I’m sitting in the grass, the tall grasses by the swamp (it’s between the Muny and the Union Boulevard entrance to the park) listening for the sounds of nature under the roar of the city. Just a few feet away on the brackish water of the swamp, ice has formed in intricate patterns around the plants that grow there. Sparrows flit in and out of the tangle around me, hesitant to show themselves to the intruder in their midst.

On the ground next to me, rimed in ice, are the fallen: stems of various grasses, a cypress frond. There is enough grass under me to effectively insulate me from the cold, damp earth, and as I look about me, I can’t help but wonder if some of the homeless haven’t been sleeping here. Much of the grass is beaten down and looks as if someone has been sleeping there. It would be interesting to find out.

After my sojourn in the wetlands, I wander around deer lake (by the Muny) and, following the stream that flows out of it, find a group of volunteers, led by a staff worker for Forest Park Forever, trimming plants on the banks (these banks are sound, by the way, requiring no federal bailout).

The sun was out when I got here this morning, but it has been overcast for some time and now It begins to rain lightly. I head over to the Forest Perk Cafe in the Visitor’s center to grab a cup of coffee and a scone, but as I’m passing Pagoda Circle there in front of the Muny, I see the green shoots of daffodils poking up through the dark earth. Is Spring almost here? Check it out.