The 21st Century Matriarch

Continuing the sights from a stroll through Brookside Gardens last week…

The Flamingo Flamboyance exhibit near the visitor center and conservatories is looking lusher that the pictures on the garden website.

The big leaf magnolia (I think….didn’t see a sign for it) was blooming! It was the first time I had seen the flowers – probably the botanical high point of this last visit to Brookside. Most of the time the big leaf magnolias in the forest have branches so high off the ground that it is hard to see the flowers.

The weather is still cool enough for the rose bushes to be full of blooms. The pergola has been rebuilt recently so the wisteria/climbing roses are severely trimmed…full of promise in the upcoming years with the improved structure.

Overall – the walk around Brookside was full of reminders of how much I’ve enjoyed the place over the years….so glad I had a few hours to savor it one more time before we move away.

2017 09 IIMG_4162.jpg — Last Saturday, I led a group from Belmont Manor and Historic Park to the Avalon area of Patapsco Valley State Park. It was a beautiful day for a hike – sunny and not too hot. I didn’t take any pictures going downhill since I needed to be in the front. I did stop to check some spicebush (understory trees) for caterpillars since I am more aware of spicebush swallowtail caterpillar behavior from the Brookside Gardens’ Wings of Fancy caterpillar house (see my post about them here) while we made a short stop to allow the group to come together.

Once we got down near the river, a volunteer ranger met us to provide some park history. One stop was concrete Avalon Dam and I took a picture of it through the tangle of vegetation trees. The river bypasses the dam now! Looking down I noticed some self-fungus and very green moss among the accumulating leaves.

We stopped at the sign about Elkridge Landing. There is some controversy about exactly where the Landing was but it probably was not exactly where the sign I located. Another bit of history: the sign was made as an Eagle Scout project; it was very nice at the beginning - but has not weathered well. Maintenance in the park is always a challenge.

This is a wall that remains near what was the mill race in colonial times for the Avalon Nail and Iron Works – mended many times. It could be used for a geology talk as easily as for history.

While we were in the park we saw an ambulance come by with flashing lights and then leave again – lights still flashing. We heard that a hiker had gotten bitten by something. Later we learned the bit was from a copperhead and was on the ankle. It was a warm enough day that many people were in hiking sandals and shorts….scary that there was at least one snake not that far from where were hiking.

We started our hike back up the trail and noted the shelter along the trail that we hadn’t noticed on the way down because we stayed on the fire road rather than taking the trail.