and depth of the prairie preserve until I took the time to stop and look. I noticed a slower pace of time at that point, and in a busy lifestyle I could appreciate time passing slower. The difference I felt in observing the lack of nature to starting at the original form of nature showed me how people could benefit from the relaxation provided through nature and learn a slower way of life.

Nature Walk Assignment - Nature or Creature?

Walking along the skyscrapers of Chicago on Michigan Avenue, it is not hard to see some greenery which are well-blended into the “concrete jungle” and embellish the nights of Chicago’s summer. Especially, while the colorful neon signs catch your eyes and the Jazz music flowed with the summer breeze refresh your ears, you are already being convinced that there is no place on the earth can camouflage such a romantic scene! The modern industrialization and scholarships such as civil engineering and urban development allow people nowadays to live more efficiently and conveniently. As the article, “The Role of Arboriculture in a Healthy Social Ecology,” insists, “greenery do benefit people internally and externally disregarding the geographic area where human beings inhabit;” however, while people getting amazed by the spectacularity and the sophisticated development plans of the city, should the greenery “planed” to be planted on streets be consider as a part of nature, or creature? If the greenery planted in the city are considered as the creatures, does it mean human beings can control the nature already?

Since this is a blog style writing, I think it’d be more meaningful to hear the opinions of people from the class, rather than simply stating what I believe. Please leave a comment to sate what you believe is true.

Nature walk

I chose to walk down the trail that runs along lake shore drive. Personally I chose this because I bike ride down this path all the time and it just always makes me feel relax when I am there. Compared to where I live the trail is quiet, calm, and there are many trees and sand that is around the area. Riding down this trail you can see the parks, beaches, and even watch the sun rise on one of the ledges which to me was probably the best part of my ride. Looking around the area as the light from the sun lightly lit up the trees, grass, and the sky is like picture you see in magazines. Since it was so early there were no cars or many people around the area, all you can hear is the wind blowing. I was real happy I choose to go ride that early because it allowed me to see the sunrise across the lake front which was the first time I actually stopped and watched it, and I realize how awesome the, the lake, the parks, and the beach look when they began to get hit by the light. But because it was early there was sill a lot of garbage on the beach which I have seen before, but this time I realized how people left a lot of it close to the water making it easy for it to float away. Even the parks had crap all over it whether it was food or boxes, people left it there. Which is really annoying since this area is a luxury that should not be taken advantage of.

Nature Walk

"Perfect", was the word that came to mind as I stepped out of my apartment, felt the heat of downtown Chicago and soaked in the nearly cloudless day. Walking through the Loop's towering high-rises and endless asphalt and concrete, I came across a green oasis juxtaposed against the hard and often metallic surfaces. It is a newly built park in between DePaul Central and the John Marshall Law School. It has a neatly carved grassy knoll and there are activities going on today. Frisbees fly and a few business people have sought refuge in the sun from their offices. Argo Tea has a stand set up where they are handing out samples to passersby. There is also a small coffee stand where Chicagoans can get a quick pick me up while on their way to work. Feeling the heat surround me, the noise from
Chicago traffic and the green landscape makes me feel at home for the first time in a very long time!
I grew up in an area very different from Chicago. It was much greener and quieter; this little park reminds me of the smell of land and the feel of grass. I don't give in to the temptation to take off my shoes as that will come later. As I continued my walk, I wonder how it will feel to have grass under my feet, and I am reminded that we are fortunate to have so much green space in downtown Chicago. Grant Park is a beautiful piece of land surrounded by statutes, restaurants, and lots of places to have fun! As I approached the walkway to the marina a softball game was going on. I stopped to watch for a bit until my allergies started flaring up from all the dust and the cottonwood trees. This is the part of nature that aggravates me. It is soo beautiful and calming but can be such a pain for my sneezing and breathing! After a brief jog down to the marina I finally reached Lake Michigan. It is a windy day down by the water but watching the boats bounce off the waves and the trees blow reminds me of my beach house in Grand Haven, Michigan. I finally take off my shoes feel the grass and look at our beautiful lake. Being close to the water, the sun, the boats, other joggers, and sitting on the grass makes me wonder how I ever stay inside my apartment!

I took my nature walk after class ended on Monday. I walked straight east down Fullerton until I got to Cannon Drive where I turned north and walked past the Nature Museum and through park. At the start of my walk the only nature I saw was the gardens in the homes along Fullerton and the trees along the sidewalk. I saw a few squirrels and birds as well. When I got to Cannon Drive and into North Park I started to see more nature, the pond, the geese swimming on the pond, the trees and flowers in the park, and the park itself.
When I chose my route I really just tried to choose the route with the most nature on it and I figured that the route with Nature Museum on it would be a good bet. I did not feel that different when I entered the park, however I was in the shade and it was relatively hot out so I did feel better when I got into an area with more nature. Having lived in Chicago my whole life, I did not notice anything that I have not noticed before. Living in the city, my daily interaction with nature is not as much as it might be if I lived in the country and is pretty much limited to whatever trees, parks, or gardens I pass by.

Walking Around Lincoln Park

I choose to take my nature walk around a familiar area that I walk through daily to see if my views of these areas in regards to nature have changed.  Therefore I walked around Lincoln Park’s residential streets as well as by parks such as Oscar Meyer and Oz Park. During my walk, I noticed the mass amounts of trees that line many residential streets and the amount of people that sit out on their front steps and are walking around. Then I compare this to what I saw when I observed at Schiller Elementary School in the heart of what used to be Cabrini Green. This area was desolate of any greenery and I rarely saw the residents out on the four playgrounds that were in the area. I saw this contrast as support to Kuo’s view on the relationship between greenery and use of an area. During my walk through the parks, I saw grass, flowers, trees, domestic dogs, squirrels, and people interacting everywhere. Although so much was happening in my walk, such as sports games and people moving at a fast-paced through the streets, it was quite relaxing. Seeing the amount of activity that was going on in these spaces and knowing that the neighborhood has created an inviting and safe atmosphere that people enjoy being in the nature around them. Just being outdoors gives me a sense of being part of something bigger and the smells and sights relax me. The interaction between nature and myself is that in order to appreciate the beauty of nature you have to be willing to take care of your surroundings. The parks that I encountered did not plant flowers and tress on its own. Someone has created a space that lets you enjoy nature by giving the area greenery and color.  I wouldn’t say that I experienced or saw more than I normally do on a walk through this area, I was just more aware of what was going on around me and how the environment affected the people in it.

Today, I decided to take a walk in the place I consider most to be nature, a small section of the Cook County forest preserve that I have been walking through for over fifteen years. The section is less than a block from where I grew up and it seemed like the right place for a nature walk. I’ve seen trees fall, rot, and eventually begin to foster new life; it’s my well-worn path, it’s home. Part of the charm of this piece of woods is that I seem to be the only person I know who bothers to walk through there, and because I have been doing it for such a long time, my knowledge of its changes is what I consider to be its greatest charm. Watching the gradual change in things has always fascinated me, but in the woods it’s not artificial. In the city I like to watch skyscrapers climb to ever-new heights, and buildings come down, but the world of nature has an organic feeling all to itself, outside of the realm of the human.

Compared with my normal interactions with nature I made sure to pay special attention to all the fauna that I could observe. Normally, I see squirrels, deer, and birds on a daily basis, so I attempted to notice other things that I do not usually see. I was lucky enough to see something that I never would have imagined I would have come across, a snake being ravenously devoured by a hawk. It was incredible to see, for rarely have I observed snakes in the woods I was walking in, but I have seen several hawks coming back to the area in the last few years. So, while I knew that both of these animals lived in the woods, I never would have imagined that in the hour I was outside I would have observed a hawk doing much more than flying let alone eating.