On a recent trip to DC, the 30+ Asian female demographic in our rented SUV agreed that a true sign of aging is the learned appreciation for plants. In gardens, in homes, in flower shows, and in large establishments whose sole purpose is to showcase the beauty of botany, patrons are mostly women. On that particular Spring Saturday, it was us.
“You can call me Flower if you want to.” If you know where that line is from, we should talk.
The US National Arboretum is a division of the USDA, and is basically a tree and plant museum where flora and fauna (who doesn’t love saying that?) are cultivated for scientific purposes. The USNA is composed of nine miles and 446 acres of plant life, two miles away from the Capitol building, and is a treasure I didn’t even know anything about until our DC-based friend included it in our trip’s itinerary.
Below are photos of our botanical finds. My favorite photo is that of the columns, the original support of the United States Capitol in 1828. They have a Romanesque/Parthenon feel about them.
The Capitol columns, original supports for the 1828 Capitol Building.
