Today is National Arbor Day, an unofficial holiday observed in all 50 states of the United States, the day the US pays tribute to its trees. Celebrated the last Friday in April, the holiday was proposed by Julius Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agriculture in 1872.
"Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future." ~Julius Sterling Morton
Adjacent to the Chattanooga Nature Center is the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 300 acres created as "a place of natural beauty where people could escape the pressures of city life for a moment of solitude in harmony with nature, a place of reflection of the natural beauty reflected in the surrounding ponds and creek."
We visited the Riding last Sunday afternoon along with the Nature Center. We did a little hiking - just about a mile, some geocaching, and rode the three mile loop road around through the meadows, up the hillsides, and down by the creek. Not far off the interstate at the base of Lookout Mountain, this peaceful area lives up to its mission.
kind thoughts are the roots
kind words are the blossoms
kind deeds are the fruit
(from a plaque along the trail)
Webshots photo album here
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden web site here
