Arboretum walks can connect people with natural world

Predators use these fire lanes, Arboretum naturalist Susan Simonson explains, and they leave their scat to mark their territory. This particular pile is too small to have been left by a coyote, muses Simonson, unsure as to its origin.

“If it was skunk, it would have more insects,” she says.

The group heads out again, bound for Teal Pond, Gallistel Woods and Longenecker Gardens.

The free hike is one of many public walks the Arboretum offers every Sunday afternoon and, occasionally, other days and evenings. Additional Sunday walks are designed for families. Meeting locations and times are available on the Arboretum’s Web site, http://www.wisc.edu/arboretum, and at http://today.wisc.edu.

Those taking winter hikes will learn how to spot signs of animal activity, including tracks, trails, nests and chewed plants. Some hikes focus on mammals’ behavior, others on vegetation — how to identify trees in winter, for example.

Monthly evening walks are scheduled on the Saturday closest to the full moon. The next, Feb. 7, 6:30-8 p.m., starts at the Visitor Center. Simonson rarely uses a flashlight on those treks.

“People realize they can see,” she says.

Even a hike of only 90 minutes helps participants gain a better understanding of the natural world, Simonson says.

“Though the lives we live can sometimes insulate us from nature,” she says, “we are a part of it as it is a part of us. We don’t fully understand the extent of our interconnectedness.”

In late January and February, excursions will highlight signs of animals in winter, tree identification, birds and the practice of keeping a phenology journal that records the timing of natural events.

If snow is on the ground, other indications of the Arboretum’s inhabitants may be found. But the signs are not just visual. The sounds of birds and the smell of a skunk awake for a warm day or two also indicate which creatures are out and about. Participants can also learn how a too-cold or too-mild winter affects plants.

Sandhill cranes have frequented the Teal Pond wetland, getting as far as building a nesting platform, but never producing a chick. Simonson says she suspects they moved deeper into the Arboretum, away from trails and humans. Muskrats moved into their vacated digs.

Simonson says she enjoys walking in the same places because she always sees something new.

“Maybe you’ll see different animals,” she says. “You’ll definitely see changes in vegetation.”

The group steps from the woods into Longenecker Gardens with its sample conifers. Simonson points out tamaracks, which are conifers, but not evergreens. Some brown needles cling to the branches.

In the fading light, she gestures to the other trees, including a blue spruce from Colorado, a lighter shade of dark against the cloudy sky.

“One of the nice things about winter,” Simonson says, “is the opportunity to see the shapes of the trees.”