My wife and I drove to the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It’s a beautiful place for a respite in any season, and we are grateful to have it so close to home.
Mature hardwood deciduous trees dominate 87 of the arboretum’s 125 acres. A large pond serves as its centerpiece. A small stream runs through the center of the arboretum, located in a ravine with thickly wooded hillsides. The arboretum has been open to the public since 1989.
People visit the arboretum for many reasons. The arboretum’s patrons include JMU students, local school groups, families, birders, photographers, and senior citizens like us. It’s a great place to learn, relax, and enjoy all the arboretum has to offer, including occasional seminars.
Many people focus on flowers this time of year. Flowers and birds were our main agenda. We strolled around the grounds and found many blooming native, domesticated, and wildflowers.
Near a rock outcropping, I spotted a group of spring beauty flowers. When I bent down to get a close-up shot, I noticed a honey bee flitting from one blossom to another. It was the first bee of the season for me.
Can you find it in this photo?
© Bruce Stambaugh 2024
Roadkill Crossing 
Thanks for a pleasant memory, Bruce – Springtime in Bergey, PA was a wonder-FULL time when I strolled through a neighbor’s field, picking Spring Beauties and – best of all: the purple Bluebells. (not sure if they were one or two words). I was blest to have roaming privileges all over the fields when I was elementary and middle school age. I loved whatever I could find in the field as well as in the delightful little stream that ran from our neighbors creek through our yard, by the willow trees, under the stone bridge into another neighbor’s field. To this day, those hold my most pleasant memories of childhood! Thanks, again, for reminding me!
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Audrey, thank you for sharing your marvelous story.
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