Trillium Fest at L.C. Nature Park

 Saturday was a particularly green day for me. In the morning I attended a hands-on class on identifying wild flowers at Fox Island County Park. This was the second half of a related course and part of our Indiana Master Naturalist program. Using our field guidebooks and coding I learned that I was not at all adept at identifying flowers. In fact it took me an average of 20 minutes, after looking at leaves, petals, and color, to correctly identify a flower. I need a lot more practice.
 
In the afternoon I attend Trillium Fest at L.C. Nature Park. This is the preserve's one year anniversary. L.C. Nature Park is a 200 acre preserve that strives for nature restoration. To that end they have a herd of 24 bison and a herd of 19 elk. The land includes  ponds, wetlands, and restored tall grass prairie.
 
However, this was the first Trillium Fest, and I was there to see the distinctive white flowers. The hike did not disappoint. The trail went past the fields that were home to the bison and the wooded area the elk hid in. On the outskirts were wetlands and fields but in the center was woods with a lush ground cover of trillium. It was beautiful.
 
As I hiked I kept bumping into people I knew. Visitors and volunteers were there from Eagle Marsh, Fox Island, the Master Naturalist program, the DNR, and the county parks. The spring wildflowers were in bloom, the trees were sprouting greenery, and the visitors were happy greenies. 
 
The stations were set up to educate visitors of all ages about the park, the creatures that lived there, and to entertain. The Mills Education Center had displays about the animals that called L.C. home. You could also buy t-shirts, caps, and look at nature related art. There were numerous activity tables around the lake, and they were always sites of happy activity. John Gevers volunteered at a nature centered selfie-station. I should have taken his selfie.
 
Soarin’Hawk had a presentation about their raptors and it was very popular. I was fond of Jefferson, their bald eagle. Finally, there were the information tables that were staffed by so many familiar faces. The tables included Little River Wetland Project, ACRES Land Trust, DNR, and Purdue’s Environmental Resource Center.  I look forward to booking a tour of the preserve. I want to take photos of the two herds and I want to hear more about the history of the land. This was my first visit to L.C. Nature Park, it will not be my last.