US Botanic Garden Conservatory in Early October

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The conservatory of US Botanic Garden in Washington DC always has beautiful plants. On a visit early this month, the shapes and colors drew my attention the most. 

The spirals of the unfurling fiddlehead - along with the pink and green coloring.  

Bromeliads with blooms that are splashes of vibrant color and thick fitted curves.

Petals that are paper thin

Flowers that look like they’ve sprouted wings

The pattern of fibers on a tropical trunk

 

 

A flower petal that looks like a spider is attached

A slipper with just a touch of color

 

 

 

 

The unfurling of a tightly pack bud in purple and pink

The Beauties of Early Fall

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As we walked around the Smithsonian Mall and the US Botanic Garden in Washington DC, the plantings were representative of ones that are truly at their best in this area just before the leaves turn and then fall. The roses like the cooler weather. The grasses have full seed heads. The asters show their blue and purple color liberally. The dogwoods lead the color change and the winterberry has bright red berries that contrasts with the green leaves still on the bush. There may not be as many butterflies but the ones that are still around may be easier to see because they don’t flutter as rapidly in the cooler temperatures. Enjoy the slide show of these beauties of early fall and celebrate fall!

US Botanic Garden - Insectivorous Plants

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The insectivorous plants exhibit at the US Botanic Garden runs through October 8th. We went to see it this past weekend. The exhibit is a clever mix of sculpture and real plants. I can remember being fascinated with Venus Flytrap plants as a child. The pitcher plants (at right and included in the slide show) were the highlights of this exhibit for me - particularly the outdoor sculpture grouping of them. The sculpture of the Venus Flytrap was mechanized; push a button and it snapped shut!

There are several more posts from the Botanic Garden visit…they’ll come out over the next week or so. I posted about the landmark building models in the conservatory at the US Botanic Garden last November.

Memorial Day

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Today is Memorial Day - a three day weekend for most of us.

It is a day to remember those that sacrificed for our country. Many communities have events that are a combination of solemn (flags on graves, wreaths at tombs) and celebration (parades). Events that bring people together in a commemorative activity - like the Rolling Thunder of motorcycles in Washington DC - are popular.

It's a good time of year for doing things outdoors so Memorial Day is often used as the 'kickoff' for summer. For years - hot dogs cooked on a grill have been our traditional Memorial Day meal. I've made a few changes toward 'healthier' this year: better quality hot dogs, no bun, Mrs. Dash on the corn rather than salt, a veggie side. Later in the summer, more of the veggies will come from our garden or local farm. This early in the season, the only thing on the plate from our garden is the Italian parsley!

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

 

Roosevelt Memorial

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A few weeks ago when we went down to Washington DC to see the Cherry Blossoms, we walked through the Roosevelt Memorial as well. It is open to the air and has lots of cascading water that blocks out other sounds most of the time.

 

FDR’s stature is caped and Fala is nearby. Are Fala’s ears shiny because people like to pet him?

 

 

I like the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt; the pockets of her coat look used.

 

 

There are visuals of the times in textured tiles and a bread line of statues.


The memorial seems to invite interaction. It is set up for people to stand in the bread line with the statues or to stand beside the statues of the Roosevelts or Fala. The tiles invite more than looking…they are to be touched. 

National Arboretum on 4/21/2012 (continued)

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After walking through the azalea garden, we walked toward the entrance and wandered through the bonsai display

And an exhibition of ikebana

Along the way we saw some poppies, children feeding the swam of fish in the pools, some cactus that appeared to be growing rapidly, and camellias that were about done for the year.

Next time I go I’ll to focus on the wildflower garden area.

Previous National Arboretum post: Azaleas

National Arboretum on 4/21/2012

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We went to the National Arboretum (Washington DC) last Saturday. The weather was so wonderful that we parked in the overflow parking because there were so many people that had the same idea. The azalea walk was at or near its peak as you can see from the montage below.

Growing among the azaleas were May apples that all seemed to be blooming under their umbrella of leaves.

And an unusual jack-in-the-pulpit type plant.

I’ll post pictures of the bonsai display and the exhibition of ikebana from our trip to the Arboretum later this week.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

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The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is new enough that the first time I was down at the national mall since it opened was for the Cherry Blossom festival in March. The memorial is right on the tidal basin - the statue of Dr. King looks out over the water. Looking at it across the tidal basin, the Lincoln Memorial is behind and too the left of it.

We were there on a week day and there were buses of students on spring field trips. A large group of high school aged students all wearing the same T-shirts were at the memorial as we arrived. Many of them had their phones in their hands but they weren’t texting or talking on them. They were using them to take pictures. They were paying attention to what they were seeing. The tones of their voices were not loud or strident. The monument seems to encourage a reflective demeanor more than anything else.

We walked around reading the quotes at our own pace. Some that I photographed are below. They are etched in the low wall to either side of the statue itself.

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Jefferson Memorial

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When we went down to the see the cherry blossoms in Washington DC back on March 23rd, we walked through the Jefferson Memorial as well. I like the classical shape of the portico and columns…the round dome…the marble.

In the center - there is the larger-than-life statue of Jefferson. His words are etched into the walls. I found myself marveling at how relevant they still are.  This memorial is not only about remembering the man; it is about renewing our understanding of the foundation for our country that is still vibrant and strong.

Around to the side of the memorial, there is an entrance to go under the memorial where there is a museum and gift shops. Jefferson’s words are etched in the walls here too.

The memorial is visible from most of the walk around the tidal basin. The last picture is from the other side of the tidal basin - just past the Martin Luther King Memorial - framed by cherry blossoms.

There always seem to be a lot of people around the Jefferson Memorial. It is a calm spot amid the bustle of city traffic. Somehow it seems to be above the fray and it helps everyone who comes here to be that way too for a few moments.

Tulip Library in Washington DC - March 2012

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When we went down to see the cherry blossoms last week - the tulips were blooming as well. The beds arch in an areas near the tidal basin at Independence Avenue and Maine Avenue. There are so many different kinds and colors. The two slide shows below show some of my favorites: the classic tulips, the ruffled petals, the fringed petals, the double and triple petals, the multi-colored...they were all there. 

My all time favorite color combination in tulips is green and pink - like the 6th one above - although I'll have to admit the sunrise/sunset colors in the 7th one below comes in a close second. I guess this year the ruffle petals appealed to me too.

 

Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC

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Friday, March 23 was a great day to walk around the tidal basin in Washington DC to see the cherry blossoms. The fog of the days before was gone and the rain of the weekend was yet to come. Yes - there was still a lot of haze from moisture in the air that shows in longer shots and some of the petals had already started to drift down from the trees but the drifts on the ground still retained their light pink color. 

Hope you enjoy my photos! I took series at some of the monuments and a tulip garden that I’ll post over the next few days.

Gleanings of the Week Ending February 4, 2012

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

Magnetotactic Bacteria found in Death Valley National Park - evidently these bacteria are unique because they can biomineralize both greigite and magnetite; they may prove enabling to mass produce these minerals

Severe Python Damage to Florida's Native Everglades Animals Documented in New Study - Near complete disappearance of raccoons, rabbits, opossums in the southern part of the Everglades where the pythons have been the longest (11 years)

Learning-Based Tourism an Opportunity for Industry Expansion - lifelong learning and personal enrichment travel increasing among affluent and educated people

Are Diet Soft Drinks Bad for You? - A study finds that the answer is ‘yes’ if you drink one or more a day.

The National Mall gets more efficient LED lighting - Note the paragraph at the end of the article about the phase-out of incandescent bulbs

Snowy owl Invasion - Video from the Cornell Ornithology Laboratory

iRobot ventures into Telemedicine - The company that makes the Roomba robo-vacuum is entering the hospital robotic arena

Innovation without Age Limits - More complex innovation takes more training…and that often takes time.

Yellowstone in winter (video) - a short video just over 4 minutes…full of vignettes of animals…snow…mists

Evolution of the Businessman (infographic) - Does the very bottom (Today’s Businessman) jive with your observations?

Quote of the Day - 1/7/2012

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It is a mark of success in a park, public lobby or a porch when people can come there and fall asleep. - Christopher Alexander in A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Cess Center for Environmental)

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This quote is from the mid-1970s. Much has changed since that time. In 2012, when an adult is asleep in a public place, the linkage is often to ‘homeless’ rather than a ‘mark of success’ for the space. Public places are intended for wakeful activity rather than sleep.

But - the underlying meaning of the quote has less to do with sleep than with people feeling secure in the place…that bad things will not happen there…that it is OK to relax and not be on alert. Even in the best of our public spaces, the design of the space is not enough. For over 10 years, the news media and our education system has trained us to a heightened vigilance - particularly in public places; we are often warned about our technical gadgets that draw our attention, sometimes to the exclusion of our surroundings.

Think about a public place you deem to be ‘successful’ - and what are the main elements that cause it to be that way.

The Smithsonian Mall in Washington DC is my example. The open area of the mall is heavily used throughout the year; there are always people about. The picture below was taken on a Sunday in November 2011 - not the peak of tourist season. The Park Police walk the fine line between intrusion and security. Many of the people are there as individuals - enjoying the ‘alone but not too alone’ of a public place. Some are passing through - walking between museums. Some are walking or jogging…not there for the museums at all. It is not a place a go frequently, but when I do it is enjoyable and I don’t feel the need to rush through it to be safe.

That doesn’t mean that I would sleep there.