The Arboretum grounds will be CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC Sunday, June 4 and Saturday, June 10 for private events.

Blog

The Bald Eagle: A Symbol of Hope

Since 1782, the Bald Eagle has been the national bird – a symbol of courage and freedom. It was placed on the Great Seal of the United States to stand for strength, power, and peace. Even before European settlers arrived, the Bald Eagle was regarded as “the chief of birds” by Native Americans. And yet, although it holds such a special place in our nation’s heart, many of us remember a time when we almost lost this amazing animal forever.

Read More

The Butterfly [A]ffect(ed)

I was supposed to write about pollinator gardens, but Hurricane Isaias changed that.
. . . but did it really?  Bear with me as I meander and perhaps stretch a metaphor to its breaking point.

"You could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby ... changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole."
— Fic...

Read More

Bonsai, The Living Art

First of all, it's pronounced "bone-sigh," not banzai. Bonsai means "potted plant" in Japanese, an appropriately understated description of a great – and greatly misunderstood – art form. Banzai, on the other hand, is a Japanese war cry, derived from the phrase "may you live ten thousand years." It seems a little counterintuitive to wish your enemy ten millenia of life, but in fact, this wish was intended for their emperor. The English equivalent might be "God save the king". What ever ba...

Read More