Sunday, March 20, 2011

A Walk Along Putah Creek

 We recently drove over to Davis, a college town west of Sacramento.  One of our sons had attended college there and we were familiar with the town but we had never visited the arboretum.  I was hoping for some great photos to represent Yolo County on my other blog.
Arboretums are collections of plants and not decorative gardens so I was not very successful in that goal but it was an interesting and worthwhile visit.
UC Davis started out as a Farm School 1907 and was part of UC Berkley.  It is now a full university in its own right and includes a Medical School and Law School.
It is still and important Ag school and a resource for farmers and home gardeners alike.

 The arboretum extends along both sides of Putah Creek for over two miles.  We didn't explore the entire length, I think we will go back another time.
The arboretum contains collections of both native California plants and plants adapted to California's climate.  The main emphasis of the collections is on water-wise gardening.


Western Redbud

Ceanothus
 Ceanothus and Redbud are both widely used in my area; they are native plants that are attractive and need little water.
Flamingo Chinese Cedar (Toona sinensis 'Flamingo')
 This lovely plant in the East Asian collection was new to me.
Knife Acacia (Acacia Cultriformis)
 This low growing Acacia from Australia was also one I hadn't seen before.
Another collections was dedicated to plants that attract hummingbirds.

See more of our amazing world at That's My World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy Wren and Sylvia.

29 comments:

Gaelyn said...

I was married in Morton Arboretum, IL and always loved walking there. Cute bridge and nice to see the blooms.

Sylvia K said...

Lovely post as always! And, as always, I love the colorful flowers! Looks like a great place to visit! I do so enjoy arboretums! Hope your week gets off to a great start, Martha! Enjoy! Thanks for sharing your world!

Sylvia

Paulie said...

Always something wonderful to see on your travel adventures!

Jim said...

Beautiful. Love the tower and bridge.

Bill S. said...

It looks like spring has sprung and you are enjoying it. Love the pictures of the flowers.

Hootin Anni said...

What a wonderful treasure trove of blossoms and beauty!!! I enjoyed your day trip very much.

Thanks for stopping by yesterday to visit.

Monday's link:
Spring in my Corner of the World

Unknown said...

Great tour of a beautiful place, Martha.!!!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

clairz said...

I had to smile when I saw the title of your post today, because Davis is yet another place where I have lived. I went to school there in the late 1960s. I knew nothing about the arboretum then (too young to appreciate such things) and so am glad to find out about the place. Lovely photos and great information, Martha!

Diane AZ said...

That looks like a very interesting place to explore in different seasons. I like the bridge, colorful plants and hummer.

EG CameraGirl said...

I enjoy arboretums because they show how well certain plants will grow in a certain area. The redbuds are wonderful!

Kathie Brown said...

I love arboretums! What a fun way to spend a day! The bow bridge is beautiful. I almost missed the hummingbird in the shadows of the last photo! Is it a female Anna's?

Marie said...

An awesome post filled with lovely colors.

Barb said...

Martha, I've been to Davis many times but never to the arboretum. You always show me something new. I love redbud trees.

Anonymous said...

Pictures like poetry. Thank you. Please have you all a good Tuesday.

daily athens

Unknown said...

Things blooming outdoors! Now that's something we don't yet have. It seems for us here in Western New England that spring will never arrive. Thanks for the lift!

Regina said...

Beautiful scenes Martha.
Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

I like the bridge and the reflection. The last shot with the beautiful bird is great too.

Katney said...

My dad graduated from Davis in 1932.

Linnea said...

What a great idea to go there and check out the gardens! They're lovely! Davis itself is a cute town.

Walk in New York said...

belle promenade printaniere avec de belle couleur

Publicity ;o) Every Friday (and the Weekend), The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"

Kai Rui said...

Visiting from My World Tuesday

following you, hope you'll follow me back..

my entry's here:
http://kc2009.blogspot.com/2011/03/escapar-una-isla-hermosa.html

SandyCarlson said...

This is a wonderful breath of spring. Thanks for this post.

Autumn Belle said...

This is a beautiful place to visit. So nice to be so close to nature. Thank you very much for teaching me what is a 'nosegay'!

Cildemer said...

A great post with very beautiful pics! Love the bridge reflection and the Western redbud!
Thanks for sharing;o)

***
Have a nice and happy day****

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great pics, I just love arboretums and that looks like a nice one.

Anonymous said...

That is a nice reflection from the bridge, and I enjoyed looking at the blooms.

Christine said...

Martha, you have captured my old stompin' grounds beautifully. Did you know that that bridge, the one you've taken such a beautiful photo of, used to be a narrow, flat, straight-across bridge that I used to ride my horse across? On the north side was the arena where horse shows, roping, gym-khana, etc. took place, mostly on Picnic Day but during other times of the year as well. I grew up in Davis and remember when we called what is now the Arboretum "stinky creek" because it sure was. It was also wild and child's playground. How is has evolved is nothing short of vision, hard work and miracles. :)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Well.. I know what you mean about Arboretums, but I think you got some gorgeous flower shots. Your photo blog is so fun to look at and has given you a great reason to search out new and interesting places in your fabulous state. I am loving it equally as much as I do this one!

Amila Kanchana said...

What a great experience it must have been! All those beautiful blooms,hummingbirds, wow!