Birdlife on the Hill

Bill and Vira Sisolak have shared these photos of a bird which visited their back yard during the holidays. (Right click on photos to open larger views.) Bill thinks it's a falcon but Vira thinks it's a Cooper's Hawk. Does anybody know?

Greens Party 2007

In a final farewell to St. Monica's, about 50 members made merry December 11 at the annual Greens Party. It was all wreathes, bows and the finger-food buffet. [Right click on photos for a larger view.]

There was food and music:













































Long-time members Edee (below l) and Marie (below r):









Alex B shows his wreath (below l); Alex G shows his arrangement to Wendy, David S and Richard (below r).









Sandra works on Christmas mug arrangements (below l); Muriel works on wreath and basket (below r).

Dueling photographs: Bill (below l) photographs Sonia, Sandy and David H (below r).

November 17 Soup 'n' Walk

Joyce Jones reports that the November 17 Soup 'n' Walk at Adkins Arboretum on Maryland's Eastern Shore was terrific. They loved Adkins, enjoyed the program and had a good lunch!

The once-a-month Soup 'n' Walks are scheduled to resume in early spring.

Kingman Island

The November 12 program on Kingman Island involved maps and architectural renderings. For actual photographs right click here.

Potomac Sunset

Norma Merritt of the Tanta-Cove Garden Club shared this photo of a sunset over the Potomac River above Mount Vernon:

Adkins' Native Plant Arrangements

Rain Ends for Soup 'n' Walk

Saturday's Soup 'n' Walk at Adkins Arboretum was rearranged to accommodate Mother Nature. Instead of walk first and soup later, we started with a program on fall color followed by a delicious lunch and, by the time we were ready for our docent-guided walk through the 400-acre native plant preserve, the rains had stopped.

The menu: Roasted red pepper and corn soup, cabbage and carrot slaw with toasted nuts, pumpkin bread with cream cheese and sweet potato pecan pie. "Nature, Nurture and Nutrition."

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) (above r).









Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus) (above) was throughout the forest.

Wild mushrooms (above), mosses (below l) and one of Adkin's four native orchids (below r) with green leaves and dried out blossoms.

Tupelo or black gum tree (Nyssa sylvatica ) (above l) and the blue fruit of the Viburnum nudum (above r). Ann and Bill (below l) and wetlands foot bridge (below r).