Fri 3/27/09

A Daily Walk With DietPower

Walking is the best exercise for weight loss. And the things you see!

I ducked into the swamp today to see how the skunk cabbage was doing. In early spring, while most plants are still sleeping, the skunk cabbage pushes up a Flemish red spathe—a specialized (and foul smelling) hood protecting a flower-studded knob that reminds me of a whiffle ball. Gradually, the spathe unfurls and becomes mottled in green. Here you can see four spathes in various states of growth.

Watch this space and I'll show you the remarkable transformation these plants undergo as the earth warms.

What kind of trees are overhead? Here's a clue: the little thing on the moss at center-left that looks like a Hershey kiss is actually an acorn cap. And if you look closely at the leaves in and around the water, you'll cinch the case.

Every picture tells a story.

(By the way, skunk cabbage is edible. If you have recipes, please .)

About this page: Precisely at noon each day, I step out of my office for a 3.5-mile walk around my Connecticut neighborhood. I carry a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TX5 pocket camera with a Leica 10x optical zoom lens. My object is to make an interesting photograph of at least one thing that is different that day. I post the results here, hoping they will inspire you and your friends to walk, too.  —Terry Dunkle, DietPower founder and CEO

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