What can Washington Park offer visitors in late fall?
Madiem: Our red oaks, sugar maples, and
Catalpas are really colorful in fall. The American linden is gold right now, and pretty still in winter, when you can really see the reddish hue of its branches. We've also got painted turtles and winter birds like cardinals - and I recently saw a red-tailed hawk.
Have you found anything interesting in your park cleanups?
Madiem: Oh my gosh, if you go through my Facebook account, you'll see that last March was especially bad. I took a photo of the trash because there was so much, including a machete. Plus, the usual chairs, tables, clothes, and bottles. We find everything but the kitchen sink in there, especially after the snow melts.
If you were a superhero, who would you be?
Madiem: I guess Nature Woman, or just someone with an eco-friendly cape. [Laughs.] I'd like to teach people how to get back to nature. When I take kids on a nature walk, they just love it. I think it's an instinct for everyone.
