Every work day I park by the tennis courts in lot 10 and walk near Ottawa River by the memorial rain garden and over the bridge and on to Carlson Library to my office. This is a great start to my day, first I hear tennis balls, then the Rocket Launch student helpers say hi and then my favorite sight …the rain garden (known as the Carolyn E. Edwards Memorial Garden.I have watched it grow since it was a “snirt pile “(snow plus dirt, hence snirt).
It is lovely, fragrant and explosive with shades of green and fragrant colorful flowers such as Goldenrod, Aster, Vervain, Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis and Green headed coneflower,, thistle, asters, echinachea, Sullivants’s milkweed, back-eyed Susan’s. It was designed and planted by the UT President’s Commission on the River with funding support from the Carolyn E. Edwards Memorial Fund, the Edward’s family, and the Toledo Rain Garden Initiative. The garden was designed to manage storm-water runoff by collecting water and filtering out pollutants before it drains directly into the Ottawa River. The garden serves as a natural laboratory and outdoor classroom for students studying water quality and environmental sustainability practices. It preserves natural habitats for a diverse array of species .UT has three other rain gardens located at International House, the north entrance to CPA, and at the Lake Erie Center
It is the starting point of my day to walk by this gorgeous garden and see the progress, smell the flowers and lately see and hear groups of gold finches. I am a bird lover and a fledgling ornithologist in training. These little feathered balls of yellow are acrobatic and cling and flit to weeds and tall stems. Goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern. Interestingly, they often sing in flight, drawing attention to them before I even see them. They are sweet little bright yellow birds with black forehead, black wings with white markings. Most have white patches both above and beneath the tail. Was Tweety bird a Goldfinch? One day I saw 5 at once. But, they are shy and if I get to close they are in flight in a nanosecond. So this makes my day, summer, fall, winter and spring. I am mesmerized by birds. Birds are beautiful to look at, they make an incredible variety of sounds, and they exhibit fascinating behavior. A rare bird is as thrilling as the most precious gem. Birds remind me of nature’s diversity in all its glory. But I think the real fascination is that, more than any other creature; they embody the freedom and wildness about which we humans can only dream. I dream each morning on my way to work. The beauty of campus is all around you to inspire your dreams.