The mental and emotional aspects of our health are just as important as our physical wellness. Being healthy isn’t only about staying active. When we feel stressed, it’s best to slow down, reset, and focus on wellness. Surrounding ourselves with nature can help us move from tension and irritation to gratitude and peace.
On any given day, our community can take comfort in Kosciusko County’s gardens, trails, and nature sites.
Here are some of our favorite locations:
This unique addition to Warsaw’s Central Park contains only plants grown during biblical times or mentioned directly in the Bible. For instance, the “fragrant cane” grown in the garden is mentioned in the Bible as an anointment oil. The bulrushes, into which the baby Moses’ basket was placed, grow in the garden’s pond and stream. Everywhere you look you’ll find intrigue and beauty.
Near the Biblical Gardens are the Gardens of Central Park. Once there, you are greeted with flowers and plants of every kind. The garden also contains helpful signs with a key denoting every type of flower. Each plant was designed specifically for each bed in this perennial garden. Blooming buds take over as others end their lifecycle, so there are beautiful flowers open at any given time during the growing season.
Greider’s Woods Nature Preserve
In Syracuse, Greider’s Woods is a 10-acre, self-guided nature trail. Within the preserve are large trees and wonderful wildflower displays that include false Solomon’s seal, prairie trillium, bloodroot, and colonies of large-flowered trillium. This is the perfect place for a peaceful walk through nature.
Spring flowers, wooded areas, prairie grass, and small ponds make up this nature preserve in Akron. Walk the six miles of trails and admire the unique wildlife and vegetation. The region is also protected by ACRES Land Trust, which strives to preserve natural areas and wetlands.
Pisgah Marsh Area and Boardwalk
The Pisgah Marsh Area and Boardwalk, located in Larwill, has been set aside to preserve habitat resources for a variety of plant and animal species. With its 445 combined acres, the Pisgah Area is comprised of grassland, wetland, upland forest, and lake habitat. If you visit, be sure to look out for Sandhill Cranes, wild turkeys, and ring-necked ducks!
This site in Silver Lake has a small pond surrounded by a forest, vernal pools, wetlands, and a prairie. Various birds can be seen at Wildwood, from wood ducks to woodpeckers and everything in between. The terrain is varied, which provides habitats for a wide range of local wildlife. You can visit many times and never see the same preserve twice.
Conclusion
Being outdoors not only reduces stress, anger, and fear, but also increases positive and hopeful feelings. Staying close to nature, observing all its elements and appreciating it, is therapeutic and rejuvenating.
We can learn so much from connecting to our natural surroundings, especially given all the beautiful nature sites that Kosciusko County has to offer.
Nature gives us the perspective for healthier living, the motivation to carry on, and the energy to keep trying. For more information about how nature’s beauty can positively impact your life, visit k21healthfoundation.org.
