Garden in the Woods

Yesterday I went fishing twice. I went late morning and again at 6:30-9. Both times I went fishless. The only good news was the company was good at night and I wasn't the only one to get skunked ( so I felt better about myself, misery loves company). Time after time, I have gone fishing the day after a storm when a cold front has moved in over night. The next day, the sky is bluebird blue and the wind whipping from the northwest. Chances of catching fish under these conditions are slim. Still, I go, figuring its better then staying home.
Waking up this morning and looking out my window the conditions were about the same. Maybe the wind was a little calmer, but the sky was a bright blue without a cloud in it. I thought instead of going fishing I'd try something different.

I went to Garden in the Woods in Framingham,MA . The property is owned by the New England Wildflower Society. I checked out directions online along with price ( $8 for adults) and hours. There is a tour, led by a volunteer at 10 am on weekdays ( 2pm on weekends), so I timed my arrival for about 9:50. I know almost nothing about wildflowers and plants so I thought it would be best to learn something from someone who knows about plants instead of taking a couple pictures of the pretty purple flower.
When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a couple of school groups in front of the Visitor Center, so my first thought was " This (bad word ending in ing ) sucks. I made the trip up, so I was kind of stuck. Happily, the school kids were on there own tours with there own leaders. The place was big enough, that we hardly came across them. I was on a tour with only four other people.
I guess the word " tour" fits, it is just a walk around the gardens with someone that knows more then myself. There are 15 acres of " cultivated wild gardens". This means all these plants didn't magically grow in this yard. They are planted there, you could kind of call it a zoo for plants. There are many species of plants native to New England along with displays of western plants ( including prickly pear) and invasive species. There are several gardens that all have there own theme, such as woodland garden, lily pond, meadow and other habitat displays. The tour took a little over an hour, then I walked around on my own taking more pictures.
The tour leader today was a volunteer. She was very knowledgeable about plants. Apparently she had to take a training class to become a tour guide. There are so many plants there is no way she could have known all of them, unless she had a PhD in botany. I did ask a couple questions that she was not able to answer, because I am a nerd like that, so I stopped asking really hard questions.
I did learn about some of the woodland species that I see on walks in the woods. There were about five species that I have seen and photographed before and didn't know the name, but now thanks to my $8 admission fee I am a smarter outdoorsman. I was happy to find out the names of species I've seen in the woods such as marsh marigold, trillium and columbines.
There are so many species of plants it would be impossible to digest all the plant names and information thrown at me there. Also and more importantly, only some of the plants are in bloom right now. Some of the summer flowering plants have barely popped out of the soil. I plan on going back again in another month or so to see others blooming . Hopefully I can get some more pictures and learn the names of some summer plants.

Post Script: This is how I hope most of my posts are. I want to write about daytrips and fishing trips that I go on. Its more fun then writing a list. Obviously I enjoyed this daytrip and do plan on going back. If I go to a place that I don't enjoy, I will tell you that also. Since I am paying admission to a place like Garden in the Woods, I will write how I feel about my experience, whether good or bad. If you are interested in going to Garden in the Woods it should be easy to Google. The website has all the info you would need.

P.S.S If someone would like to pay me to endorse their company, I can be bought.

Just kidding ( kinda)