Walktober 2023

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An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau,American naturalist, poet, philosopher

Once again, it’s time for the annual group walk known as Walktober. Hosted this year by Dawn, Walktober encourages us to get outside and experience nature by walking, biking, riding, boating, whatever; and to share that enjoyment with others through words and photos.

Monkey’s already done his walk — he prides himself on being an over-achiever, hmph — so this one’s just for me. I traveled to Charleston, IL, home of Eastern Illinois University and the Whiteside Garden.

Opened to the public in 2021, this five-acre tract was the home of the late Dr. Wesley Whiteside, a botany professor at the university, and features thousands of plants from around the world.

Imagine my delight at finding a Southern Magnolia tree right as I entered the site! One of the volunteers told me Dr. Whiteside took care to see his plants were protected from winter’s snows … and they were thriving:

Look at this Banana Tree, outside and far from the tropics:

This is a wall of Giant Bamboo:

Of course I found whimsical elements like this painted rock snake:

And a pond with lily pads:

And this trellis-thing:

I approached this statue from behind, and at first, I thought it was a real person:

I found some trees with interesting shapes:

And some beautiful flowers:

I even found a cactus garden — planted outdoors in Central Illinois — and it looked quite healthy to me:

Obviously, I enjoyed some Fall color, too:

And here’s a shot of native prairie grasses:

Thanks for walking with me. I hope you enjoyed it.

After seeing this lovely spot in the Fall, I can only imagine how beautiful it must look in Spring, when everything is just starting to bloom. Guess I’ll have to go back!

33 thoughts on “Walktober 2023”

    • Thanks for walking with me, Frank. I was surprised at the quantity and variety of plants Dr. Whiteside had. Of course, being a botany professor, he’d have been quite familiar with the proper growing conditions for each one!

  2. Debbie, what a fantastic series of diverse and beautiful sightings on your Walktober!

    The banana tree instantly reminded me of when my family moved from the Northeast to South Florida. The house that my parents purchased had its very own banana tree in the backyard. Banana trees grow very fast and produce a plethora of bananas. We had bananas coming out of our ears – LOL!

    Love that painted rock snake!

    Lily pads always remind me of my time in Japan, and all the beautiful Japanese gardens.

    “I approached this statue from behind, and at first, I thought it was a real person:”

    OMG, I did too!!! I immediately thought it was a real person kneeing there!

    Aren’t cactus amazing? They can literally thrive in any environment.

    Your fall color captures are gorgeous. Oh, and speaking fall color, I was out in the burbs yesterday and actually saw the start of fall color. I was so happy!

    Thanks so much for taking us on your walk, my friend. And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it! X

    • Ron, I’m so happy my post stirred up some wonderful memories for you, and I thank you for sharing them. Your very own banana tree? How cool! This thing’s leaves were HUGE! And when I bent down to get a photo of those lily pads, I heard something go “ker-plunk!” in the pond — probably a frog, but I wasn’t quick enough to catch its picture.

      That kneeling statue gave me a start — I thought I had the place to myself, except for volunteers tending the garden. And yes, I find it amazing to see cacti growing outdoors … in Illinois. I typically think of them as a hot weather plant.

      Ooh, you’re starting to see some Fall color, too? I hope that means you’ll be posting your pictures of it! xx

  3. Yes! You need to go back in the spring! You really saw a wide variety, including some unexpected things. I would like to have a trellis like that.

    • Kelly, that trellis was TALL! I couldn’t tell what was growing on it, but I imagine something like that would be great for a vine of some sort. I’m glad I got out on the day I did, for the very next day, we got rain. Timing is everything, isn’t it?!

  4. As I was reading this I was thinking – “Oh! She’ll have to go back in the spring or summer!” I’m so glad you’re planning on it. What a lovely place to wander!

    • You know, I could’ve taken Monkey, too. Most of the trails are accessible, and there are receptacles for poopy-bags. The literature and maps indicate there are lots of daylilies, phlox, and roses, too, so yes, I’ll have to go back in the Spring.

  7. What a great place to take an interesting walk! I was fascinated to see the native prairie grasses because I’ve never been far enough west to see a prairie. I wonder if the cacti you saw were prickly pear cactus, they kind of look like the ones we had in Connecticut. The pond with lily pads is so pretty. Yes, I hope you do go back come spring — I bet it will be extra lovely!

    • Thank you, Barbara, and I’m glad you enjoyed our walk. There were plenty of identifying signs, but many of them were the scientific names (which I didn’t fully appreciate, not being a botanist, ha!). They did kind of remind me of the prickly pear cacti I’d seen elsewhere though. Yes, a Spring visit is definitely on my list — isn’t it grand to find a place that’s so calming in any season?!

  9. Nice variety to see on this walk, Debbie. Those two photos of the tree trunks are really quite strange! It’s great to notice the unusual. I’m glad to hear that this Walkoctber place that you explored is dog friendly and perhaps one day Monkey will be able to accompany you.

    • Thank you, TD. Monkey would love to explore this garden, but I’d have to be very careful to keep him far from those ponds. He’s never met a frog, but he’s quite fond of chasing anything that moves. I can only imagine what he’d do with something that hops!!

  10. What a fascinating spot. Clearly, Dr. Whiteside was knowledgeable and skilled, but he must have put in an enormous amount of work to keep those outside plants thriving through your winters. There was so much enjoyable variety there! The trellis-thingie reminded me of those carnival rides that have swings hanging from a support like that: one that twirls them around. Those big tree trunks were amazing; there’s just something about big, old trees that attracts attention. Your photos of the purple asters and the prairie grasses were great; I’m glad you included them.

    This really was a fine walk. I agree that it would be fun to see it again in spring!

    • Thank you, Linda, for “walking” with me. I thought those were asters (they’re my birth month flower), and I can almost imagine how daunting those prairie grasses must’ve been to the pioneers.

      The volunteer I spoke with confirmed that Dr. Whiteside was particularly knowledgeable about plants, growing conditions, etc. It must have been a full-time job, once he retired, keeping up with this expanse of property.

  11. Lovely Walktober and thanks for sharing such beautiful photos. We never had autumn here. We jumped from summer weather to winter and seemed to have skipped the fall season, so it was nice to enjoy autumn there.

    • I’m sure you, too, recall some beautiful Fall color from your Illinois youth, Pat! I sure missed the trees turning when I lived down South. Winter is long enough, without it showing up early!!

  12. Pingback: Walktober wrapup | Change Is Hard

  13. What a wonderful walk, Debbie! The variety was stunning. Methinks you need to visit that place in all seasons! Thank you for sharing with us.

  14. Thank you for sharing Whiteside Garden with us. I bet it’ll be interesting in the spring too. I’m always in awe at how much the plants do on their own and what we can’t see as the work put into making places like this so delightful to visit. You captured great examples to admire!

    • Thank you for visiting and walking with me! A place like Whiteside Garden didn’t happen overnight, I’m sure. Because the owner was a botany professor, he knew which plants would work and set about placing them where they’d get the best chance at thriving. And volunteers are keeping his dream alive — a wonderful tribute!

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