I am having a hard time keeping up with Aki this morning. She is powering ahead, as we walk along the edge of one of the Twin Lakes. It’s a major dog walking trail but the little poodle is the only canine in sight. She must be hoping to run in to a friend. 

Much of what we see is either man made or landscaped. An expressway borders the east shores of the lakes. A well-used highway mimics the curves of the other shore.  The lovely but stubborn knot weed once dominated the trail. But city gardeners, considering the plant invasive, have almost eradicated it. 

The red blooms of hawkweed and white daisy flowers color the areas once dominated by knot weed. Hawkweed is on the local list of invasive species and the cartoon-like daisies probably should be on it. Finding either plant thriving on a wild beach fringe would upset me. But here, on this manufactured park space, they just look pretty.