Daily Journal staff report

Did you know a bat can eat more than 1,000 pesky mosquitoes in just one hour? That’s one of the nature facts highlighted in the 2022 “At Ease” Date Planner, which features photos taken by U.S. Military veterans and family members through Brushwood Center’s “At Ease” Nature and Art Platoon at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

From an intricately woven spider web on the Group 63 Trail to a field sparrow caught off-guard and more, each photo is filled with color and intrigue and brings nature into every day.

Two of the photos were taken by U.S. Navy veteran Greg DuBois. His photo of a bison on the Henslow Trail is on the cover, and his photo of a field sparrow caught by surprise along the Henslow Trail is the featured photo for the month of January.

“Last December of 2020, I visited the Group 63 Trail multiple times to photograph short-eared owls and Northern harriers hunting over the bison pasture. One evening, when I returned to the Iron Bridge Trailhead parking lot, a cooperative field sparrow was in a shrub by the information kiosk. Another evening, near sunset, bison were near the fence along the trail, and I got a photo of the bison with the warm afternoon light on it,” DuBois said.

DuBois provided photography instruction and led a group of participants on a photography tour through Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in October. Brushwood Center Program Assistant Adrian Mack, a U.S. Navy veteran, experienced Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie for the first time through the tour DuBois led.

“The hike that Greg led at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was my introduction to photography. I’ve never been particularly interested in taking photos, but something about the prairie gave me the impression that it needed to be preserved. What I love most about nature is that even when everything is still, you can still feel that the environment is very much alive. I find nature both calming and exciting, tranquil and bracing, serene and invigorating,” Mack said.

Organizers of the At Ease program hope that more and more U.S. Military veterans and their family members will experience the great outdoors and its tremendous benefits through the program.

For more information on Brushwood Center’s At Ease Nature and Art Platoon at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, go to <a href="https://bit.ly/ateaseprograms" target="_blank">bit.ly/ateaseprograms</a>. Classes and photography tours will be announced in the coming weeks.

For the date planner, go to <a href="https://bit.ly/midewinplanner" target="_blank">bit.ly/midewinplanner</a>.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is located at 30239 Highway 53, Wilmington.