Thursday, October 13, 2011

Autumn at Highbanks

Autumn at Highbanks by andiwolfe
Autumn at Highbanks, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Being in a large city makes it hard to get out to the rural areas. However, Columbus has many metro parks that are little islands of natural habitats, if somewhat impacted by invasive weeds. It is nice to be able to take a walk in the woods within half an hour's drive from my home - especially during the autumn.

Highbanks is interesting year round, though. In early spring there are the ephemeral flowers that burst into bloom before the forest canopy fills in. During May the Warbler migration is in full swing and you can see gems of bright color flitting all through the high canopy and underbrush of the forest. Summer brings out the raptors and the interesting insects along with the dominant summer flora. Autumn speaks for itself. Winter is awesome after a new snowfall - that's when you can see all the animal tracks of the species that inhabit the park.

If you have to live in a big city, make sure there is a decent park system to give you some time with nature.

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