Fall Visit to the Arboretum

Whenever Mom and Dad ask if I want to go to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, I say, "Okay!"

Then when we get there, I have to ask, "Are we at the arboretum?" I just like saying that word. I think it's the biggest word I know.

Yesterday, we walked through the Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit.

Mom took an obligatory, "I was there!" photo of me. I was a little scared of the scarecrow, so I didn't want to get too close.

I did like the giant spider, though.

The owl was Mom's favorite.

I was having a hard time controlling my impulse to trample over the bushes and flowers in the gardens behind the visitor center. Mom and Dad promised to take me to another section of the arboretum where I could run mostly free. So, after viewing the scarecrows, we got back in the car, and drove to the shade tree exhibit.

We picnicked in a treehouse, where we were able to watch a chickadee call from a branch in a nearby tree, and where we caught site of this guy. 

My favorite part of the exhibit was a play house. There are two near to each other, but one sits continually in the sun, while the other is mostly shaded. (I chose the shaded one to play in.) Thermometers placed on the play houses show the difference in temperature between outside the play house and inside the play house, as well as show the difference in temperature between the house that sits in the sun versus the one that sits in the shade. 

I did my fair share of running as Mom and Dad walked around. I didn't have to worry about delicate plants or staying on the pathway. 

I collected pine cones in a big leaf and made a "treat."

Before leaving, I sat in a few of the Adirondack chairs placed under a small collection of trees. They're there for people to get an idea of what it's like to sit under a tree with heavy (or darker) shade versus a tree with lighter shade. I think I liked the lighter shade.