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brightwood park discoveries

Daily Reflections on Nature

10/25/2022

 
​October 21
Today I came to the park in both early morning and the afternoon.  The ducks were more active than usual and kept dancing.  A few geese were watching and feeling itchy.  So was I.

A chipmunk had its mouth and pouches full, looking exactly like the characters in Disney cartoon movies I watched in childhood.

An artist came and sat at the shore working on her water painting.  She did not realize that her presence made the park another nice piece of artwork.

The last photo in this set was actually an image of a small piece of rock in the parking lot.  I found it intriguing and resembling the air view of rocky mountains that I gazed at on my previous flights to the West Coast.
October 22
​The pollinator garden by the parking lot is doing very well.  Even when nibbled on by the deer, the plants are like an assembly line and put out new flowers everyday.  Today I think I found another secret to explain why the garden remains so pretty: a squadron of bumble bees are stationed here to guard the flowers.  

The reflections of the woods and the change of the leaf colors are like an artist's oil paintings.  As a believer of creation, not only I know who the artist is but also where to find Him.  Brightwood Park is not only my favorite place to meet Him but also provides a preview of a better place in eternity.

​October 23
After the drought this past summer, the number of birds in the park significantly declined.  A small herd of mallard ducks became the main residents here.  I was excited to spot a guest  this morning; a blue heron.

On my way out, I was paused by the noise of pecking in the crown of a tall tree.  I tried hard to locate the source.  By tracking the motions I found a male downy woodpecker.  In a moment, the bird came down from his workplace and stood almost in front of me.  While I appreciated the bird's courtesy of greeting me, I noticed that this little fellow must be tired after getting up early and working hard, because he dozed a few times.  
October 24
Although it was a rainy day, the absence of blue sky did not compromise the beauty of the autumn in Brightwood Park.  Everything appeared refreshed.  Tree leaves floating in the pond formed artistic patterns or as worn in fashion shows.

A bush and its reflection in the pond looked like a human ear.  I was reminded of a pair of statues located at the entrance of the Molecular Biology Institute of UCLA, the building where I did my graduate work.  Before the name "Anthropomorphic Echoes" (http://www.publicartinla.com/UCLAArt/benoff.html) was released, everyone called them "strange ears".  After the "ears" were first dedicated, in a few days they melted down under the warm weather of Southern California.  It then took a while for the artist to figure out a material which allowed the statues to stay intact and straight.  Now after 40 years the statues are still there.  

I was wondering if I could name the bush here "Brightwood Echoes".
If you were unable to come to the park because of the weather or because of the distance, I hope the photos shared here brought nature to you wherever you are.

Have a wonderful week.  Chuan-Chu

Autumn Colors Are Here - But So Are the Summer Flowers!

10/16/2022

 
I would like to share with you a few sets of pictures taken in the past few days at Brightwood Park.  After the recent rainfall and the change of temperature, the leaves started to turn colorful.  Autumn is here!

Mushrooms are my favorite objects.  Sometimes I stared at individual ones for a while, and saw funny human or animal faces in each of them.

After a long drought, rain finally came back to wet the trees and grasses, and soaked the soil.  Birds came back, too.  A blue jay looked around and tried to reorient itself.  

I like going to the park after a rainstorm, particularly the morning following a wet night.  Water drops on the edges of leaves or tips of branches often reminded me of the days I  sang "Twinkle, twinkle little star" with my children.  That was a long time ago, and I miss it very much. 

When I was watching the foliage, I got company.  A northern phoebe stood next to me and appeared to be in deep thinking.  
​Flowers do not seem to be willing to hand over the role of decorating the park to tree leaves yet.  The beautiful colors displayed by all the plants are like a performance by a symphony orchestra.

A few trees fell down recently.  The township officials took quick action to remove the ones blocking the trail section near the big slope.  I did a rough counting of the ring and estimated this tree to be close to 70 years old.

On the way back to the parking lot I watched the beautiful sky with clouds flying by.  I saw a pattern like an old couple talking to each other.  The wife seemed to be communicating with her mouth, hand, and finger together.

Sometimes I feel the park is like a teen-age girl,  who becomes prettier and prettier everyday and loves to try out all kinds of makeup.  This morning a special guest came to visit.  It was a feather-like cloud with rainbow color. 
​I would like to share with you two additional sets of photos.  One set was from October 8 and has the full moon with Jupiter in its vicinity. One of the photos is a close-up of Jupiter.  Another photos has both the moon and Jupiter.  

Summer Remembered

10/7/2022

 
Some neighbors and friends asked me what happened to my summer because I had not shared photographs of Brightwood.  Although I did take a couple vacations, I still carried out my park ranger duty when I was home.  I was just too busy to get organized.  Here are a few sets of pictures taken in August.

​






​Are you able to see one sleepy face and a smiling one on the mushrooms?
​




​While many birds migrated away because of the drought, the frogs and the turtles seemed to be unaffected and still enjoyed their lives in the pond.






​
You can tell that I had a lot of appreciation for the tail feathers of ducks.  Are you able to tell wood ducks (all in the pictures are female) from mallard ducks?




​








​The ducks were probably affiliated with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  By singing you can tell how happy they are when a test launch completes successfully.




​I think the beautiful bird I saw is a kingfisher.  Can you help to confirm or identify it?



​​I caught a moment of spacewalk by a spider.  I wonder who will be the winner if a spider and a lightning bug ever got into a duel.

I have a lot of admiration for spiders and regard them as remarkable artists.  I was also glad to be able to record a dancing party of dragonflies.

A Wet, Chilly, and Windy Day in the Park

10/3/2022

 
I took a walk in Brightwood Park yesterday afternoon between 5 and 6.  Despite it being wet, chilly, and windy, I saw a few interesting objects and would like to share  the pictures I took with you.

The pollinating garden at the parking lot resumed its beauty of the early summer.  Thanks to Denise and all who participating in planting and taking care of the plants and flowers.

In these days the distal end of the small pond appear to be a hot area for the ducks to hold parties.  A young male wood duck was taking his time to change his outfit.  His eyes are now red in color (typical for adult males), and multiple colors are gradually appearing on his body, most obvious in the feathers of his head.  I was wondering how often this cute creature had to visit tattoo shops or hair salons to work on his look.  Instead of being timid (like many other wood ducks), this guy and his female friends were at ease seeing me watching them.  At a point they decided to do a little stage performance so that I could take funny shots.  

The mallard ducks were less fun.  They probably were finishing the day with full tummies of duckweed and other food from the pond.  A colorful male kept dozing, and I had to whistle to him to get one photo with his eye open.

A deer passed by the woods near the dam.  In contrast to the ducks, the deer looked starving,  Its chest was like a music sheet with empty staff.   I waved at her and said, "Good luck!"

Upon continuing my walk toward Prospect Street, I saw a fallen dead tree blocking the trail.  There are other trees that look like they may also come down.  

Take care and have a nice week.

    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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