Saturday, May 8, 2021
We are following the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Originally the trail (not a literal dirt trail!) extended from St Louis, MO to Astoria, OR. In March 2019, the Eastern Legacy extension was officially added to the trail, with the start in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Lewis & Clark Expedition, officially the Corps of Discovery Expedition, had the principal objective of surveying (explore and map) the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, and locating routes (preferably by water) that would connect the continental interior to the Pacific Ocean. Further, they were to establish an American presence in the new Louisiana Territory by developing diplomatic and trade relations with the indigenous peoples, and scouting out sites for forts and trading posts. Just as importantly, they were to observe and record the flora and fauna, and geologic features they encountered.
Because we had already followed Meriwether Lewis from
Pittsburgh to Steubenville, today we fast-forwarded to Steubenville, OH, with a stop ay the
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Advance timed tickets were required, but due to our Tyler Arboretum membership, we did not pay admission. The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is one of the top ten largest American botanical gardens, covering 452 acres.
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The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is located in Settler's Cabin Park in the Pittsburgh suburb of Oakdale, PA |
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The art gallery featured Hydrangea Carnival (2020) |
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A sign warned that the Podophyllum peltatum/ Mayapple is toxic except for its fruit |
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The Mayapple flower is below the leaves |
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Oak leaf impressions in the sidewalk in the Garden of the Five Senses |
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Kent plays with the sense of hearing |
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It was peak season for the Cornus florida/ Flowering Dogwood |
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There were a variety of nesting boxes; Andrew's House was for a smaller species |
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Apiary, supposedly for Apis mellifera/European Honeybees |
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Display of beekeeper tools |
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Passing the Hermit Hut |
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Bookworm Glen |
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A wooden creature of Bookworm Glen (KSS) |
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Storybook House in Bookworm Glen |
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Gnome House in Bookworm Glen |
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From far away, it looked like this fungus was painted gold; perhaps Entoloma vernum/Pinkgill Mushroom |
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The Lotus Pond |
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Branta canadensis/Canada Geese with goslings |
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Kent crosses the slightly inundated Stepping Stones |
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A plank zig-zag path? (KSS) |
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Tamiko in the Giant Bird Nest (KSS) |
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Meadows Edge where Kent learned a healthy meadow requires mowing only once every three years, to remove woody plants |
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Still too early for the Pollinator Garden, except for the rusty metal flowers |
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Camassia quamash/Small Camas with an edible root bulb will be introduced later to Lewis & Clark by the Shoshone and Nez Perce |
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Aesculus x arnoldiana 'Autumn Splendor'/ Autumn Splendor Buckeye |
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We missed the spring bulb flowers! |
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The chicken topiary needs some trimming |
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Homestead apple orchard |
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Walker-Ewing-Glass Log Cabin (c 1780) |
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Homestead chicken coop |
Next: Steubenville, OH Murals.
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