Monday, November 19, 2012

Photo of the Day: Arboreal Tongues of Flame



A longtime friend whose skill with the camera I respect enormously assures me that “any photo that has red or orange in it is always visually fun.” Indeed, I have to admit that that, virtually any time I pass trees with these colored leaves in the fall, my eye is immediately struck by them.

Some months ago, driving by the Thielke Aboretum in Glen Rock, N.J., I vowed to return to explore it at greater length. This past Sunday, after the recent storms and before autumn slipped away for good this year, I made my way back to this natural preserve in Bergen County, N.J., not far from where I live.

This 11-acre wetland forest is not the biggest arboretum around, but it is a welcome sliver of nature amid suburbia. Birds, butterflies, amphibians and waterfowl, as well as other inhabitants of the animal kingdom (most native to this area) can be found in this preserve’s nature trails, gardens, spring-fed pond, and brook. 

The Friends of the Glen Rock Arboretum are seeking to raise $500,000 in private donations for a 1,750-square-foot building on the grounds, to provide office, conference, classroom and multi-purpose space.  I hope you’ll follow the link on this post to learn how you can contribute. After all, as Henry David Thoreau wrote, “In Wildness is the preservation of the World.”

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