| @@Sunday, April 7, 2002@@ |
| What a gorgeous morning....wow......! So, after b'fast Michael & I leaving to enjoyed the day. We went to public park near by which is about 10 minutes drive from our house. |
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| Kayaking at Charles River |
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| Sakura in early spring Harvard University as a background |
| Lots of people laying down in the park, along with their families, folks, pets, etc., while having picnic lunch. After that, we drove to the Mount Auburn Garden Cemetery. The location also close to our house. Mount Auburn Garden Cemetery founding in 1831. It was America's first garden cemetery, and one of the world's most beautiful, also major inspiration for its public parks. It's grounds offer a place for reflection and for observation of nature----trees, shrubs, flowering plants, ponds, gentle hills, and birds both resident and migrant. Cars were first permitted here in 1908, and the car gates were added in 1913. Before that, visitors entered in carriages or on foot. Horseback riding was not permitted. |
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| In 1997 a tree inventory of Mount Auburn |
| Cemetery recorded over 5,500 trees, |
| most of which are labeled with their |
| common and scientific names. |
| Some of the trees, especially the Black |
| Oaks, are over 3 feet in diameter |
| and predate the founding of the cemetery. Other trees are specimens of rare size and maturity for their species. The collection of trees includes more than 700 different types, making the cemetery an arboretum of national importance. Fine specimens are individually maintained in a landscape of unique historical significance and beauty. Also includes hundreds of different types of shrubs and groundcovers. In addition, more than 50,000 annuals are planted on lots and in corporation beds each year. For the past twenty years, state foresters have been compiling records for the largest specimen trees of each species that grows in New England. In 1994, arborists at Mount Auburn measured trees that might quality as champions, using a formula data considers height, spread and trunk size. Forty-six are State champions, and seventeen are New England champions. This plan shows the locations of some of the champion trees as well as some of the largest specimens in their collection. Many are over a hundred years old. Not all the "big trees" listed here are giants. Species such as Flowering Dogwood mature at a much smaller size than Oaks. The garden itself, within the 174 acres of the cemetery, and there are more than 10 miles of roads, also numerous well-kept paths. |
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| ~ Early Spring in Boston Area ~ |
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