On this official first day of winter, I wish all of you the best for the season and hope you will include time on the grounds of the world’s most magnificent garden of trees, the Arnold Arboretum!
Pictured are just a few of the perfectly ordinary reminders of the extraordinary beauty of nature: the single seeded fruit of a swamp locust (Gleditsia aquatica, 201-93*B, right), the surprisingly green dormant bud of a sweet gum probably recycling respired CO2 (Liquidambar styraciflua, 135-38*B, upper left), and magnificent clouds of red fruits from a linden viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum, 1804-77*A).
If you need more evidence that winter is the perfect time to visit with trees, head to this Flickr page to see more pictures from my last month of ambling on the grounds of the Arnold Arboretum—including an update on our wonderful prickly pear cactuses.