Parks and Gardens Day Trips

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I am enjoying day trips to parks and gardens this spring - both old favorites and new ones. The places on my old favorites list are below - with the ones I’ve done in past few months in italics (does not mean that I might not see them again soon!):

US Botanic Garden

Patapsco Valley State Park

There are new ones on my list too. I’ve started putting pink post-it notes around the calendar on the refrigerator when I read about new places I want to see. The ones in italics on the list below are the two we’ve done already recently (and I want to do both of them again):

Adkins Arboretum

Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

I’m sure I’ll be adding to the 'new' list soon after buying Barbara Glickman’s new book: Maryland’s Public Gardens & Parks yesterday at the annual Master Naturalist conference!

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area

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Last weekend, we hiked the Wildlife Loop Trail in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. It was an outing that had been on my list for this spring and it finally was at the top. It is less than 15 minutes from our house!

The trails are rustic. There are two documented trails that have different entry points. The Wildlife Loop (the one we chose to do in this first trip to MPEA) was the trail originating from the parking lot at the Trotter Road parking area. We walked along old farm roads or mowed paths. The vegetation was lush with vines - sometimes with obvious invasive plants like honeysuckle and multiflora rose...and then there was the native grapevine too. Some areas along the road had been turned into meadow and the milkweed was getting ready to bloom.

 

 

Some of the trees were kept cleared of vines and were doing very well. I always enjoy seeing the heart shaped leaves and seed pods of redbud this time of year.

One of the maples was growing very fast and this branch must have been tall enough to be above browsing by deer.

The trail meanders downhill toward the river and then back up. Close to the end - I noticed leaves with droplets of water accumulated around their edges. It was a nice finale.

I’m already planning another hike to MPEA. I want to hike the other trail…spend more time at the river’s edge…go as early as possible while it is still cool…and remember bug spray!