Take the lively air

Yesterday was a great day to wander the shady paths of the Old Forest. You could have fried eggs on the asphalt parking lot, but, as always, the forest air was many degrees cooler.

Thanks, trees!

The leaf litter on the forest floor is dry this time of year, amplifying the rustling activity of the small creatures around us. We saw broadhead skinks and five-lined skinks, both of which are harmless to humans but murder on beetles and other insects. And too fast for us to photograph.

The spring wildflowers have all faded but the summer wildflowers are taking their place. We saw plenty of tall bellflowers.

Many of the plants in the understory are fruiting, including pokeberries:

Red buckeyes:

And our favorite edible Old Forest treat, pawpaws!

If you visit the Old Forest in late August, you'll get the chance to sample this yummy native fruit and smell the intense fragrance of thousands of ripe pawpaws.

We offer guided nature walks at 10am on the second Saturday and last Sunday of every month (rain or shine, hot or cold) so mark your calendar and tell your friends!

National Get Outdoors Day!

Join CPOP for a free guided nature ramble tomorrow morning -- 10am, Saturday, June 13 -- through the amazing Old Forest of Overton Park. We meet next to the Rainbow Lake parking lot at the east end of Old Forest Lane.

It looks like we can expect muddy trails and a smattering of storm debris, but that's part of the fun! As always, kids are welcome no matter how old they are.

If you can't join us, please observe National Get Outdoors Day by gettin' outdoors to the very best of your ability!

The Greensward is Safe!

Tonight I attended a meeting to discuss the future of the Greensward in Overton Park. Hugh Teaford, an engineer with the City, started the meeting off by handing Martha Kelly, of Park Friends, this letter:


The rest of the meeting was spent discussing alternate plans to reduce flooding in Midtown. In attendance were several neighborhood reps, Jim Jalenak from the Zoo's board, Cindy Buchanan from Parks, a landscape architect, a whole slew of engineers, and me. Looks like the new plan will be much more amenable to park users. There's some research to be done and in a month or so we should know which direction the City is going to go. For now they are looking at the box culverts along Lick Creek, parts of the golf course, and the underbelly of Poplar Avenue.

It was really nice to see so many groups working together to find a solution that works for everyone.

Stay tuned!