Arnold Arboretum

Today I did one of those daytrips that I have been hoping to do all year. I've never been to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston and have always wanted to go. The Arboretum is a 260 acre landscaped piece of land that has thousands of different species of trees and shrubs. By no mean am an expert on dendrology. However I certainly am interested in seeing things I've never seen.

I went to the Arboretum a little later than I wanted. I got out of work fairly early. My plan was to watch a little football then head up. A sudden migraine made for a change of plans. Luckily for me, an hour nap and some migraine medicine, and I was ready to go. I got there about 4:15. I stayed about

two hours. I wanted to be south of the Boston city limits by dark, so I made sure to give myself ample time to get home.

All information that is needed is found on the Arnold Arboretum website. The Arboretum is owned by Harvard University by the way. It was designed by the famous Frederick Law Olmsted, along with many other parks in the Emerald Necklace (the Emerald Necklace is a chain of parks in Boston for the public to enjoy, not to be confused with ZZ Top's Pearl Necklace) The website has directions that were accurate to the tenth of a mile. Parking is on street around the arboretum. On a Sunday afternoon I found a spot about 75 yards from the main gate. Maps of the arboretum with trails can also be found on their website. I printed a copy of a map along with a couple walking tours.

I knew going in that I wouldn't be able to see all of the trees in two hours of daylight. I wasn't going to rush, whatever I could see would be fine with me. The park was specific areas where families of trees are. For instance, all the birch trees are together. Although oaks seemed to be scattered, one area was clustered with some real monsters. Most of the trees have signs on them saying the species, scientific name, and part of the world they originate. The ones that are not labeled have a metal card somewhere around ground level with the same information.

I learned today that my favorite family of trees are the pines. I couldn't get enough of them. I saw a

Dawn Redwood, which is so rare it was believed to be extinct. They are from China. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have spent so much of my time around the conifers. They will look exactly the same over the winter or any time I choose to go back. The deciduous trees on the other hand will shed their leaves within a month. I didn't think about this until I was walking out.

By far my favorite tree in the arboretum is the Giant Sequoia. The have one that stands about 50 feet tall. This is obviously puny compared to the 300 foot monsters in California. None the less, I was blown away by the tree. I got that feeling of "awe" that I crave. I took a few pics of it, I could have stayed there all day.

I very much enjoyed my time at the arboretum. Although the place is dedicated to the study of trees, many people were doing other activities. People were walking their dogs, bike riding, and roller blading. I can't tell you how many people had a blanket laid out under a shade tree picnicking.

I will certainly go back again. It will probably be this year during the foliage season. I wouldn't want to deal with Boston traffic on a weekday, so it will probably be on a Sunday again. I am sure the place is beautiful in the spring when the lilacs, Magnolia and Tulip trees are blooming. On top of the beauty, I know the Arboretum is a great place to bird in the spring, so I am sure I will find a day to go there again in May. If your looking for a nice place to visit that is easy to walk or bike ride or want to take a picnic, you might want to consider Arnold Arboretum. I'm sure 95 percent of the people there,

Giant Sequoia

just enjoyed the open space and could care less if the tree they were under was a red oak or a white oak.

There are many dirt paths off the main
paved walkways