All nature sings at this time of year, so Crossroads is celebrating the season with programs that help families connect with nature. For many, the Holiday Cheer Luminary-Lit Hike has become a cherished annual tradition. This year’s festivities also include Science Saturday: Night Tree program on December 13 at which children and their adult companions hear a story about a nighttime forest visit before decorating a tree for woodland wildlife—and a Nature-Themed Make and Take featuring beeswax candle crafting.

In Night Tree, the beloved holiday storybook by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Ted Rand, a family hikes into the forest after dark to decorate a tree for wildlife and catches glimpses of a deer and an owl. While the book’s artwork is rich with color, hikers on our luminary-lit trail are unlikely to see much color in the evening forest. After dusk, the human eye relies mostly on rod cells, which detect dim light but not color. Deer and owls, with far more rod cells and a reflective layer behind the retina known as the tapetum lucidum, are much better adapted to low light—though even they probably perceive muted color compared to daylight.

On Friday, December 12, the moon will set in the early afternoon, and sunset will occur at 4:09 p.m., meaning it will be quite dark when the Holiday Cheer Luminary-Lit Hike begins at 5:00 p.m. As participants walk the trail, their eyes will gradually adapt to the darkness, heightening their night vision. Within about half an hour, hikers will notice the silhouettes of winter trees rising above the flickering candlelight. If the sky is clear, they may also enjoy a canopy of winter stars—and perhaps even a meteor or two.

While many of us are just beginning to think about wrapping holiday packages, our deciduous trees have finished wrapping their packages for spring. Even before their leaves fell, new buds were carefully wrapped, thus protected for the winter ahead. This will be the focus of this week’s afterschool Environmental Exploration program, held Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Designed for elementary students but open to learners of all ages, activities include hike to examine the buds that contain every leaf, twig, and cell of next year’s growth—nature’s gifts for the next growing season.

This season, Crossroads encourages everyone to spend time outdoors and experience the quiet beauty of winter nature. Our trails are open all day, every day, free of charge. 

– by Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist

For more information, please check out our Crossroads calendar or stop by the Collins Learning Center and pick up a printed calendar. Our trails are open all day every day, free of charge, thanks to donors like you!

Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay. Crossroads is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to inspiring stewardship of the environment through education, research, and outdoor experiences. We welcome your support. 

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Upcoming Activities

Wandering Wednesday – Naturalist Led Hike

Holiday Cheer Luminary-lit Hike

Science Saturdays – Night Tree

Make & Take: Beeswax Candles

Environmental Exploration – Tree Buds

Wandering Wednesday – Naturalist Led Hike