Walkin' in a Floral Wonderland

               When I first found out that our class was going to be held at the arboretum I was thrilled.  My RA took our whole floor there to get our pictures taken and to do some activities with another floor when we first arrived on campus, so I knew what to expect.  Personally, I would choose to spend class outside exploring over sitting in a cramped, dull classroom any day.  Although I had been to the arboretum before, I was only near the fountain and did not have much time to look around.

 

                We arranged to meet at the big pavilion at the arboretum.  When we were standing under it talking, I was gazing around, wondering why I hadn’t spent more time there.  The pavilion is a giant stone structure with white drapes flowing down around the perimeter; it looked to me like the perfect place to have a luxurious picnic.  When we were finally unleashed to explore the grounds, I notice that the arboretum was more than just flowers; it expands out miles and miles through paths in the woods and there are plans for further development.

 

                I enjoyed the arboretum because you could take your time strolling down the countless winding paths and you would never end up at the same place.  There were numerous different spaces and they all had something unique about them.  The first space I walked through was a vibrant array of colorful flowers.  My favorite flower in this section was a sunburst of colors, starting with yellow in the middle, and transforming into red on the tips of the petals.  The warm colors contrasted nicely with the green stems and leaves.

                As I continued down the path I ended up at a arch entangled in vines.  Through the arch was a sunflower paradise. I’m not exactly sure why, but I associate sunflowers with hippies, so this space was peaceful and relaxing to me.  I also saw some unique sunflowers that stood out to me.  They looked like sunflowers, acted like sunflowers, but they did not resemble the sun in any way because they were maroon!  This baffled me because I have seen numerous plants and flowers in my days, but never have I seen a purple sunflower.

                Once I got over this fascination with the discolored sunflowers I went in search for the fountain.  I got distracted (typical) on the way there when I was trying to smell a flower and came face to face with a bee!  It was a close call but I got away without a sting.  I eventually ended up in an area with a circular pond.  The pond was full of assorted lilies and lily pads.  I became extremely tempted to try to sit on the gigantic lily pad in the middle of the pond, but I resisted the urge because being wet wasn’t an option on that frigid day.  I settled for just taking pictures and ended up spotting a comet (fish, not extraterrestrial mass… yet just as lucky).

                I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the aboredum and know that I will find myself back there in the near future.  This trip reminded me a lot of home because my parents are avid gardeners.  Not only do we have our own mini arboredum, we also have a pond surrounded by plants, and full of fish.  One of these times when my parents come to visit I will make sure to take them to the arboredum to share the beautiful landscape, and stunning architecture with them.