Explore Outdoors ~ a tree museum

 Last week a friend invited us to stroll through the Arnold Arboretum. It's Harvard University's "tree museum" and botanical research facility, and filled with birds and blooms that change with the season. In early April, our friend warned, we shouldn't expect to see a lot of flowers. Because it's still cold (indeed, it snowed for a few minutes that morning) and spring was still trying to wake up! But here, enough talk - come with us for a short walk...

Many of the trees in bloom were from China, Japan, South Korea - places where flowers are adapted to chilly spring weather. But, as we discovered, there's more to trees than their blossoms... 

Bark has wonderful texture, as do the sweetgum seedpods and the mosses and lichens growing on tree limbs.

Even so, the maples and magnolias were blooming (though the magnolias looked the worse for wear!)

And then, of course I just couldn't resist this splash of yellow!

This week, notice the trees where you walk.