Summer is zipping by much too quickly – I can’t believe August is nearly over!
Wednesday I celebrated my 1,500th post since I began blogging on February 11, 2013. That is a lot of words I’ve written! Many of those posts have been the Wordless Wednesday feature I’ve been doing since March 11th this year. I really enjoy doing Wordless Wednesday, as I have amassed a ton of photos in 2020 and sometimes a narrative isn’t needed to accompany them.
I decided that the topic for post #1,501 just HAD to be about Council Point Park. I’m sure if I took the time to go through this blog, that two/thirds of the posts revolve around my favorite nature nook. Hmm – I wonder how many posts are about squirrels?
This is a roundup of photos taken at Council Point Park in August.
The ambiance is almost back to pre-shutdown mode on May 1st, but something is definitely amiss. Council Point Park is experiencing the “new normal” just like the rest of us. I don’t know most of the people I pass on the trail these days. There are many bicyclists and joggers now, even a few rollerbladers. Of course there was Mike, a Park fixture for a long time, who passed away back in February. His presence is sorely missed and not just by the squirrels. There were walkers whom I passed on the trail on an everyday basis for years and they never returned to this Park once the weather began to warm up in April. I’m not all that sure if their decision is COVID-19 related. I don’t dwell on this “new normal” a lot because I usually walk alone anyway, but their absence from a place they enjoyed is a puzzle to me. You know how I stewed and fretted during the one-month shutdown. I had to return as this place has become a big part of my day.
I chitchat with fellow walkers, husband and wife Arnie and Carol, from time to time. I told Arnie I am curious as to why the squirrels began to hide their peanuts once the Park re-opened on June 2nd. Nut-gathering usually begins in late August/early September. Were our furry friends afraid the walkers who feed them would go missing once again? Do they have a sixth sense that a wicked Winter is on the horizon? I have duly noted the squirrels’ actions and would love a naturalist to tell me the answer. I have noticed many trends the last seven years I’ve walked at this Park. Like the squirrels are always on the perimeter path – they are ever-present. Not any more … so, is it too hot, are they lazy, or are they foraging for natural food? Some days there are a passel of them; the next day one or none. Arnie seems to think the latter reason – they are foraging for natural food. There are humans who pick the wild mulberries, so all that is left are the soft green pine cones and wormy apples …
… or so I thought.
Mystery squirrel treats – are they better than peanuts?
I was walking on the path one day when a squirrel was moving about noisily up in a nearby tree. I put some peanuts on my palm and asked him if he was coming down to get them. He never even stole a glance at me, but continued rustling around in the leaves. Feeling a bit rebuffed, I noted that he had something green and large clenched in his teeth. He must not have been one of the “regulars” because when I moved in for a better look, he freaked out and dropped a large object onto the ground.
I looked at it thinking “so what do we have here?” It was the size and color of a lime and when I startled this squirrel, he dropped not one, but two, of these green items to the ground.
He was too scared to come down and retrieve them and cowered above in the treetop while watching me. He made the strange distress call that squirrels make sometimes. “Was I stressing him out?” I assured him I was not going to eat them but he should come down and get them before someone swiped them. He remained in the tree and I took a picture first so I could Google reverse image … or in the alternative ask you what these green objects are?
I stepped back and watched as the squirrel slowly made his/her descent to ground level, but in backing up, I saw something in my peripheral vision. Well, look at this. A huge wasp nest with lots of wasps darting in and out and buzzing around. Well you never saw anyone move as fast as me as I jumped back out of the way …
… but not before Your Roving Reporter took a few pictures of course.
I took my shots, but instead of wisely getting the heck out of Dodge, I stayed, fascinated with that wasp nest. I had never seen one before, but finally I tore myself away to remain unscathed by wasp bites. A few days later, a Facebook friend of mine posted a photo of the exact same type of paper nest hanging off the side of her house. I had some Great Black Wasps last year and they tunneled into a small opening above the screen door. It was a dry and comfy place to live until a smidgeon of caulking took care of that opening and it was “home sweet home” no more. The relatives hung around for a few days, then left to pester someone else.
What’s hopping and bopping along the trail these days?
The baby bunnies are fattening up. They are adorable and not afraid of humans as they munch contentedly on clover or grass. They are very photogenic, especially when the sun’s rays make their pink ears translucent. This baby posed nicely, only three or four feet away from the perimeter path.
The larger bunnies, however, are more wary and nibble on grass with one eye always toward the humans.
There are also “buns” on the bunny trail.
Did you see the squirrel? He stopped in his tracks as she rolled along. 🙂
“Exercise” is the word of the day as a contingent of cross-country runners has been showing up almost daily, huffing and puffing as they leave me in the dust.
We have a resident fisherman (and it’s not Harry who is still at large). I do hope he knows to throw what he caught back into the water.
A painted rock made me smile, but I left it there.
Flowers, weeds and leaves.
I’m disappointed that I have seen just one Goldfinch this year … I heard it singing away, but it was too far away at the top of a tree to get a photo of it. I’d love to see one of these vibrant birds sitting on a tall thistle like I’ve seen and taken photos of in the past.
The thistles are plentiful this year.
Did you know there are 20 different types of native thistle in the U.S.? I only know a few of them.
I follow a blogger from Wild Birds Unlimited on Twitter. A recent post was about thistles and showed Canada Thistle a/k/a Creeping Thistle. Well I identified with that photo and description right away as I remember we called them “Santa Clauses” when I was growing up. We made wishes on them, then blew them into the air to send them on their way. I see them at the Park every year. Each fluffy piece is attached to a small seed – look at this plant and you know lots more thistles will appear next year. I sure am glad I’m not weeding these in the garden.
Speaking of weeds, unbelievably I’m still seeing yellow dandelions this late in the Summer at the Park. There they are defiantly standing tall, willing the bunnies to nibble on them, but these days the bunnies prefer clover or grass, so they hop right past them. Since the Park was closed all of May, I missed taking photos of the sea of yellow, then spent dandelions.
Dandelions are not the only yellow item in the grass … the Poplar leaves are already littering the path.
I’ve seen a few flowers, but not many.
The teasels are plentiful as well.
The Milkweed leaves have been chomped on, likely by Monarch caterpillars, but I often bend down to see if I find one of those caterpillars, but no luck. A woman used to gather Milkweed leaves at this plant and around the Park to feed her hungry Monarch caterpillars at home, but I’ve not seen her this year. These Milkweeds and the others have not flowered yet.
What have we here?
Recently I did a Wordless Wednesday post about a train with extensive graffiti on it. Graffiti finds itself all over the Park too, from the markings you saw next to where the angler was aiming for a fish (above) to the twisted tree, as you see below. The squirrel seems a bit befuddled does he not? Nature versus man ain’t always pretty.
Well, life goes on … the hot weather continues and the sparrow still sits at the water fountain hoping by some miracle, the water will come gushing forth …
… while the turtle balances preciously on the edge of the cement ledge, content to languish in the Summer sun.
As the days get shorter and we creep toward Fall and Winter, I’ll savor each walk as it sets the tone for the day and provides endless fodder for this forum.
I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Nature is loved by what is best in us.” ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Lovely! Pictures and words!
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Thanks Anne – I was going to wait until the end of August to do a recap, but had a lot of photos. There is always something interesting to see and write about, especially that wasp nest!
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The wasp nest was something!!
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I know! And my friend Carol posted a picture of hers which was hanging off the gutter at her house the next day – maybe it is the time of year they build them. They had it removed professionally. A fellow blogger said they had a paper nest in her apple tree and her husband got stung 10 times by them.
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I avoid wasps, but yellow jackets were there ones that stung me last year.
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I took the pictures, and got out of there before they got angry with me. I walk past, but you really have to be under the tree to see it. Wait til the leaves drop and it is visible to all. Ruth Soaper’s husband was mowing near a nest in their apple tree and got stung 10 times!
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Being stung ten tines could be dangerous! It was painful, if nothing else.
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Yes and she said he was just passing underneath, not provoking them in any way!
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I guess wasps are unreasonable.
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Great pics!
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Thanks Kate – always something to see there.
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That was a lovely post and tour Linda! Except for the wasps…..bad memories of the siding infestation last summer.
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Thanks Joni – glad you liked i. I thought of you as soon as I saw the wasp nest and remembered your wasp debacle last Summer. This nest was large and then Carol, my high school friend who lives in New York, posted a photo of an identical one hanging near her eaves troughs. This one at the Park was protected by tree leaves, but how could hers grow that big that quickly?
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Apparently they are great little multipliers!
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Once I saw it, I got the picture and stood back a few paces, then left. I didn’t want any to follow me home because they were mad. In 2020, I’ve had ants in/out of the house, a week or so ago I had a cricket – no telling where it went. Luckily I got rid of the little moths that were on the peanut bag – only I would be blessed to have moth larvae on the bags of peanuts … outside, not inside!
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I really enjoyed this! I have to post more pictures. Just annoying with new editor.
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I have been hearing some complaints about the new Editor. Did you see any hints that were posted in Reader last week? They are helpful – at least that is what I am hearing from fellow bloggers who are struggling like you. I switched over to Gutenberg last April 2019, so I am not having to deal with it now. Do a draft post to play with it, just don’t publish it and you’ll feel comfortable with it – that’s what I did last year. Good luck Ellie!
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Thanks 💕
When I’ve headspace I will…
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A wonderful recap of summer activities at the park. Isn’t it fun to go through our photos to see everything again. You covered it all from wildlife, people and parks. And it is almost the changing of seasons again. When one door closes another door will always open.
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Glad you liked this post Sandra – there is always something to see on the perimeter path at the Park. We have had a lot of bunnies this Summer – I like seeing them. And lots of Poplar leaves on the ground already … it may be an early Fall, but it may also be because we had such a dry Summer. Whenever we had rain, it was this torrential rainfall – a few all-day soaking rains, but very few normal rains.
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Yes, same here. I have noticed a few more trees turning color.
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I noticed several red-colored trees on my walk today – it seems too early for that here in the Lower Peninsula.
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I have only seen a couple up here also.
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I suspect yours will turn colors earlier after last week’s cool spell. I wonder if that will affect our leaves here?
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I am not sure, next week it is going to get much cooler. Low in the 40
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Wow – the last 2-3 nights we only went to about 68. It was tropical like Florida this morning. We have rain/storms this week and this afternoon the weather alarm went off around 2:45. Said a thunderstorm and high winds expected by 3:45 one city over. Looked out the door and the winds were blowing, getting very dark. Then it poured for about 5 minutes. Stopped and nothing more after that. Whew! We are hot all week (90) and stormy.
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Love the park and history. My hope one day is that the Ecorse Creek and Rouge River will be finally cleaned up.
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Yes, I think it is the jewel of our City Cathy. Interesting you mention the Ecorse Creek being cleaned up as there is a volunteer clean-up in three Downriver areas to clean the Creek by using canoes and grabbing garbage that way. That event is tomorrow. That’s a good way to tame the garbage that is often seen bobbing around in the water.
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Interesting about how the squirrels are adapting to the changes brought on by Covid-19. I’ve seen few squirrels this summer, which surprises me considering how few cars are around. On the other hand, our bunnies are thriving around here. They are cute so I can be charmed by them.
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The squirrels have been fickle this Summer – one day they are all over, the next day not a single one. That is odd. The bunnies are a constant this Summer and I agree with you as they get my attention every time I see them. Near the end of the post I included the photos of the tree with the graffiti on it that I mentioned to you last week when we were discussing the train graffiti. I didn’t know if you got a chance to see it, as admittedly I used a ton of photos in this post, but that is what I was referring to.
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Oddly enough I didn’t see the graffiti because I was focused on the squirrel! Kind of missed the point there, but cute squirrel.
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That’s okay – I didn’t mention it in the post at all. I only said the squirrel looked befuddled. But since we commented on graffiti on trees, there you have it. The squirrel was looking up at the tree, then at me. Now I don’t know if was befuddled over that or not.
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Wonderful photos of the bunny, wasp nest and beautiful flowers! I’m thinking that your mystery squirrel treat may be a passion fruit. We have some vines growing on our country road.
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Thanks Rebecca – glad you enjoyed the photos. That wasp nest was so big and hidden by the leaves. I turned around and there it was. The bunnies are plentiful this Summer. Thank you so much for identifying the squirrel treat – the reverse Google image gave me a lime! This is the second time you identified something that I asked about – last year it was the Fall Clementatis which should be blooming soon. We had glorious weather all week, like a touch of Fall, but tomorrow it’s back to the sauna bath again unfortunately.
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I’ve seen a few bunnies this year, but not really too many. I always enjoy seeing them. I also enjoy seeing the passion fruit vines flowering along the road. Then by late summer, you see the fruit come on. We finally got some much needed cooler weather this week. I believe by the middle of next week we may see some of the after-effect of one of the hurricanes.
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You have more vegetation there too I suspect since it can thrive all year long. It sure was hot here today. I spent 3 1/2 hours at Lake Erie Metropark and it was 87 when I got back to the car at noon. I went to see the lotus blooms – they were beautiful. I’ve been hearing about the two hurricanes on the horizon. It is like a two-punch effect … you miss one, the other one will come along. Mother Nature has certainly been active with weather events this year.
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Great shots! The wasps look like Mason Wasps. They feed their young paralyzed cutworms.
I take Milk Thistle extract 3 times a week. It is great for cleansing the liver. 🙂
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Thanks Tom – I just Googled to look at the Mason Wasps. These had the same markings and you can’t see much of the yellow in my shots. They were pretty active in that big nest. I didn’t know you could use Milk Thistle as a supplement. We have a lot of large ones at this Park.
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Wasps will not sting you unless you hit them or mess with their nest.
Milk Thistle is a great supplement (as long as one doesn’t overdo it.)
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I always learn something with you Tom. 🙂
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Miss Linda…………………………I have seen that paper type of Wasp nest before…………………..I did get a lot of: “fodder from your forum”………………………………and Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote is so true for us who love nature in the parks…………………………………
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That was a first time I’ve ever seen one like that Ann Marie – it was amazing to look at. Perfectly formed and it looked durable. This one was protected inside the tree by the branches and tree leaves. I was amazed at the size of it. Have you seen a paper type of nest in a tree or a home? I always like to put in a few takeaways to learn that I have learned in the bigger posts. Like the thistles. I really liked that nature quote too – perfect for us.
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Linda that is the type of wasp nest that was in our apple tree and they attacked my husband stinging him like 10 times! Nasty little critters.
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So many wonderful nature shots even the buns!
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Thanks Diane – the photos were all collected in August … lots to see in the growing season. I had some squirrel shots, but they’ll be in next Wednesday’s post – acting a little squirrelly in those pictures.
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Oh wow Diane – good thing I did not hang around too long. This nest is huge – when I looked at it, I was impressed they could build something so sturdy. I wonder if I should alert the Park and have a pest control service take it down before someone gets stung? Ten times! Was your husband trying to remove the nest? Or just trying to pick apples or being nearby?
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No all he did is mow the grass under the tree. He had to jump off of the riding mower and run. He left the mower running…lol I would notify the park people.
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Wow – I will notify them, will check that no one else did then do it. I’ll send the pictures too. I’m the only one under the tree as I was trying to coax the squirrel down. I wonder if they are scared of the nest?
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Who tags strees? That’s just wrong. — Your search function gave me 10 posts about squirrels but I doubt that’s all 😉
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I know it! They have put graffiti many places in the Park and this is the most-recent spot. It is a lovely old tree and it is twisted, in that the tree trunk actually is sideways, but the tree is otherwise in good shape. Oh, I have many squirrel posts – some are longer than others. The search feature does not always work so great because I’ve looked for an old blog post and known the title and it won’t find it. Here are a few of my favorite squirrel posts Jeanine. (Sweetest Day here is like Valentine’s Day – people call it a Hallmark holiday.) Also, for all the holidays I usually take them something special … apples every Fall, pumpkins at harvest/Halloween time, last year I did cookies for Christmas and you saw the Valentine’s Day post. I have a post about M&M peanut candy and can’t find it. Here a few for when you need a smile:
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Oh thanks for these Linda. — You get them holiday treats? That is too cute! Have a lovely Sunday
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That’ll keep you busy with a few smiles too … you have a lovely Sunday too Jeanine – it is very hot here today.
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It’s sooo nice to be able to have some time to read your blog! 1,500 posts! How awesome! You make an interesting point about everything going on- I wonder if animals and nature sense a change too. Sad that your friends you normally see aren’t out and about as often- hopefully they will return soon. And I thiiink that green thing may be a walnut! During cross country season in high school, this girl was collecting them lol. What an adorable bunny!! I love seeing all this beautiful greenery & that quote from Ralph Emerson. Thanks for sharing with us, Linda!!
Oh and here is an image of the walnuts if these seem to match, I may be way off!!
https://www.123rf.com/photo_110757650_green-walnuts-with-leaves-isolated-on-a-white-background-.html
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I am sure those squirrels and birds sensed things were “off” – I do feed the birds at the park too. The cardinals have not returned which is too bad as I loved seeing them swoop down to the perimeter path, like the Jays do. I had a cardinal that was following around behind me, just before the Park closed. I looked at the picture – yes, that is what it looked like, same texture so I guess he was trying to get through the rind to get that prized walnut! I did not know we had walnut trees in the Park. Thank you for sharing this link Mackenzie.
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Of course! ☺️
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I. Hate. Wasps. Too many times in my life they have tried to move into my living space.
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You may recall Joni had that problem last year and had to have an exterminator out. A fellow blogger said her husband was on a riding mower underneath the apple tree and was stung 10 times. I was amazed at the size and sturdiness of that nest. They like you, just like the sparrows like me – genuine mischief makers.
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So much going on at Council Point Park! I wonder if the unidentified greed objects are walnuts still covered by their outer shell?
I cringe thinking about that huge wasp nest. Yikes! Our neighbor has one up in their tree. I scoot by there every time I go past. I don’t want them to notice me and come flying out.
Congratulations on post #1501!
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Yes, the height of Summer and lots to write about and take pictures of. I limited my squirrel shots as they will have a post about them this coming Wednesday.
Well, you are the second person that said a walnut still in its outer green shell. A fellow blogger who is from Ohio originally, ran cross-country in school and recognized them and sent a link. Another fellow blogger, who lives in Tennessee, suggested it was a passion fruit from a vine. I’ve never seen a walnut in the raw nor a passion fruit. I am glad I asked as I learned something. Last year a fellow walker broke off part of a stem of a flower and asked me what it was. I didn’t know and took a photo of it and asked? The same TN blogger identified Autumn Clematis.
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Love your pics.
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Thank you Amorina Rose – it is my favorite place to walk; that is why I was so upset when they closed it for a month as people were not practicing social distancing guidelines.
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Lovely as always, Linda. 🥰
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Thanks Pam – my favorite spot to walk.
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👏👍🥰
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That wasp nest is amazing! I would have been afraid of getting stung but I think my curiosity would have won out too. There is so much going on in your park… how interesting to watch the change of seasons through the actions and behaviors of the critters who live there.
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I’m like you Janis; I realized the danger, but it fascinated me how industrious they were and I kept looking at that nest. I’ve always said if I looked up, down and around there would be something new to see every day. The change of seasons is beginning slowly, although we’ve had such a hot Summer, with not much rain, so perhaps the leaves dropping can be attributed more to weather than seasonal. We USED to have leaves begin fluttering down mid-September but our weather has not been normal the last three or four years here in SE Michigan. I believe the critters are more aware of what is going on around than you’d think.
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It sort of feels like someone changed the channel as you have a different set of characters there at the park. It is quite interesting how a change in human behaviors can effect nature. Not sure about the green mystery food. I don’t think it is a passion fruit because to grow in Michigan they would have to be taken in doors for winter. Like a couple of others have mentioned it could be a walnut as they do have a green outer covering. The other thing I came up with is a persimmon. I know they grow in Michigan but weather they would be in the park is questionable. I did read that squirrels love to steal them even before they are ripe.
For several years we have had bald faced hornets that build a nest in our maple tree in front of our house. It looks much like the nest in your picture and the hornets look like those you showed as well. I would hope that rather than remove it the park might put up a sign warning people of it.
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I’ve never seen a persimmon and just Googled it – this was the size of a lime and resembled one. I am now thinking like you that the passion fruit wouldn’t survive our Michigan Winter weather – I did not know that walnuts had that green covering around them – pretty amazing. I have not seen a whole walnut in many years – you used to be able to buy them at the grocery store – we got them years ago for a treat for our neighborhood squirrel. So that was a real discovery knowing they look like this to begin with!
I have not told anyone at the City about the nest. I had errands yesterday and this morning I forgot to look if it was still there. Will plan on looking tomorrow, though we have a rainy/stormy almost severe weather day on the horizon. I’m ready for Fall and leave this weather behind. I wonder what happens to the nest when the tree leaves fall off? The nest will be exposed – but then it is cold – I read an article that said most of them will die off except queens or ambitious females who will overwinter in a house. This nest was really a work of art in my opinion!
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The green husks on the walnut to have a rough texture like a lime so I’m pretty certain that’s what you saw. That husk will eventually soften then turn black if left on the nut.
The nest will be very visible when the leaves fall. Most of the wasps will die and the queen will move out. Weather will probably eventually destroy the nest. The one in our tree from last year gradually broke apart and the last of it came down last month. A couple of years ago the was a deputy sheriff in our neighborhood and he spotted the empty nest in our tree. He asked my husband what we were going to do with it and my husband asked him if he wanted it. He said yes – he had a stuffed bear the he had shot and wanted to have the hive to display with the bear. My husband cut the branch with the hive and gave it to him. It is amazing how they are built!
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Okay, I have Googled to see what a walnut tree’s leaves look like as this was in a maple tree. So there must be a walnut tree close by and that squirrel lugged it up into the tree – pretty amazing as yes, it was the size of a lime and it dragged two of them up to the tree. This was a black squirrel on top of it, so they are so much smaller and skittish to begin with. Thanks for identifying this Ruth and I’m amazed how big this rind was around the walnut … that’s a lot of work to get to the walnut before it is ripe and the rind just falls off. The nest reminded me of a pinata and when I was Googling around to find paper nest information (my friend’s pest control service did not come to remove her nest and identify it right away). One of the pest removal services I saw, the guy had put some shellac on the empty nest and made a video of how he handled the removal and also to keep for future talks about removing a nest. I am amazed how they built this big paper nest.
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the hotter the summer,the more wasps you’ll have! Always be leading when going into a forest. You’ll disturb the nest but the second person following will be the one getting stung!
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I didn’t know that Wayne – I’ll have to learn more about these wasps. That’s good to know about leading too. 🙂 This is maybe 4-5 feet from the perimeter path, but obstructed by leaves. I was impressed with the size of the nest, having never seen one before. I’ve seen wasps buzzing around the ground on the other side of the Park where there is an apple tree. The apples are all wormy and the squirrels pull them off, take a few bites then throw the apples on the ground. The wasps go for the fallen apples. Last year I had a post about the wasps glomming onto the apples which were out in the hot sun and the heat had turned the pulp to apple cider, if not apple wine so we had buzzed buzzers – probably twice as dangerous!
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drunk wasps? Must be GOP!
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The pictures of the mysterious fruit, wasp nest, thistle, teasles, bird in water fountain, and turtle are my favorite photos!! Thanks for letting the readers know the names of the flowers. I like learning their names, so when I find them in nature, it’s something I can identify.
The “new normal” is tough getting used to. I rarely go anywhere in my car, so 1 tank of gas lasts me a month and a half.
I hope you are enjoying your Council Point Park walks!
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Thank you Esther – glad you enjoyed the myriad of items I see on my walks at Council Point Park. I try to find the names of what I see and if I need help identifying something I have put it out there before – three people knew what the green fruit was – two of the bloggers said it was the fruit/rind surrounding a walnut. One said they have a similar plant called “passion fruit” – Rebecca lives in Tennessee. I try to combine any errands all at one time. This is mostly so I don’t waste a walking day and also “might as well be germy all the same time” – that’s been my mindset during the pandemic and I go out to public places as little as possible. I don’t really interact with others at the Park, maybe talking, but not touching in any way. I do love my walks. They set my day off right!
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OMG, now that you mentioned other bloggers’ responses about the green fruit…I saw a walnut tree this summer at the SF Botanical Garden. I looked up and couldn’t believe walnuts were inside a lime resembling fruit. I’ll try to find a picture of it in my phone and share it.
I hear you…much better to combine errands or else you’d be all over the place multiple times. I didn’t understand the effectiveness of rounding up errands together, but having kids and lack of time showed me the beauty of setting an errand course.
I love walks too…they’re wonderful for thinking and slowing down. I used to walk for miles when living in NYC, but now in San Jose, our streets are not very pedestrian friendly and parks are not close to home. Nature is a wonderful thing to incorporate into one’s day, and it’s great you do it on a daily basis!!
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I was amazed at the size of that green fruit and then to discover how it wrapped around the big walnut! OK, will look forward to seeing it … fellow blogger Mackenzie had sent me a link. She is originally from Ohio, but lives in Texas now. She ran cross-county in high school and remembered seeing them:
Oh and here is an image of the walnuts if these seem to match, I may be way off!!
https://www.123rf.com/photo_110757650_green-walnuts-with-leaves-isolated-on-a-white-background-.html
I walk through the neighborhoods, but am always wary of dogs – mean dogs who would jump the fence (or climb the fence as I’ve seen pit bulls do) and attack me. That is a fear of mine as it happens quite often around here. Plus you have to watch the uneven pavement – also problematic. I feel very lucky to be just a mile from Council Point Park and fairly close to other wonderful parks as well.
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