Severson Dells

The Mysteries and Miracles of Nature, series of FREE PROGRAMs kicks off with an exploration of the patterns and language of nature at Severson Dells Nature Center, 8786 Montague Road, Rockford. 
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, Tim Gruner, curator of Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, will help us see nature through a gardener’s eye. Tim’s eye has been honed by years of study under Japanese masters and by personal exploration of natural landscapes.

Natural patterns — leaning trees, winding streams and the shape of a forest — can be used in gardens to give it a great, natural feel.
Then, about 7:30 p.m., Lawrence University geology professor and author Marcia Bjornerud will present “The Secret Language of the Earth.”
Earth’s landscapes and rocks constitute a complex text, a document that has been partially erased and overwritten countless times.

This is a useful way of thinking about Earth’s surface and rocky substrate as superimposed stories, sometimes fragmented or blurred but with effort, readable. Deciphering a rock or understanding why a landscape looks as it does provides the same rush of insight that one gets upon learning the etymology of a familiar word; a window is opened onto a distant time, revealing previously unsensed con- nections between past and present.

Her book, “Reading the Rocks,” is a recommended read by Severson Dells Nature Center’s Don Miller.
Click here to see The Mysteries and Miracles of Nature schedule

The Mysteries and Miracles of Nature 
In memory of Dr. Alan Hutchcroft and David Burdick.
Sponsored by Law Office Of Jim Black
The Abilities Center
Rockford Litho Center
Specialty Screw Corp.