HORSE-CHESTNUTS AND WIND SURFING

HORSE-CHESTNUT FLOWER SPIKE...

,..AND PALMATELY COMPOUND LEAF WITH FIVE TO USUALLY SEVEN LEAFLETS

WIND SURFER ON CHEQUAMEGON BAY AT ASHLAND...

...HAVING A GREAT TIME!

Friday, 8:30 AM.  Wind NE, light. The sky is overcast and  drippy, and we have .25" of water in the rain gage.  The humidity is 96% and the barometer is still trending down, currently at 29.97". It is an eerily quiet morning, almost bereft of birdsong, the most prominent sound being the doleful moaning of the fog horn on the breakwater.  It will be a good day to do some reading, and to catch up on desk work.
   The horse-chestnut tree, Aesculus hippocastaneum, in the buckeye family, is a common European shade tree probably introduced to America in colonial times.  It is a handsome tree that grows to perhaps sixty feet in height and almost as wide.  It bears upright spikes of white flowers tinged with red, and of course the horse-chestnut nut, one to three of them being encased in a prickly, leathery pouch.  It is not related at all to the edible chestnuts and the nut is not fit for human consumption but has long been used as fodder for horses and cattle.  It is native to Greece but is quite hardy north.  It is a handsome tree for parks and estates but it is far too large for streets or most city lots.  The species name translates directly from the latin to its common name in English, "horse chestnut."
   Horse-chestnut nuts have long been used as a tonic for horses, and extracts of the nuts and bark are now used in herbal medicine for the treatment of leg vein problems in humans; leg and ankle swelling and varicose veins.  I have used it for many years for leg cramps and better leg circulation, particularly in the spring. Horse-chestnut trees are fairly trouble free except for  fungal problems on leaves in wet and humid summers, which can cause early leaf drop and unsightliness but do no permanent damage.
   This past Wednesday there were high winds out of the north and a pretty good surf was up in Ashland,  and this wind surfer took advantage of it.  He was quite skilled, repeatedly making 360 degree turns after running parallel to the beach for a quarter of a mile or so.  As he turned he would often rise out of the water ten or fifteen feet into the air.  He wore a wet suit and the water is shallow where he was surfing so he was  being quite safe as he had a lot of fun.  If I were still a kid of fifty or sixty I might give it a try.