Sunflower

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – Vienna, Virginia (September 2010)

Meadowlark Revisited

Sunday, September 17

Today was the better of the two weekend days.  We had plans to hike in a nearby state park and have a picnic afterwards.  But that was before Mui was diagnosed with having tendonitis.  The doctor ordered him to take it easy, so we stayed home and edited a bit of his Alaska video footage (to be posted shortly).  By 3:00p, however, we could no longer stand being caged inside.  With blue skies, sunshine, and temps in the mid-70F range (24C), the fall day was simply much too nice to resist.  Hopping into the car, we drove to our old standby — yes, we went to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

A quiet fall day at Meadowlark.

Though the parking lot was filled to overflowing, there were few people down by Lake Caroline; everyone must have been at the Atrium for an event.  No complaints from us!  Finding Mui a comfortable seat with a view, I set off to see if I could find some photo ops.

Darn; he saw me!

You know I clicked the shutter a few times …

Milkweed gone to seed.
the filaments from the follicles are hollow and coated with wax;
they are a good insulator.

The orange and black insect is a large milkweed bug.
these bugs survive on the seeds and tissue of the plant.

fall color

managed to find another pottery piglet hidden in a flowerbed.

Eventually I returned to Mui’s side, we moved to a bench overlooking the lake, and enjoyed a light snack in lieu of the al fresco lunch we had planned to have after our hike.   So, the weekend didn’t turn out exactly as we had hoped, but we enjoyed our short outing anyway.  We’re supposed to have more great weather next weekend; maybe we can give our hiking plans another shot then.

Meadowlark: There Are Weddings; and There Are Weddings

Saturday, 18 September

Roaming around Meadowlark today, I kept crossing paths with a wedding party that was using the beautiful park setting as the background for photographs of their special day.  I stayed out of their way and gave them their space.  Admittedly, I couldn’t resist clicking the shutter a few times from a distance.  I included one of those photos in the slideshow here.

Here’s another image … captured by happenstance when I rounded a corner on the paved trail that I was following.  The bride and groom were mostly out of sight, posing for the wedding photographer.  I really like the image I captured … it’s a little different; and very intimate and special (if I do say so myself).

An intimate portrait.

So, what about the “and then there are weddings” part of this post.  Here’s that part of my story.

Eventually, my meandering walk around the park took me to the Children’s Garden where a few kids were playing, their parents fondly watching their antics.  I took a few shots of the whimsical art nearby and was about to leave when a woman approached me.  “You seem to like taking close up photos; you might want to get a shot of the grasshoppers on the frame of the deer topiary,” she said.  Before I could thank her for the tip, the young boy who was holding her hand chimed in with his own comment: “They’re having a wedding!”  Out of the mouths of babes!

Mating Pair

Love was definitely in the air at Meadowlark today and I was privileged to witness glimpses of it.

Meadowlark in Color and B&W

Saturday, 18 September

What a beautiful fall day! And if you’re stuck at home (like I am), what better place to spend the day than at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia.

I first discovered these gardens in June 2009 when I was looking for a convenient place to go to while Mui was visiting family in Turkey.  I later shared this “gem” with Mui and my mother; that was in the spring of this year.  (To see pictures from those earlier visits, click here and here.)

On my own again for a few weeks — a family emergency took Mui to Turkey earlier this month — I turned to Meadowlark to add some variety to my weekend routine.

Unlike on previous occasions, the grounds were quieter today — no birds chirping in the trees; no great blue heron fishing in the pond; no toads croaking love songs at the top of their lungs.  That’s not to say that the place wasn’t hopping.  There was a wedding party wandering around with a photographer, looking for the best backgrounds; several couples posing for pictures in scenic spots along the paved trail; families feeding the koi and catfish (and the Canada geese and turtles) from the gazebo on Lake Caroline.

Instead of just posting some of my photos this time, I thought I’d post a slideshow transitioning from black & white to color (a little too much time on my hands today).

Click the picture below to start the slideshow; you can adjust the speed by clicking the appropriate setting above the thumbnails below.

A Beautiful Fall Day at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Next Up … Meadowlark: There Are Weddings; and There Are Weddings

Cherry Blossoms and Toad Love: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Sunday — April 4

We had no plans to go out today. The forecasters were calling for an overcast day and there were a ton of things needing attention around the house. By noon, however, the blue skies and brilliant sunshine was giving lie to the forecast. So, around 2:00p, we headed out to a gem of a place I discovered last year, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, about 15 minutes from our house. (Click here for the June 2009 blog entry.)

Once inside, we went our separate ways. Mom and Mui strolled at a slower pace, making frequent use of the benches around the main pond, which was rimmed with cherry trees at peak bloom. I wandered around the grounds, photographing anything that caught my eye — from frogs and toads (love was definitely in the air), to cherry blossoms, and interesting sculptures.

From sitting here minding his own business ...

… to posturing when another frog leaps into his patch of water.

A toad orgy!

See if you can find the toad (more specifically, Bufo Americanus) eggs in this photograph.
(thanks for the research MZ)

Bath time for a Canada Goose!

That giant cone is big enough to feed a squirrel for a year.

My what big ants they have at Meadowlark.
(not really, but I couldn’t resist)

Sometimes it’s the spur of the moment outings that turn out to be the most rewarding. That was certainly the case today.

Meadowlark — A Gem in Our Backyard

7 June 2009

Today I found a gem in our backyard. Well, not really “our” backyard per se, but in Vienna, Virginia. We lived in Vienna for years before we moved down the street and our address changed to Fairfax. In all that time, I had no idea that had I driven Church Street to Beulah and continued just a bit further that I would find myself at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. A really great place!

Today’s outing was a solo one on my part; Mui’s visiting family in Turkey. After a week of rain and thunderstorms, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy sunshine and blue skies. Checking my “sightseeing ideas” board, I found a small clipping, yellowed with age, hidden under several sheets of paper. I pulled it off and read the name: “Meadowlark.” I read the address: “Vienna.” Hmmm, I thought to myself and did a search on the web. What I found piqued my curiosity and led me to make the 15-minute drive to the gardens this morning.

I arrived at the visitor center shortly after it opened at 10:00a, paid the $5 entrance fee, picked up a map of the grounds, and set off to explore.

The Meadowlark Botanical Gardens visitor center.

A paved trail through the woods took me to the Swirl Garden Lake. Following the path to the left, I searched the lakeshore for birds and other critters; tracked dragonflies that perched just long enough for me to focus, but not long enough for me to click the shutter; took photographs of the whimsical figures at the enchanting children’s garden; sat on a bench and listened to the chirps of birds hiding out in the trees; watched a green heron trying to catch breakfast some distance away. The lake water was muddy — not surprising after all the rain we’ve been getting these past few weeks. It did not detract from the beauty of the scenery.

The Children’s Garden

Whimsical figures decorate the children’s garden.

An American Robin visiting an American park.

This bench looks like a good place to sit and relax for a while.

Gotcha! Perseverance won me this photograph of a blue dasher.

Just as I was about to move on, I was joined at the lake by a great blue heron — GBH to birders. I sat back down on the bench to enjoy its company. When it started to fish … well, I couldn’t resist — I had to take a few photographs. The stealth approach the GBH employed to capture its prey was a sight to behold. I’ll let the next series of photos tell the story.

We have success!

On that note, I took my leave and continued to explore the gardens as I made my way to the visitor center.

If I follow this path, I’ll eventually get to the visitor center.

One of the many charming areas that invite one to sit and ponder nature.

The young lad in the blue shirt was very curious — he stopped to ask me my name and what I was doing.
(He turned away before I could get a good shot of him and his brother.)

My outing turned out to be a very good one. I stayed longer than I thought I would — meaning I didn’t have high expectations of the outcome when I set out to visit Meadowlark. But I did not stay as long as I wanted to once I realized what a gem I had found. Two things were working against me — the gnat-like flies and the sun. I had put on neither sun block, nor bug repellent … very unlike me.

As Arnold would say: “I’ll be back.” (You have to add his thick Austrian accent to make it work.)