Nature and the garden

It was a gift and a privilege to walk along the Bent Creek pedestrian path in the NC Arboretum this morning.  All of our city parks are temporarily closed, as are the recreation areas in the National Forest nearby, but the Arboretum is still open, for now, for passholders and drive-in parking fee folks.

An unexpected sighting of two patches of planted Oconee Bells had me gasp this morning -- how lovely to happen upon them unexpectedly.

This photo was my hubbie's from a visit to Botanical Gardens of Asheville, now closed for visiting.

Oconee Bells

This was my sighting at the Arboretum.

They have a venerable and iconic story, which I won't retell now.  I shared it with a couple of other of the few fellow walkers that I was encountering as the morning progressed. Thankfully,  it was easy to climb up the slope to practice social distancing, but later in the morning or afternoon, I'm not sure how easy it was.

It was so soothing to hear the sounds of Bent Creek.  Frankly, I was in tears listening to the stream.

I'm again, thankful for the access to nature that I have.  Sending all good wishes for connections to nature that you have, or virtual connections, too.