Blog
Imaginature: Children's Book Art
As a child, I spent a lot of time curled up with a book, typically one with captivating illustrations that would pull me into the fictional or symbolic world of the story. I preferred books in which the main characters were plants and animals, and I took that new information and inspiration outside to experience and observe nature firsthand. This exploration of nature through literature has stayed with me throughout my life. What started with Eric Carle’s picture books “The Very Hungry Ca...
When the Bloom Fades
I love it when the seasons change. During the approach to each equinox, I look forward to feeling a change in temperature, seeing the shift in the way sunlight falls, and watching the many ways that plants react to a new season. This year, our typically crisp autumn weather hasn’t been as cool as some years, but the nights will likely dip below freezing this week. With those colder temperatures, many more plants will enter dormancy or die back and, when we look at our garden beds, it's obvi...
Creating Community Partnership with GRACE
It is said that gardening creates community. And this pleasant saying rings true each time that I tend and nurture a growing garden.
Oftentimes, as I’m tending the Children’s Square Foot Garden in front of the Mary Reinhart Stackhouse Education Center, I get many curious onlookers who are interested in what’s growing. Ultimately, they ask what’s my role at the Arboretum – they wonder whether I’m on staff or am I a volunteer? My answer is always the same - I tell t...
