Before we moved downtown, we lived on a two-acre wild place. There were too many outside expectations to tame it, make it fit into some convention. So we left and moved into our beautiful downtown space. Luckily, we can still find a bit of wild here and there. At Beacon Hill Park, 200 acres in the middle of the city, there seems to be a growing trend to leave some parts of the park wild and the grasses long. Native wildflowers are left to go to seed in some areas before partial mowing takes place. Blue Herons have been roosting in one section of the park for many years as well as at least one pair of Bald Eagles. A small forested area near the waterfront is being refurbished with native plants. We walk through this park often and delight in all its beauty, manicured or wild.

Long grass, deciduous trees and dappled sunlight.

If not for the little red car in the background, you can imagine you are in the middle of nowhere.