"The acorn is the only seed I can think of which is left by nature to take care of itself. It matures without protection, falls heavily and helplessly to the ground to be eaten and trodden on by animals, yet the few which escape and those which are trodden under are well able to compete in the race for life. ... It drives its tap root into the earth in spite of grass and brush and litter...."

Robert Douglas,
The Garden, No.921, Saturday, July 13, 1889, Vol.XXXVI

One of the most deeply meaningful experiences of being out in nature is the feeling of being connected -- in and through time. You are not only witnessing the present, but the past and future as well. Those who participated in the Thompson Ledges walk observed the many hundreds of sprouting, broken, and trodded upon acorns similar to those Robert Douglas observed and wrote about in 1889.
The "what" experienced in nature can be anything. The importance is the experience itself.

Thompson Ledges Wildflower Walk

Wishing you a good start to your week,
Lisa K. SchlaG

THE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO