This had been my plan for over 2 months. The photographer had her Achilles tendon repaired in early June and I knew that her return to full hiking would be incremental. The Pin Oak Trail at Farbach-Werner was the first all-persons trail that Footpaths visited back in 2022, and I was confident that it would be an enjoyable and safe return to the trail for her. So when she was released from her walking boot on an August Thursday, we found ourselves on this paved trail on Friday. We were accompanied by our eldest daughter Caroline, which added to the fun.
The amazing thing about Farbach-Werner is that it is part nature preserve, part fitness/rehab facility. The asphalt trail is teaming with folks, mostly older singles and couples, working on maintaining their mobility amongst the beauty of this small nature preserve. It is an amazing island of flora and fauna surrounded by some of Cincinnati’s oldest suburbs. I wonder if the Werner family, who donated their 23 acre farm to Hamilton County in 1972, could have envisioned the hub of activity that it would become 50 odd years later.
When we pulled into the parking lot there were perhaps 30 cars, but the entrance to the campus, with the farmhouse and barn dating to the 1830’s, was surprisingly peaceful, with the native flowers enveloping the lot capturing our attention.
Our first stop was the pollinator garden – a somewhat manicured, well curated plot of native plants important to the life cycles of these creatures.
Wild Senna and Blazing Star
Downy Skullcap and Obedient Plant
An airy Whorled Rosinweed.
The photographer was back in her element with her camera in hand. One of the more interesting plants she captured was the Cup Plant that towered over us.
It is named for the cup-like structure that is present where the leaves attach to the stem. It is thought that the cups may serve several functions: To capture rainwater, to keep flower predatory insects from climbing up the stem, and perhaps as a nutrition source as insects that drown in the water can decompose to provide a nutrients for the plant. You do frequently see dead insects in the water.
The pollinators were out in force in the garden…