Tag Archives: Viles arboretum

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Viles Arboretum… the finale.

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Finishing the outer loop trail brought us close to the end of our walk.

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Another sculpture.

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That my not a fan of modern art husband had a hard time deciphering. I keep telling him you don’t have to understand art … just enjoy it.

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The lilac gardens were next and though it was a small area ….

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The scent was gloriously large.

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Even she thought so.

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Or maybe she didn’t. It’s hard to tell.

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We really enjoyed the time we spent here. A true hidden oasis in the middle of our state’s capitol.

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I had to laugh that my husband has the old wooden apple press shown on that sign.

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So there you have it.

A full tour of Viles Arboretum.

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Ending with the least expensive and smallest sculpture on offer.

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Viles Arboretum… part five.

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Nearing the end of our hike there was an old well.

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I’m assuming it had some connection to the old piggery we’d passed.

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The arboretum hosts guest lecturers and holds classes on various nature related topics throughout the year and as you would guess…

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They usually take place outside.

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Though this spot didn’t look like it’s seen any action in a while.

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I’ve been told this is the most popular section of the park.

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And is a favorite for wedding photographs, though to be honest I didn’t find it very impressive.

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The lily of the valley were nice, but heck… my hostas are more impressive than anything they had.

To he continued…

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Viles Arboretum … part four.

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The pond was smaller than I thought it would be.

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But it had a granite bench to rest my bad knee…

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And a catfish that played with flower blossoms …

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So life was good.

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Said catfish also attacked a snail, but the little shelled gastropod prevailed.

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Moving on from the aquatic MMA….

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We came upon the piggery.

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So named because that’s exactly what it was at the turn of the century.

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Though the sign was a little hard to read.

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Not to mention extremely low to the ground.

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To be continued…

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Viles Arboretum… part three.

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An hour and a half in and we were still exploring.

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Which is where we found this mini pyramid.

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It’s basically the same kind of stone my husband used to build my garden bed last year so I suggested perhaps he could build me one of these this year.

He pretended he didn’t hear me, but my memory is long and I have patience.

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Every now and then there was a bench.

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But we were always moving and didn’t dawdle.

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Dappled shade is good for ferns. Add soil too wet to walk over and it’s damn near perfect.

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I have to say I was looking forward to the rhododendron section of the trail. A forest full of rhodies?

Bring it!

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If you’re wondering why the husband looks slightly puzzled? It’s because we were right in the middle of the supposed rhododendron section but didn’t know it.

After doing a 360, you can see why we were confused.

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One bloom does not a collection make.

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Onward. To the pond…

To be continued.

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Viles Arboretum… part two.

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And we’re walking.

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Or rather, I’m walking and the husband is reading…

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This time about the arboretum’s project to reintroduce the American chestnut tree that was decimated by a fungus.

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They’ve planted hundreds.

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Finished reading, the husband caught up and we entered the woods.

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The trails are well marked and not wanting to miss anything I made sure we did both the inner and outer loops.

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Cool and peaceful.

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Melodic bird song and the gentle swaying of branches.

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And a burl.

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Which some little creature had already hollowed out for his home.

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Out of the woods and back to the meadows.

To be continued….

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Viles Arboretum … part one.

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The weather was perfect. The tourists were nowhere to be seen. And my husband is still retired… for now. So I stuffed him in the car and we crossed something off my endless Things To Do In Maine bucket list.

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Viles Arboretum. A 224 acre non profit botanic garden run by the state which conserves wetlands, forest and fields and offers free access to anyone wanting to enjoy miles of nature trails.

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There were sculptures scattered throughout.

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Most of which were for sale. Though for $15,000, we decided to pass.

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Most of the walking was easy and the boardwalks over the wet areas were quite welcome.

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If you know my husband, you know he has to stop and read every single word of every single plaque about every single tree.

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Scrap metal bird sculpture. Lord Dudley would be terrified.

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It was a lovely way to spend the day and we leisurely strolled through meadows that turned to marsh…

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That turned to ponds.

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That turned to wetlands…

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And back to meadows.

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To be continued….

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