Tyke Hike #69 - Waterville Prairie

 With the first day of the weekend having less than desirable weather, I postponed the hike until the next day. However, with Tyke Hikes being on other outlets besides Facebook, not everyone got wind of the change. With this Tyke Hike being held at the UW-Waukesha Field Station and having the Field Manager live in site, he was able to take a hike our on Saturday. With my three tykes long, I was able to do the same on Sunday. Overall, 31 hikers enjoyed a hike at the marvelous Marlin Johnson Prairie, previously known as the Waterville Prairie.

I was happy to see two of my teacher colleagues join with their families. It's always awesome to hike with friends. On this hike, we had am extra friend. A dog who had lost his way form his nearby home joined us for much of the hike. Extra friendly, he also enjoyed fetch, so we threw sticks into the prairie for him to return. He did so with the exuberance of a kid full of Halloween candy. We were even lucky enough to see him stir up some deer on one of his rounds of fetch. Watching a deer prance away is always a beautiful sight in my opinion.

Though the dog rescue and return did take us back and forth a bit more than expected, we did also view the pond, the very higher than normal creek, and even stopped at the Wildlife in Need Center before coming back to the beginning for treats, treats, and more treats.

On the way out, I also noticed this information kiosk, full of information on the fearsome foursome - Garlic Mustard, Buckthorn, Teasel, and Queen Anne's Lace. These invasive and plentiful non-native species are a constant reminder of how we can help restore and replenish nature.