Mud's magnificence

You may hate it, you may curse it, you may grouse and you may grumble, but you can't deny it.

We're in the thick of mud season, and it's a doozy this year!

There's mud in your yard, mud on the sidewalk, mud on the trail, and mud in the park. Maddening, marvelous mud.

Mud is a dirty word, no doubt about it. But that doesn't mean that mud's a bad thing. Consider the other side of the coin -- or the mud pie -- for a moment. Mud is an ecologically intricate and biologically complex part of our world. In fact, it's an ecosystem in and of itself, with elaborate food webs and a spectacular diversity of life forms. And besides all that ecology business, mud is very cool stuff.

First, a little mud science. Mud, as you might guess, is made of soil. Soil, in turn, is a made of rock particles, organic matter and air. Based on the minerals and the size of the rock particles, soils and muds vary from clays to loams and everything in between.

Mud itself is a semi-liquid (i.e., gooey) mixture of soil and water. What makes mud muddy? When melting snow or rain seeps into all the tiny open spaces in soil -- voilà! Mud!

Technically, mud is the result of water and clay/silt soil. If water mixes with soil containing lots of humus, or decaying plants and animals, the result is muck. (Yes, that is the technical term!)

Both mud and muck are wonderfully fragrant, as you may have discovered. Their earthy aroma is due to the multitude of living, dead and decomposing organisms therein.

The maddening thing about mud is that it sticks on your car, your kids, your dogs, your jeans, your shoes and -- inevitably -- on your carpet.

The stick-to-it-iveness of mud is due to its consistency and composition. A wet clay mud, for example, is very sticky. If you pick up a glob of it, press it between your thumb and forefinger and then separate your fingers, it will adhere to you.

Another feature of clay- and silt-based mud is its plasticity -- meaning that you can squish it and bend it and roll it and mold it. Whence come mud balls and mud pies, ceramics and adobe homes, mud ovens and more.

Just think, if it weren't for mud bricks the Egyptians would have had to build those pyramids out of plastic.

Take a look at some clay mud and some silty mud side-by-side. Clay mud tends to be light in color, and it's pliable and sticky.

Silty loam, on the other hand, produces a dark, black mud. It's not as sticky as clay; it will still make nice mud balls that make a satisfying smack on the sidewalk. A word of caution: this dark mud can stain a pair of socks or a pair of bare knees in no time.

So other than making mud pies and pyramids, why is mud important? There are a few billion reasons. That is, the aforementioned billions of life forms that live, thrive, die and decompose in mud. The diversity and abundance of life underground is greater than that of any other above-ground ecosystem. There are so many soil organisms that it would take fleets of Noah's arks to fit them all.

Soil scientists in Australia estimate that in 1 square meter of soil there are billions of protozoa, millions of nematodes and hundreds of thousands of mites. Here in our prairie sod, micro- and macro-organisms include an astonishing array of arthropods, arachnids, algae, fungi, bacteria, plants and plant seeds.

Thus, mud is the stuff of mud cakes as well as wonders of the world. It's a vital ecosystem with a dizzying diversity of life forms.

And if that weren't enough, mud has a long and storied history in the healing arts.

Medicinal and therapeutic mud has been known for many centuries in cultures worldwide.

"Mood muds" were popular in ancient Egypt. Cleopatra ostensibly sought control of the Dead Sea for the express purpose of controlling the mud resources of the region. Many Native American shamans apply mud poultices on wounds to reduce swelling and inflammation.

"Hungarian Apothecary Mud" hails from Heviz Lake in Hungary and is renowned for toning skin, reducing inflammation, and detoxifying body and soul. In the Crimea region of Ukraine, mud is applied on patients with "various ailments including but not limited to arthritis, infertility and muscle pain," reports a Web site dedicated to the region.

In both ancient and modern times, people have paid good money for mud facials and mud baths to better their lives. Oh, and let's not forget the ever-popular sport of mud wrestling.

Mud is a sensory treat best appreciated by bison and hogs and the like. But both pigs and people can experience the fun. We don't have to wallow in it to find wonder in it. That smell -- ah, the sweet smell of mud! The cool, soft feel of mud between your toes! The colors and patterns of mud!

The marvels of mud are mind-boggling. Remember that at this time of year, when spring is but a tease and summer a mere mirage on the horizon, we can always count on mud.

We won't be lost in seasonal limbo forever.

Mud season is here to help us glide through the transition to better months ahead.

• Valerie Blaine is the nature program manager for the Kane County Forest Preserve District and has been playing in mud for six decades. You can reach her at blaine valerie@kaneforest.com.