'Buzz' Nature Show Features Snow Seeding and Maple Syrup Making

February's episode of "The Buzz" nature show will give viewers a close-up view of winter snow seeding and a taste of maple syrup magic.

The next installment of the monthly show, which is produced by Forest Preserve District of Will County staff, will air at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, on the District’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Show host Suzy Lyttle, a Forest Preserve program coordinator, will take viewers on trips to see snow seeding in Forked Creek Preserve and a maple syrup-making demonstration in Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve.

Spreading seed on snow in frigid conditions might not seem like a good idea to those who are used to gardening in warmer temperatures, but it is a perfect way to restore agricultural back to its native prairie.

The prairie seed is cast on top of the snow where the temperature and moisture break down the seed coat, Nick Budde, the Forest Preserve's natural resource land manager, explains in the segment. Melting snow ultimately drives the seed into the ground where it germinates in the
spring.

“The end result is the beautiful prairie land we all see and enjoy,” Lyttle said. “Viewers will get to learn how much seed we collect and spread throughout our preserves. Personally, it is fun for me to see, because I have taken students out to collect seed from prairie plants. Now the circle is complete because I've seen the seed spread across a field where it will one day become a booming prairie.”

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Lyttle also stops in at Goodenow Grove to visit with fellow program coordinator Bob Bryerton to see how maple syrup is made.

“We all have tasted maple syrup, but few know what it is really like to make it,” Lyttle said. “It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Plus, you have to have patience for the perfect weather and the time to boil it down to the gooey syrup we are all familiar with.”

Finally, this “Buzz” show includes something new this season, a “Buzz Bit,” which is a shorter nature segment.

“This month we are focusing on a bird that only visits us in the winter, the dark-eyed junco,” Lyttle said. “These are such cute birds that are easy to identify with black-and-white coloring. Plus, they come not only to the preserves but your backyards!”

After the live broadcast, a recording of the show will be available for viewing on the District's Facebook and YouTube pages. The show also airs on cable stations in Joliet, Naperville, New Lenox, Romeoville and Tinley Park.

The show debuted in July 2020 to positive public response and this is the eighth episode.

For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.