We have one of the world's great arboretums right next door, in Kirtland, Ohio. Our membership to Holden is one of the great deals: access to the Arboretum, access to their sister institution, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, and access to the Holden Canopy Walk and the Emergent Tower. Holden didn't really need those spectacular new attractions--they had me converted with the beautiful Wildflower Garden, the Rhododendron Garden, the many ponds, Pierson Creek Ravine, and all the other features.
Today we drove to the Arboretum for a hike. We hiked through the Wildflower Garden, where not much had bloomed besides skunk cabbage and bloodroot.
 |
| Bloodroot |
 |
| Skunk Cabbage |
 |
| Skunk Cabbage |
After strolling through this garden, we hiked over to the Canopy Walk, high in the oak-maple forest, above the meandering of a feeder stream to Pierson Creek. From there we could see the 120 foot-tall emergent tower, which we climbed next.
 |
| The Emergent Tower |
 |
| Linda (the Tower behind her) |
 |
| View from the Tower |
I climbed about 80 feet up this tower--which was plenty high for me!
We also strolled through the spectacular Rhododendron Garden, and I took the photos below:
 |
| Hyacinth |
 |
| Bloodroot |
 |
| A variety of rhododendron |
 |
| Heath or heather |
 |
| A spectacular field of purple heather |
 |
| Pieris Japonica, a very early bloomer |
 |
| Spicebush, a native plant, one of my favorite |
All in all, a great morning in Holden Arboretum, where we saw both wild plants like bloodroot, skunk cabbage, and spicebush, and early blooming cultivars of heather and rhododendron.
