I LIKE THIS PLACE AND COULD...

OUR LATEST WALK AROUND ...

Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. As I have mentioned before, we moved here from California 30 plus years ago, discovering it several years later. I came across a very good history of the garden. If you would like to take a look, you can read all about it at this website. I add these links not only to share information with you all but for me to go back to, not only to learn something I may have missed, but to refresh my memory. The garden opened officially in April 1987. 

The grass is slowly returning from its dormant state and flowers and trees are beginning to put on quite a show.  We are expecting several days of rain so that should really make things pop.Outside the visitor center as you enter the garden, there are several flowers blooming. The closest ID I could find for the above were on this page. You have to scroll down a bit. They are also Hellebores but there were no markers that I could see, and I don't like to stick my hands in the undergrowth to search for one. If you know exactly, maybe you can confirm.  I saw one description, Helleborus Winter Thriller ‘Ballerina Ruffles’, but they are not an exact match. I can see where they got the Ballerina Ruffles from.

One of the many reasons I was looking forward going to the garden, was to see more daffodils. 

I was not disappointed!

This area will eventually have a wonderful display of daylilies. The markers are already placed for their identification and aren't there for the daffodils. It will be an easy ID the next time I go when the lilies are blooming.

This will probably be the last I will be sharing of the daffodils until next spring. I expect when I go again, the tulips will be blooming.  Hopefully I will be able to see them on full display.

We walked down to the magnolia tree but first sat on a bench looking at others taking their own photos. It is a good opportunity not only for a short rest, but we can see all of the lower garden from this vantage point. It is a very popular stopping point for visitors to the garden.

This is the Saucer magnolia, also known as Chinese magnolia and Tulip magnolia. 

Its botanical name is Magnolia soulangeana. They can reach to a height of 20 to 33 feet. 

It is a hybrid saucer magnolia tree native to Europe, is mainly found in the British Isles and the United States, and is known for its easy cultivation. 

A deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers and its shades are white, pink and purple. It is known to be one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture.  As you might guess, its name is inspired by the wide, saucer-like flowers. Not quite open enough, ‘tulip’ shaped and yet still beautiful!

Its symbolism is longevity and perseverance, nobility, love for nature, feminine sweetness and beauty. I would think there have been many poems written about this one.

Next, the Japanese Cherry, and other names are East asian cherry, Japanese flowering cherry, Hill cherry, Cherry blossom and Sakura. Its botanical name is Prunus serrulata.

There is a bench underneath the trees with a lovely view of the pond. A great spot to look at the sky and today, with the blossoms, it was a particularly pretty sight.

There is a bridge that is often used by photographers. This day a young couple posed for a professional photographer.  There were several walkers going back and forth, but they were respectful of the young couple and didn't try to get in their way to cross the bridge. They made their way around the lake instead. Gregg took a few photos which I will share next time. They were taken from a respectful distance.

We have our own Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. They are blooming right now.  The festival lasts from March 20th to April 14th.  There was a sold-out opening ceremony at the Warner Theater packed with Japanese cultural performances, including a collaborative dance with the Washington Ballet Company.

It is a spectacular sight around The Jefferson Memorial. Those trees were given as a gift to the people of America from the people of Japan in 1912.  At The National Park Service Website you can read the history of how this came to be. There is a wonderful tradition in Japan, where people have picnics and outdoor parties under these trees. The following photo is an old one I took in March 2009.

It is a popular attraction and sitting under them here at the garden, I can see why.  At the end of their life span, the petals will fly through the air as the wind blows. This phenomenon is known as hanafubuki and you can read more about it at this link.  Here is another link to a language website and it gives more information about the cherry blossoms in Japan. (I just found an old blog post of a previous visit to this garden in 2011. We were there when all the petals had fallen off the trees and they made such a pretty sight.  I'll add that post next week sometime.)

A blossom not long fallen, returning to the earth from whence it came. Another poem in the making

 perhaps?

The Canada Geese were pairing up, getting ready for nesting season no doubt. Both male and female have well-known devotion to its mate and family.  A mate will put itself in danger to protect the other or its young.  I always wondered how you could tell the difference between a male and female to someone who doesn’t know, like me.  I read recently that the tail feathers on an adult male goose are rounded, whereas on a female, the tail feathers are pointed. The tail feathers on a young goose are rounded, with a frayed and notched tail tip; edged and pointed, as they grow older.

This devotion is shown when one of the mated pair, or a family member, will go down with an injured goose and guard that goose until it recovers or dies. There are two subspecies, the Branta Canadensis Interiori (interior Canada goose) and the Branta Canadensis Maxima (giant Canada goose). The interiori Canada goose may weigh from 7 to 10 pounds, and is shorter and a tad more slender than the giant Canada goose. The giant Canada goose may weigh up to 15 to 20 pounds. My information came from this website.

“Alley-oop!"

They are very amusing when feeding.  One goes up, one goes down.

There are more interesting facts here. Depending on where you are in the world you may be familiar with their V-shaped formation (wondering if this applies to other goose species and will have to do more research). This V-shape has a purpose.  It helps the birds maintain their energy and improves communication. Each bird flies above the bird in front of them to reduce wind resistance.  And being able to see the other birds aids overall coordination.  When the lead bird gets tired, it moves to the back of the group for a well-deserved rest. There are many reasons I have always been very fond of the Canada Goose!

I have more photos from this walk but will share those another time.

RANDOM PHOTO - AHHH SPRING!

 

LAST OF THE PHOTOS FROM MEADOWLARK GARDENS (UNTIL OUR NEXT VISIT) - SATURDAY 2-10-24 - VISITOR CENTER

 

This is the Visitor Center as we were heading towards our car, but I took photos of what I found inside before we left. I saw the artwork first. I recognized this one as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial with the blossoms blooming. The Cherry Blossom Festival will be in the spring. In fact, The National Park Service announced that the trees would reach peak bloom from March 23-26.

This lady's website can be found here, where you can see more of her work, including these art pieces, which have a 3-D application on them. This one is called "To Love Freely"...

and this one is called "My Roots Go Down".

It took me a moment or two to realize there were faces in the roots of the tree. I would be very interested to know what is her inspiration for all these works. As I often say, my photos don't give them the justice they deserve. They are much better seen with one's own eyes. I do love all forms of art and I found these very compelling.

Next, meet the very sweet and curious Barry the Box Turtle.

In the next photo you can read that Barry is an Eastern Box Turtle. I hope Barry's time in the terrarium won't be too long. The other inhabitants (the last being the bearded dragon I got quite fond of) have since moved on. The picture below with the information may be seen more clearly if you enlarge it, or you can click on this link which will take you to the Smithsonian's National Zoo website.  It has more information about Barry's kindred.

I expect Barry will get more company as the weather gets warmer and more visitors arrive. But hopefully he will be wandering around in his own natural habitat by then. I will be sure to check on our next visit.

These were the last photos taken on our trip to the garden on 2-10-24. No doubt we will be going back as soon as the weather warms up.

Here's my logo with a little added advice from the turtle. I do this as a gentle reminder to myself. Too many tripping hazards out there, and I am often reminded by my dear other half to slow down. There are times when my brain just goes full steam ahead, with my body saying what the heck are you doing to me, I really can't catch up, and yes I am smiling.

MORE FROM MEADOWLARK GARDENS IN VIENNA, VIRGINIA 2-10-24

It was lovely seeing flowers blooming around the garden. Crocus, for instance, was putting on a lovely show. These are Woodland crocus, other names Tommasini's crocus, Tommies and Early crocus. Its botanical name is Crocus tommasinianus. Woodland crocus should always be planted in the fall. You will see its blooms from late winter to the spring. If you go to this link it will tell you how to grow and take care of them.

Next are the snowdrops. They are quite sturdy and are one of the only flowers that thrive in winter. You will often see them poking through when the snow melts. They make a lovely sight don't they?  I am always interested in other names for all flowers, including the botanical ID, which is Galanthus nivalis for the snowdrop. Those other names are Common snowdrop, Fair maids of February, Little sister of the snows, Purification flower, Candlemas bells, Candlemas lily and Common bells.

Longfield Gardens has a page which gives information on planting and taking care of them.  You can access that here. Snowdrops are very old. A Greek botanist and philosopher wrote about them in the 4th century, but at that time they were called white violets. Because snowdrops have been in the UK for centuries, many believed it was native to Britain. However, they were actually discovered in Europe and the Middle East, and it was the Romans who actually brought them to the UK.

One of the things I was fascinated on this visit, was the lichen growing on the trees, and even an old bench, one of the few I didn't sit on but did take photos.

According to my trusty plant app, this particular fungi is called Parmeliaceae. That is also its botanical name and it is a large family of lichen-forming fungi. Nearly all fungi within the Parmeliaceae family, has a symbiotic association with green Algie.  It comes in a very wide variety of shapes, and insects either eat or nest in these lichens. 

It gets its nutrients through photosynthesis, and if like me you need a refresher on what that is, here is the description I found online: "Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.  Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct."

This family of lichen can grow and flourish just about anywhere, from tree canopies to in-between rocks. They thrive in a multitude of climates as well, ranging from the Arctic to the rainforest. It is a massive family with more than 2700 different species within it.

I always look forward to our next trip to the garden.  It will be interesting to see what replaces the sign. The green reed-like plant is actually wild garlic, but I'll let that go for now.

Just some odds and bods I photographed. The flying pig bottom left of the collage, with a larger snapshot below that, has been at the garden for years. He is placed in the fairy garden. All the fairies have disappeared. I am hopeful we will see them again during the warmer months and the weather isn't quite so harsh. They haven't taken the fairy garden sign down.

The ID marker stuck next to these branches, said it was the Golden Curls Willow. You can find information here. The ID actually identified it as the Golden Curls Corkscrew Willow. I'm pretty sure it is correct as my photo and the one on the website look identical.  One of the first times I checked with my plant app and it didn't have any information about this particular tree.

That's all for this post.  I have a few that I took inside the visitor center, photos of a few art pieces, and will share those another time.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is full of sunshine.