For my phenology site back home in Chicago, I chose to look at Horner Park. Horner Park is only a few blocks from my house. I have loved going to this park since I was a child to go sledding down one of the few hills in Chicago, walk along the Chicago River, and play at the playground. Horner Park has many differences in comparison to Centennial Woods, the primary one being that Horner is primarily composed of fielded areas rather than natural wooded areas. These fielded areas are used for more sports activities like soccer, baseball, softball, and football. This is a large contrast to the uses of Centennials woods which is primarily used for hiking and research. The Chicago Park District has pushed more natural areas within the city, and one way they have been able to do so is by planting more native wildflowers along the river and creating a small trail. I think that this small natural area that I have seen grow so much over the past few years in Horner Park and I think that it shows how more natural areas can be added to urban areas.
