05/29/2026
Sometimes the most meaningful discoveries happen when we slow down, pay attention, and explore alongside others. 🌱✨ One Soaring Hawks participant recently reflected on a day of curiosity and connection along the Humber River:
"Last weekend, I joined some fellow nature enthusiasts in King’s Mill Park to spend time with the plants, birds, and other creatures along the shores of Niwa'ah Onega'gaih'ih, “little thundering waters”, the Humber River.
After a period of quiet listening, observing, and noticing what drew our attention, we shared our curiosities and discovered a few unfolding nature mysteries. For me, it was a low-growing, velvety plant I had never noticed before, with toothed leaves resembling parsnip, growing along the constantly shifting riverbank. For another participant, it was a massive cottonwood tree whose trunk had been stripped of bark in places. The tree appeared to be healing itself again and again from some repeated assault.
Closer inspection revealed fresh chew marks low on the trunk, cut with remarkable precision. Sap, or perhaps water mixed with sap, dripped slowly from the wounds, providing a snack for a cluster of appreciative ants nearby.
I never would have thought to look twice at this fascinating web of relationships had I not been with such curious companions. I left the day feeling grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside others and to spend intentional time with the land and the infinite relationships of which we are a part."
At Soaring Hawks, nature becomes both teacher and gathering place. Through shared inquiry, observation, and time on the land, participants deepen their connection to nature, themselves, and their community. 🌎🌳
