Walking with Nature: Walking the Gateway Wetlands in July

Walking with Nature: Walking the Gateway Wetlands in July

The heat we have experienced in Bolingbrook this summer has changed the appearance of the Gateway Wetlands. The area is lush with vegetation. The tall cattails are trying to take over the smaller ponds. Along the walkways, morning glories blow their silent horns, wild bergamot offers itself to the bees, and coneflowers catch the sun.

Early on a July morning I ambled around the Wetlands, chatting with other people out for morning walks, including Dennis O’Brien, who moved to the area 28 years ago; another gentleman (who didn’t want his name used) who has lived near the Wetlands since the 1970s; Tony Rakestraw, a 16-year resident; and Jayson Deets and his twelve-year-old daughter Kara, among others.

The old-timers were nostalgic as they described the Wetlands before the developers put in roads and surrounded the Wetlands with homes. The untamed area was a haven for children seeking adventure and enjoying nature. Development brought tears to members of at least one family. O’Brien is proud of the role his wife played in getting the federal government to protect some of the wetland and preserve it for future generations.

The long-time residents were not hesitant to express their love for the area. One eloquently expressed his view that God’s hand is visible in the beauty of nature here, another spoke of the peace he feels when he walks in the Wetlands. There is something about water that can be refreshing and even healing. What can top the beauty of a sunset coloring the pond in pastels, or a full moon laying its path on the ripples? Rakestraw spoke of the quiet the Wetland provides and of his appreciation for the benches where he and others can sit and meditate.

Quiet in the Wetlands is a relative matter, however. It may mean simply getting away from the rush and bustle of modern life. A woman who lives at the edge of the Wetlands once complained to me about the noise made by the red-winged blackbirds. The red-wings certainly are noisy in the spring as they claim their territories, mate, and protect their nests. The Wetlands are much quieter in July! Deets and his daughter enjoy hearing fish jump and churn up the foliage. Deets also described how geese gather on the big pond to migrate together in the fall. “They don’t have a curfew,” Deets laughed, “so they are noisy until 11 PM!” Despite their noise, he enjoys this annual avian family reunion.

Those who live or walk in the Wetlands area enjoy the wildlife. The great blue heron and the egret are favored by some. In addition to water birds, there are birds in the trees, and others flying under and over at least one of the docks. One resident told me that they have little problem with mosquitoes, because the birds feast on them.

Kara Deets likes to see and play with some of the baby turtles. Rakestraw says he has seen snapping turtles on the path as he walks his golden retriever. He has adopted the safest strategy: “They leave me alone and I leave them alone,” he says.

O’Brien says he no longer sees deer, since the area was developed. “But there are a lot of rabbits,” he added. O’Brien said there were many feral cats in the area when his family moved in. They kept the rabbit population under control. Now that there are not a lot of cats running free, there are many more rabbits. I was told that coyotes have been spotted in the Wetlands. A few residents have been fortunate enough to spot beavers, though the bushy-tailed mammals usually stay hidden in the water.

Kara, who walks with her father, likes the plants around the Wetlands, including wild berries. There is such a variety of vegetation along the paths that you can see wildflowers in bloom from spring until fall.

Human activity is also part of the appeal. I was told that those who live near the Wetlands have good neighbors. Kara likes the fireworks that someone sets off over the pond on the Fourth of July. Some residents love to fish in the Wetlands, but the docks have other functions, too. In the spring, high school boys take girls to the dock to ask for dates to the prom. In such a beautiful setting, how could a girl refuse? Romance in the Gateway Wetlands could be the name of a Harlequin romance novel—numerous couples have pledged their love and become engaged on the dock!

If you want a quiet walk, July and early August are good times to walk around the Gateway Wetlands. You never know what wildlife you may see on a particular day—or what human drama may bring a smile to your face.

© Wilda Morris