Swan and Wolves

Around Ohio

This white swan was one of the few birds that could survive the winter at the zoo. It was sitting near a small pond. Although the pond was mostly covered in ice, it had a small hole at the center where the swan could get a drink.

White Swan

These wolves seemed quite at home in the snow. Their natural habitat in Canada and Alaska can get much colder than our mild winters.

Wolves

Reindeer

Around Ohio

Another cold-loving animal, and a famous one as well, is the reindeer. They seemed to be enjoying the cold weather just as much as the polar bear. While fourteen distinct subspecies of reindeer have been recognized, I doubt if I could tell them apart. However, their thick fur and large antlers set them apart from other deer species.

Reindeer

Bears

Around Ohio

Every year, the Columbus Zoo creates a luminous display of Christmas lights throughout the zoo. While these are best viewed at night, I planned my recent tour to include enough daylight hours to visit the animals as well. Some of the animals are moved elsewhere during the winter, but many of them remain at the zoo.

The brown bear below didn't seem to mind the cold weather at all. While I watched, it playfully rolled over on its back in the snow.

Brown Bear

Polar bears, such as the one below, are native to climates even colder than the day I visited the zoo. Their layers of thick fur insulate them from frigid air and ice-cold water. This bear almost looks as if it were grinning.

Polar Bear

Ohio Caverns 2

Around Ohio

The picture below shows one of the iron oxide formations that add color to the ceiling throughout much of the caverns. Although the dim lighting in the caves masks some of the bright colors, they come out quite clearly when exposed to a camera flash.

Iron Oxide Formations

One of the more unusual formations in the cave is shown below. It is called a helictite because of its unusual shape. It seems to resemble a water spigot or old hand pump.

 

Water Spigot

Ohio Caverns: Crystal King

Around Ohio

The Crystal King is the largest stalactite found in the Ohio Caverns. With a length of almost five feet and an estimated weight of 400 pounds, it is also one of the largest stalactites in Ohio. The Crystal King is found at the deepest point in the cave from the surface.

 

Crystal King

The stalactites and stalagmites in the photo below reminded me of a shark's mouth. The minerals in this picture are known as dual formations because they consist of calcite stalactites growing on an iron oxide base.

Shark's Mouth

Ohio Caverns

Around Ohio

Located in western Ohio, the Ohio Caverns showcases some amazing crystal formations spread throughout a maze of winding tunnels. The abundance of crystals, which have taken thousands of years to form, makes the caverns unique.

As with most underground passages, the majority of the Ohio Cavern's tunnels are quite narrow, but the picture below shows a slightly larger area. The oranges and browns on the ceiling are caused by aqueous iron that trickles down through the rock above and oxidizes when it reaches the cave ceiling.

Crystal Cave 

This next shot depicts a more tunnel-like part of the caverns. When the caves were first discovered, most of the tunnels were partially obstructed by mud and other sediment, which had to be cleared away to make the passageways passable.

 

Rocky Passage

Eden Park: Ducks

Around Ohio

Eden Park also contained a small pond, which had a healthy population of ducks. They seemed quite tame, and a few waddled after me, waiting for food. I caught these Mallards taking a spin out on the water.

Like a Duck to Water...

Also at the pond were these two beautiful white Pekin ducks. They seemed to be the only ones of their kind, but were quite tame nonetheless.

White Pekins

Eden Park

Around Ohio

To finish up my tour of southwestern Ohio, I stopped at Eden Park, located on the northern side of the Ohio River in the Cincinnati area. Although not too obvious in these pictures, the park was located on top of a high ridge along the river, giving an extensive view in both directions.

The River

Across from the park lies the town of Dayton, Kentucky. Here, the buildings reflect the slightly warmer evening rays.

Dayton, KY

Purple People Bridge: Flowers 2

Around the U.S.

A number of the planters also contained red plants. The broad-leafed red vegetation below added some interest to the planter it occupied.

Red & Spiky

And finally, I ran across these pink-leafed plants. They seemed to be thriving, despite their unusual color.

Pink Plants

Purple People Bridge: Flowers

Around the U.S.

As I mentioned earlier, one side of the Purple People Bridge was lined with planters containing a variety of colorful flowers, many of them purple.

These colorful bluish-purple flowers made a nice contrast in front of the geometrical patterns of the bridge behind them.

Purple Flowers

This cluster of pink blooms seemed a little lost in the sea of green vegetation and unusual purple flowers surrounding it. I could hardly tell which plant each flower belonged to.

Pink & Purple