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  • Home
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    • halloween-22
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      • greenHeron
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    • Nature Detectives - the latest news
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  • Who We Are
    • Chuan-Chu Chou Blog
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    • presidentReport-1Q-21
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brightwood park discoveries

Morning Has Broken

9/28/2022

 
​I would like to share with you another episode of "Morning Has Broken".  Between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning, a layer of fog rose from the ground of Brightwood Park.  The sunlight came through trees and created scenes reminding me of the description of the Garden of Eden.  I took the first few pictures with my Canon camera and later switched to my iPhone 13 to get the contrast right.  

The flowers planted by Rob waved at me.  Not till I almost finished my journey did I become aware that among the flowers there was a king, accompanied by a golden crown (the purple coneflower).

It was a delight to see the waterfall forming at the dam again, after having a long dry summer.  I felt so refreshed by this familiar sight and sound. 

A sweetgum tree at the junction of the large and the small ponds was announcing the coming of foliage season.  With many tree leaves falling prematurely due to the drought, one has to keep fingers crossed for a pretty and colorful autumn. 

Echo of Nature... Shout out Brightwood!

9/21/2022

 
I woke up yesterday morning around 6:30 a.m.  As much as I wanted to make up for some sleep that I lost, I was driven by an impulse to get up.  

I wonder if you remember a story appearing in TV news back in the early 1980s.  A United flight on its way from Honolulu to Los Angeles made an emergency landing because a passenger was trying to open the cabin door.  After the landing he explained to security officers why he did it: "I heard the echo of nature telling me that I am a bird, and I am not supposed to be trapped in this cage."  The news became a hot subject in the laboratory where I worked as a graduate student.

Well, as much as I laughed at the news back then, some forty years later, I found myself wacky by responding to the "echo of nature".  No worries!  I am crazy but will not make a drama anywhere else except home and Brightwood Park. 😊 

The park apparently retained a lot of precipitation overnight.  Evaporation from the ground created a light fog, allowing the rising sun to spray light beams into the woods.  Seeing this in multiple areas, I could not help but shout out: "Brightwood!"

A gentle breeze came by and the water drops hiding in the trees started to dance and jump.  It felt strange when the sky was blue with no clouds at all, and the sun was shining, a rain shower took place in the woods,  A poor spider was totally unprepared.  So was I.  While the spider web was swinging, I started dancing in sync and singing "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head".  

As I was about to leave, a smiling face on a tree waved at me.  Despite the activities in the woods, the pond was as tranquil as a mirror.  Without including the shore, a picture of the pond would be hard for one to tell which side is up.  

The chairs by the shore reminded me of friends including Jack and Joan Miller who often sit there to watch ducks and geese.  I long to see them there soon, and you, too! 

Divine Interventions

9/19/2022

 
Recent rainfalls brought everything back to life.  The water of the pond reached the level of the dam to create a current of refreshment.  Wood ducks started to come back.  The birds were singing again.  The turtles came out dancing.  The spiders contributed fireworks.  Young and old ganoderma mushrooms joined the celebration parade.   New flowers are coming out in the mini-gardens at both the top and bottom of the meadow.  The morning sun was busy setting up a spotlight and tried to determine the priority of objects.

Speaking of living creatures, some of them appear to have amazing instincts.  I had an interesting experience yesterday morning after walking past the bridge and trying to take a few shots of the trees on the Northwest side of the pond.  I first heard a blue jay screaming and saw the bird hopping swiftly toward the bridge, and then a squirrel from my right side made a strange sound like a baby blue jay's screaming.  I stepped back and tried to take a picture of the bird.  All of a sudden a large piece of tree branch fell in front of me.  I thank the little friends for their warning and keeping me from being harmed.  Kevin once shared with me his miraculous story of being saved by a dog from being hit by a flying rocket bomb shell.  Divine interventions sometimes seemed to be  delivered through our animal friends.  Agree?

    Chuan-Chu Chou

    I am a frequent visitor of Brightwood Park and enjoy sharing my discoveries.

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Location

Brightwood Park is on the North end of Prospect Street.  Go past Franklin School and look for the entrance on the left.

What Our Members Are Saying

"I love the work you are doing at Brightwood.  Your efforts have shone a light on the essential elements of the park that we all cherish: its natural beauty and tranquility."

"I have a deep fondness for Brightwood park and would like to see it restored, remain natural and continue to be a site of passive recreation."

"I loved growing up in Brightwood Park !"


"I found Brightwood a few years ago and it's a great place to find wildlife, fish, and enjoy nature. Nice and quiet; good place to un wind and relax. Love it!!!"

​"As a resident for almost thirty years in the Brightwood area of Westfield, I am thrilled to see what is happening to improve and preserve Brightwood park for today and future generations. "


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