Wheatland Arboretum

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The grounds around Wheatland and the LancasterHistory.org building have been transformed into an arboretum with careful plantings and signage for the trees. There was a map provided but I decided to walk around and photograph rather than reference it frequently. It was a very warm day and I found myself staying to the shady path whenever possible. The bright sunlight made the pine needles glow!

There was a large camellia in a shady area and I did some close…and closer shots of the flowers.

The dogwoods (non-native ones) were still blooming. I’d seen this same kind at the National Arboretum a few weeks ago.

The tree that caught my attention the most was the ‘tri-color beech’ which is an import from Europe. It was a striking tree in an otherwise green landscape.

And after my walk - I was ready to be in an air conditioned environment for a bit before heading out for lunch and then driving toward home.

Plans for Spring

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We had a first spring-like March day this past weekend: breezy, a little warmer, and sunny. I started thinking about our typical spring plans.

After being at home more than usual during the latter part of winter we are ready for some travel. We are planning a road trip to the coastal North Carolina wildlife refuges sometime in April. The rest will be day trips. I want to visit old favorites and some of places mentioned in the Master Naturalist Training:

Other plans fall into the spring cleaning:

  • Pulling leaves and dried stems from flowerbeds, moving compost that is ‘ready’ to the beds and starting a new compost pile
  • Cleaning all the windows in the house - inside and out
  • Dispositioning the piles of ‘stuff’ that have not been moved since fall (most if it should probably be given away)
  • Moving warm weather clothes to closest and deciding which winter clothes to keep/which will not be worn again and should be given away

Now that I’ve made the lists - it is enough to overlay on activities like Master Naturalist class and the subsequent volunteer work for the Howard County Conservancy. I am anticipating a busy - and fun - Spring 2015.