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Naturalist Mary Holleback leads a group on a Stroll with a Naturalist tour

Photo Essay: Stroll with a Naturalist at Riveredge Nature Center!

August 19, 2026  |  Topics: Places

By Eddee Daniel

“Beauty is before me,
And beauty is behind me.
Above and below me hovers the beautiful.
I am surrounded by it.
I am immersed in it.
In my youth I am aware of it,
And in old age I shall walk quietly
The beautiful trail.”

~ Navaho Prayer      

I find few things more peaceful and wholesome than walking quietly in wonder on a beautiful trail through a lovely landscape. As followers of this blog know, it is something I do often—usually in solitude. However, on occasion I find it enlightening to join a tour guided by someone knowledgeable who can tell us the names and characteristics of all the beautiful natural features of the landscape, the flowers, trees, insects, birds, and all the other wild things.

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name. ~ Confucius

To that end back in the spring of this year I participated, twice, in a regular program offered by Riveredge Nature Center called “Stroll with a Naturalist.” Our guide was Mary Holleback, whose job title is in fact “naturalist,” along with “citizen science manager.” Mary is appropriately a fount of information. Our tour led us out into the springtime wilds of Riveredge in search of things blossoming and things like frogs and much tinier creatures that inhabit the ephemeral ponds.

Here is how Mary describes the program:

“The Stroll with a Naturalist series is one of many programs Riveredge offers to achieve its goals of inspiring, informing and enabling people to make responsible environmental decisions.  The series is open to anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of the natural world. Whether they have just a casual interest or want to go into more depth on a topic, this program will provide foundational information on the natural history of Wisconsin’s flora and fauna. Participants explore Riveredge’s 480-acre open air classroom while gaining knowledge of the biodiversity of the landscape. Each Stroll focuses on a seasonal topic from butterflies to prairie flowers but anything that hikers are interested in can be discussed.”

Here are some of the things I saw on our tours, some of which were the stated subjects of the tours and some that I just happened to notice along the way.

A trio of painted turtles sunning on a log in No No Pond.
A trio of painted turtles sunning on a log in No No Pond.
A delicate pasque flower in bloom on the prairie. Easy to overlook without close inspection. I might have missed these entirely if not for our guide.
A delicate pasque flower in bloom on the prairie. Easy to overlook without close inspection. I might have missed these entirely if not for our guide.
The group on the floating pier at Bentley Pond.
The group on the floating pier at Bentley Pond.
Willow buds catching the morning sunlight.
Willow buds catching the morning sunlight.
A wood frog poses for a close up in Kettle Pond.
A wood frog poses for a close up in Kettle Pond.
Participants used apps on their phones to identify plants and animals like the wood frog, as well as to photograph them.
Participants used apps on their phones to identify plants and animals like the wood frog, as well as to photograph them.
This was another thing I would have missed if I were alone, a frog egg mass floating amid the reeds in Kettle Pond.
This was another thing I would have totally missed if I were alone, a frog egg mass floating amid the reeds in Kettle Pond.
A couple of youngsters prove the value of Larsen's Climbing Rocks, a pile of boulders designed as a natural playground.
A couple of youngsters prove the value of Larsen’s Climbing Rocks, a pile of boulders designed as a natural playground.
Skunk cabbage flowers, always among the first to bloom in spring, spotted along the Swamp Boardwalk.
Skunk cabbage flowers, always among the first to bloom in spring, spotted along the Swamp Boardwalk.
The forest was still quite barren in April for these two tours.
The forest was still quite barren in April for these two tours.
I counted a baker's dozen turtles sunning on this log in the Vernal Pond.
I counted a baker’s dozen turtles sunning on this log in the Vernal Pond.
The Vernal Pond boardwalk was the perfect place to spot aquatic creatures.
The Vernal Pond boardwalk was the perfect place to spot aquatic creatures.
Strainers were provided for participants to use to scoop up aquatic creatures.
Strainers were provided for participants to use to scoop up aquatic creatures.
These damselfly nymphs were among the creatures caught and identified before being tossed back in the pond.
These damselfly nymphs were among the creatures caught and identified before being tossed back in the pond.
This green frog was among the multitudes of frogs seen--and especially heard--from the boardwalk in Vernal Pond.
This green frog was among the multitudes of frogs seen–and especially heard–from the boardwalk in Vernal Pond.
A Little Free Library has been place out in the forest near Vernal Pond on a trail evocatively named Lost Lois Lane.
A Little Free Library has been place at a rest stop out in the forest near Vernal Pond on a trail evocatively named Lost Lois Lane.
A patch of moss energized by the warm spring sunshine.
A patch of moss energized by the warm spring sunshine.
Remote Heron Pond. No one went boating on this occasion.
Remote Heron Pond. No one went boating on this occasion. We didn’t spot any herons either!
These yurts are used for educational spaces. We were just passing by.
These yurts are used for educational spaces. We were just passing by.
A sizable six-spotted fishing spider scuttled out of our way as we walked onto the boardwalk at Vernal Pond. These aquatic spiders are able to scamper along the surface of the water.
A sizable six-spotted fishing spider scuttled out of our way as we walked onto the boardwalk at Vernal Pond. These aquatic spiders are able to scamper along the surface of the water.

Stroll with a Naturalist is offered on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from April through October (10:00 – 11:30 am), this series of slow-paced walks, provides valuable enrichment to the Riveredge experience. Participants will learn the land and develop their observational skills while experiencing nature more completely. Pre-registration is not required, but is recommended. Check the Riveredge Nature Center calendar for the date desired in order to register.

For more information about Riveredge Nature Center go to our Find-a-Park page.

Eddee Daniel, writer/photographer, is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, the Program Director of A Wealth of Nature, and editor of The Natural Realm blog. Read more or subscribe at awealthofnature.org. Also available by arrangement for group presentations and guided tours.

Riveredge Nature Center is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature.

The Natural Realm blog is part of A Wealth of Nature, which is a program of Preserve Our Parks.

About Preserve Our Parks

Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces.  Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine. 

For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces.  More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.

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