Observations from the Olentangy River bike path

I often walk along the river in the mornings before going to my office. Because I've been doing this regularly over the past month, I've become familiar with some of the people who have the same habits. I often see the same runners, bicyclists, and walkers along the path.

There are a few encounters that make the day start well.  For example, I've come across a runner who, when he's approaching another runner or pedestrian, puts his hand up in the air and yells, "High Five!" Doing a "high five" on the bike path with a perfect stranger will bring a smile to one's face. At least it does so for me.

I've also encountered an elderly couple from China. They sometimes are with their grandchild. The first time I encountered them, I simply said "Ni Hao" (hello in Mandarin). The smiles that brought was worth the encounter to me, although I wondered if it was because my pronunciation was poor.  This morning I passed them again. This time they said "Ni Hao" first (I do say it correctly, after all), and they again had smiles in passing.

Life is full of these little shared moments. Share a smile with someone today. If you're having a rough day, you might feel better afterwards....

Milkweed seed awaiting flight

Milkweed seed awaiting flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Steve and I did our Sunday afternoon walk along the Olentangy bike path. The river level has lowered, nearly to normal, since last week. All the lovely ephemerals from last week are mostly gone, but the trees are in bloom, the violets are abundant, and I found some Dutchman's breeches in their last bit of display.

This is a milkweed pod, dispersing its seeds. I well remember catching these little gems when I was a kid. You are suppose to make a wish and let it fly away again. My wish for today is that we could see some of those good old days when there were no terrorist attacks with IEDs, government actually governed, people cared about watching out for those in need, etc., etc. Fly away little seeds. Grow into lovely flowers to brighten some future day.

Along the Olentangy

Along the Olentangy, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

From last weekend, when the weather was lovely. We had a freeze last night, so it will be interesting to see what the flowers are like this afternoon.  This is Cardamine concatenata (Brassicaceae) - cut-leaved toothwort.

White Trout Lily

White Trout Lily, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another of our beautiful spring ephemerals: Erythronium albidum. The Olentangy bike path between Lane Avenue and the OSU wetlands is going to be spectacular in a few days as the patches of these wildflowers come into bloom.

Wood Hyacinth

Wood Hyacinth, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The spring ephemerals are one of the highlights of central Ohio. The flowers bloom before the tree canopy fills out, taking advantage of the early spring sunlight. For some of these small gems, you have to look for flashes of color amongst the dull browns of the leaf litter.

Buckeye promise

Buckeye promise, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Spring has finally arrived. The trees are starting to leaf out, and the Magnolias are in bloom. This is the bursting apical bud of a buckeye.